IEEE VR 2023 Workshops: Workshop: ARES - Augmented Reality Enabling Superhuman Sports & Serious Games (2nd Annual Workshop)

In the last years, the usage of Augmented Reality (AR) advanced into new frontiers through the widespread adoption of affordable mobile devices. For example, in Superhuman Sports, AR provides the potential to be a driving factor by revolutionizing team sports or by introducing novel game mechanics. In the field of Serious Games, AR can bring 3D serious content into the physical world to enhance immersion and knowledge transfer. In both areas, the full potential of this vision-based technology is still limited through the lack of framework support and tangible controller feedback for purely virtual objects. We want to bring together experts from different computing and engineering disciplines to overcome the barriers of complex AR game concepts and to enhance interactions with augmented objects in a playful way in two important research fields: The goal of Superhuman Sports is to surpass the limitations of the human body by incorporating technology. Cognitive and physical capabilities are augmented by involving rich interactions through tangible and virtual game objects. Concepts of team sports based on competition and the exploration of new experiences through novel senses and reflexes, are helping to augment traditional sports or to path the way towards new game ideas. Serious Games combine the world of playing games for entertainment with the goal of learning in an almost subconsciously manner. Combining these two approaches requires meeting the demands of both. Learning content must be presented correctly and coherently, but on the other hand, it must be perfectly integrated into a game concept. Today, there are still various unsolved and related challenges for AR sports concepts and AR Serious Games alike, which should be spontaneously, anywhere, playable on mobile/wearable devices. Major challenges include, but are not limited to: