19 December 2024

Behnaz and her team created a prototype called 'Chameleon: Reality
Editor,' which allows users to extract colors from real objects to
seamlessly change virtual environments. The project won first prize in
two different categories.

Behnaz Kavoosighafi with her team.
Behnaz Kavoosighafi and her team.

The winning entry – Chameleon: Reality Editor!

The team won first prize in two different categories with their prototype.

Behnaz and her team, Chameleon, created a prototype named 'Chameleon: Reality Editor.' It allows users to extract colors from real objects to seamlessly change virtual environments.

With 'Chameleon: Reality Editor,' the team was honored with first place in two categories: 'Meta Utility and Design' and 'Best Use of Logitech MR Stylus Pen.

Three quick questions!

Hi Behnaz, who are you, can you tell me a little about yourself?

I am currently a fourth-year PhD student within the Computer Graphics and Image Processing group at Linköping University, at Campus Norrköping. My research primarily focuses on computer graphics, particularly in appearance capture and modeling.

What is the XR Hackathon and what did you think of the event?

I had the opportunity to participate in XR Hack, the first global XR (AR/VR) Champions League. This event brought together over 500 XR and AI developers to highlight the transformative potential of the latest XR and AI technologies. It was an inspiring experience to witness such a high level of talent and enthusiasm as participants collaborated to design and develop new XR applications.

I heard that you and your team won first prize in two different categories. That's fantastic, tell me more!

I joined Team 19 (Chameleon) as a "hacker," working alongside two talented teammates. Together, we created a prototype called "Chameleon: Reality Editor," which enables users to extract colors from real-world objects to change virtual environments seamlessly. Our project was honored with first place in two categories: "Meta Utility and Design" and "Best Use of Logitech MR Stylus Pen." We received a €2000 cash prize for the first category and €1000 along with a Logitech MR Stylus Pen for the second.

About Global XR Hack: League of Champions

Europe's largest XR Hackathon in Stockholm

The event took place from September 6-8, 2024, and gathered over 500
developers, designers, and other curious individuals, who had the
opportunity to compete and network with top names in XR.

The competition's five categories:

Hobbies & Skill Building
Develop new applications that enhance your hobbies using Mixed Reality, such as learning a new instrument or interacting with virtual pets.

Utility & Design
Utilize Mixed Reality to solve everyday problems or to creatively design and decorate your surroundings.

Social/Casual Gaming
Create engaging solo or multiplayer gaming experiences, focusing on virtual activities like tabletop games.

Experiential Education Prize
Use Mixed Reality and AI to reimagine the future of education, with a focus on language learning, communication skills, or other soft skills.

Best Use of MR Stylus
Develop unique MR applications that require high-precision 2D and 3D interactions using the capabilities of the MX Ink stylus.

Sponsors.

Portrait (Feng Gao).

Prestigious physics award for Feng Gao

This year's Göran Gustafsson Prize in Physics goes to LiU professor Feng Gao. His research focuses on how new materials can be used for the next generation of solar cells and LEDs, among other things. The total prize money is SEK 7.5 million.

Researcher hold a glowing sheet of glass with tweezers.

Next generation LEDs are cheap and sustainable

Cost, technical performance and environmental impact – these are the three most important aspects for a new type of LED technology to have a broad commercial impact on society. This has been demonstrated by LiU-researchers in a new study.

Theopisti Stylianou-Lambert.

Theopisti Stylianou-Lambert is the next Moa Martinson Professor

Theopisti Stylianou-Lambert is a visual artist, researcher and a professor at the Cyprus University of Technology. Her research and artistic practice focus on museum studies and visual sociology, particular on photography and emerging technologies.