Ajou University is set to embark on an extended reality (XR) project after successfully winning the “2021 XR Lab Project” co-hosted by the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) and the Korea Radio Promotion Association (RAPA).

The project aims to advance the field of XR, which includes virtual reality, augmented reality and mixed reality, and develop professionals by supporting their research, start-up activities and technology commercialization of XR content and services. The selected research teams will be granted KRW 1.18 billion over the next 3 years toconduct their project.

As part of the project, the Ajou University team, led by chief researcher and professor Seok Hye-jung (Department of Digital Media) and consisting of professors Teemu H. Laine, Oh Kyu-hwan, Chang Woo-jin and Kim Eun-ha (Department of Psychology), professor Kim Tae-sun (Department of Education, counselling major), and professor Jung Tae-sun (Department of Software), will establish a VHEX lab (Virtual Human Experience Lab) together with doctoral, master’s and undergraduate students.

The research team will develop VR content and a platform that enable diagnosis of empathetic patterns in adolescents and provide training. The team aims to create lively, well-organized content that harmoniously converges virtual reality and physical reality using VR, AR and other ICT technologies, thereby attracting young people to participate more actively in diagnosis and training. The ultimate goal of the empathetic pattern diagnosis and training is to reduce social issues including bullying and ostracizing others at schools and help teenagers have a more balanced perspective and empathetic abilities.

The Ajou research team intends to commercialize the VR platform and will also execute training programs for psychology professionals working in Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) fields.

The Life Media interdisciplinary program of Ajou Graduate School has been leading various joint research projects to develop Well-Life content centering around positive psychology and ICT technology.

The MSIT and RAPA have selected 6 new XR labs, including the Ajou lab, this year. The selected labs will receive a variety of support including research grants, consulting services for commercialization, expert seminars, opportunities to participate in exhibitions, and promotion of research outcomes.

<Overview of XR Content Platform for Empathetic Patterns Diagnosis and Training for Each Type>