Cross-Sensory Interaction Design & Korean Visual Culture VR Expo 2026
About this Event
Date and time
- Friday, July 24, Opening reception 5-7 pm
- Saturday, July 25, 1-6 pm
- Sunday, July 26, 1-6 pm
Event description
This joint exhibition and expo merges new immersive explorations of Korean visual culture from Hongik University in South Korea with cross-sensory design projects from the Perceptual Artifacts Lab at OCAD University, the Human Machine Laboratory at Ontario Tech University, and the GeriTech Lab at McGill University. It showcases how VR, AR, and mixed reality enhance accessibility and engagement, featuring touch-based interfaces and audio tools intended for blind and low-vision, neurodivergent and / or geriatric users. An AI-powered digital curator leads voice-interactive tours through virtual recreations of traditional Korean ceramics and the Divine Bell of King Seongdeok (one of Korea’s most celebrated cultural treasures) within a shared 3D environment, while featured design projects highlight how spatial and non-verbal cues shape digital accessibility in a rich, multi-sensory environment.
Agenda
Exhibition 1: Accessible and Immersive Divine Bell of King Seongdeok VR
Info: A multi-sensory exhibition that brings Korean cultural heritage to life through advanced mixed reality (MR) technology. It combines virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and immersive projection systems (CAVE) to create shared experiences for multiple users, enhanced by artificial intelligence and spatial computing. An AI curator guides visitors on a journey that bridges Korean heritage and emerging technologies. Visitors can explore the Divine Bell of King Seongdeok, one of Korea’s most celebrated cultural treasures, within a shared 3D environment. Through immersive visual and auditory experiences, the Divine Bell allows visitors to perceive its structure, decorative elements, historical significance, and resonant soundscape in an accessible and engaging way, deepening one’s understanding of the cultural heritage without relying solely on visual information.
Exhibition 2: Interactive Traditional Korean Ceramics VR
Info: The traditional Korean ceramics experience enables visitors to explore the beauty of Korean pottery, its craftsmanship, and its cultural significance through a VR environment, offering an immersive encounter with Korea’s artistic heritage. At the heart of the exhibition is an AI-powered digital human curator designed for real-time interaction, which responds to visitors’ voice questions and provides a wide range of information about the exhibited works and their historical background. Through this interaction, visitors can develop a deeper understanding of the artworks and cultural heritage while engaging in meaningful communication with the exhibition content.
Exhibition 3: Cross-Sensory Interaction Design- Perceptual Artifacts Lab, OCAD
Info: A showcase of how the CSID perceptual-cognitive framework translates visual information into accessible auditory and haptic experiences for blind and low-vision (BLV) users. Draws on a multi-year research program that features tactile and force-feedback prototypes for feeling and navigating digital 3D content directly. Visitors can explore a modular tactile controller for non-visual web navigation (featuring a rotary knob), haptic feedback, and a context-aware AI assistant, designed through co-design sessions with BLV participants to restore spatial orientation and reduce cognitive load in screen-reader navigation. Also featured are haptic VR mockups that let BLV users feel and identify 3D digital models through force-feedback gloves, vibrotactile surfaces, and robotic boundary systems (tools designed to replicate the experience of touching real, physical objects in a digital environment).
Exhibition 4: Ontario Tech University
Info: As a proof of concept for Embodied Theomorphic Artificial Intelligence (AI), this project demonstrates an immersive Mixed Reality (MR) meditation environment inspired by the Korean National Treasure No. 83 Buddha and supported by a physically embodied theomorphic robot. Participants will engage in guided meditation that integrates cultural heritage, AI-enabled embodiment, and immersive technologies. The robot will function as a spiritual companion, while the MR environment will create a contemplative space that fosters presence, reflection, and engagement. This novel combination of cultural heritage, theomorphic embodiment, and immersive MR technology will enable the first empirical investigation of how Theomorphic AI may support spiritual well-being, emotional comfort, and meaning-making in hospice and palliative care contexts.
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
