CHOICE at XR Salento 2024: Investigating Sustainable Food Consumption Through Mixed Reality
The CHOICE coordinator, Institute of Communication and Computer Systems (ICCS), proudly showcased its latest research focused on the development of the “Shrink Your Food Waste” application at the XR Salento 2024 International Conference on Extended Reality (XR), held from September 4-7, 2024, in Lecce, Italy.
Organized by the University of Salento and the Augmented and Virtual Reality Laboratory, this prestigious event brought together leading researchers and industry experts in the fields of Virtual, Augmented, and Mixed Reality (VR/AR/MR). It served as an ideal platform to highlight CHOICE’s innovative approach to promoting sustainable food consumption habits and waste reduction.
During the conference, Dr. Nikolaos D. Tantaroudas, the CHOICE Project Manager from ICCS, presented a research paper titled “A Mixed Reality Eye-Tracking Investigation on Key Factors Affecting Food Consumption Habits” through a dedicated poster.
Exploring Food Habits through Mixed Reality
The paper presented in the XR Solento 2024 introduces a groundbreaking method that uses eye-tracking technology in a Mixed-Reality (MR) environment to analyze how people engage with various food scenarios. The study’s participants’ gaze patterns and food choices were tracked and evaluated, providing unique insights into the underlying factors driving food preferences, including sustainability and health considerations.
This innovative approach not only reveals subconscious preferences and biases but also provides a dynamic way to evaluate how immersive digital tools, like MR, can help researchers and policymakers better understand the motivations behind food choices. For instance, the findings indicated that participants with carnivorous diets spent more time focusing on meat-related scenarios, while those with vegetarian habits engaged more with sustainable food options. These observations underscore MR’s potential to promote sustainable food practices and inform personalized interventions aimed at encouraging healthier, more environmentally friendly dietary choices.
This research aligns with the CHOICE project’s mission to integrate demand-side consumer behavior into climate mitigation strategies, contributing to the development of Integrated Assessment Models (IAMs) that account for both supply and demand. By combining MR technologies with real-time data, the project aims to revolutionize how we approach food sustainability and encourage behavior change on a large scale.
Uniting Research Communities for Climate Action
Presenting at XR Salento 2024 not only highlights CHOICE’s commitment to leveraging innovative digital tools for climate action but also opens up new avenues for collaboration and knowledge exchange within the XR communities. By exploring how technology can shape food consumption habits, the CHOICE project is at the forefront of research that combines climate science, immersive technology, and behavioral change.
Conference Material
Find out more about the research work through the CHOICE Conference material:
- Poster presentation (link)
Stay tuned for more updates on CHOICE’s ongoing research and how immersive technologies can transform climate communication and public engagement!
