CHOICE at IEEE MetroXRAINE 2024: Advancing Research on Sustainable Food Consumption in Extended Reality
The CHOICE project participated in the IEEE MetroXRAINE 2024 – the International Conference on Metrology for eXtended Reality, Artificial Intelligence, and Neural Engineering, held in Saint Albans, London, United Kingdom, from October 21-23, 2024. Representing CHOICE, the project Manager, Dr. Nikolaos Tantaroudas from the Institute of Communication and Computer Systems (ICCS) presented a paper titled “An XR Eye-Tracking Investigation on the Assessment of Existing Food Habits” through a scientific poster presentation. This study highlights CHOICE’s ongoing work in understanding sustainable food consumption habits through immersive technology.
About IEEE MetroXRAINE 2024
MetroXRAINE 2024 brought together experts in XR, AI, and neural engineering to foster cross-disciplinary collaboration. The event’s unique focus on metrology provided an ideal setting for the CHOICE project to connect with other innovators and discuss the applications of XR in environmental research and behavior analysis. The conference included sessions, round tables, and interactive discussions aimed at advancing the scientific impact of XR technologies, creating opportunities for future research and partnerships.
Presentation Overview: Investigating Food Choices with XR Eye-Tracking
On Monday, October 21, from 09:30 – 10:30 during Poster Session #1, Dr. Nikolaos Tantaroudas shared findings from the ongoing ICCS’s research, which uses XR technology to explore food consumption habits in a virtual setting. The study employs eye-tracking metrics to analyze where participants focus their attention when presented with various food options in an XR environment. By examining heatmaps generated from gaze data, the research identifies visual attention patterns that reveal preferences and biases, contributing to a deeper understanding of sustainable and unsustainable food choices.
The findings provide insights into the factors that influence food decisions, highlighting how XR and eye-tracking technologies can be used to assess and potentially encourage more climate-conscious dietary habits.
These findings extend CHOICE’s research presented earlier this year at XR Salento 2024. By linking XR technology with eye-tracking metrics, CHOICE continues to pioneer methods that assess consumer behavior in dynamic, real-world-inspired scenarios. This work underpins CHOICE’s mission to integrate demand-side consumer behavior into climate mitigation strategies, contributing to the development of Integrated Assessment Models (IAMs) that consider both behavioral and environmental impacts.
Conference Material
CHOICE’s participation at IEEE MetroXRAINE 2024 demonstrates the consortium’s ongoing dedication to innovative approaches in promoting climate-conscious behaviors. Explore the conference material to learn more:
- Poster presentation (link)
Stay tuned for updates as CHOICE continues to leverage immersive technology to foster sustainable food consumption habits and inspire climate-resilient practices in the food supply chain.
