philip lelyveld The world of entertainment technology

Mixed Realities, Virtual Reality, and Augmented Reality in Scholarly Publishing: An Interview with Markus Kaindl and Martijn Roelandse

Are there particular disciplines or fields that are more likely than others to adopt and benefit from this technology? Why (or why not)?

MK: In the lab or a clinical trial scenario, where researchers need both their hands free but still rely on relevant information being displayed, this technology is going to be crucial. Practicing doctors might be another target group that could hugely benefit from this. The technology will most likely be more used in the STM disciplines, which are heavily dependent on the visualization of data, and less so in some humanities disciplines such as history and philosophy. However, we’ve seen some fantastic results in education, such as “Mathland: Play with Math in Mixed Reality” from the MIT Media Lab, and this very simple demo of how atoms unite to compounds, which could help pupils to learn chemistry in an intriguing way. Psychology is an important area of focus as well, e.g., trying to understand how our memory works with the aforementioned “neuroBook” or the MIT Media Lab using AR for memorization.

MR: Indeed “the lab” is the most likely place for adaptation of this technology. Also the ‘hacks’ that were created during our Hackathon ranged from a real-time augmented reality overlay that aids in the discovery of scientific papers related to objects in the world around us, to VR visualization of and interaction with protein structures, to a mixed reality globe that highlights data about the world’s coral reefs, and more. However I would think that applications within the psychology and behavior space would also work well, as to me a VR training like the one described in the previous question, are way more “in your face” as e-learning on a screen.

Can you share some examples of how this technology is already being used — at Springer Nature and beyond?

MK: At Springer Nature we have implemented a first prototype of spatial reading, allowing users to browse and read a book in virtual reality, as demonstrated at this year’s FBF. While visualization of proteins, targets, and hormones in lab environments is starting to get established, we also see other disciplines like geology and earth sciences building applications to explore soil layers in virtual cave setups, for example.

Realistically, how well established do you think this technology will be in scholarly publishing within, say, five years time?

MK: I believe in five years time it will become increasingly common to read a paper while additional information is being displayed as part of a mixed reality experience, just because the technology will be cheaper and simpler to use. Furthermore, in the area of teaching and learning, the effects of virtual and augmented reality will be widespread and well established. In scholarly publishing overall, I don’t think traditional ways of writing and consuming will be substantially challenged, but the experiences around it will be made a lot more delightful and immersive.

See the full story here: https://scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org/2019/01/17/mixed-realities-virtual-reality-and-augmented-reality-in-scholarly-publishing-an-interview-with-markus-kaindl-and-martijn-roelandse/