Context:
Augmented Reality (AR) has the potential to fundamentally reshape how we perceive and interact with others in real time. Augmented social perception in dyadic interaction explores how AR can enhance, filter, or reinterpret social cues—such as gaze direction, facial expressions, or gestures—during one-on-one communication. This thesis would investigate how such augmentations influence mutual understanding, coordination, and emotional engagement. Students could design AR prototypes that subtly modify or amplify social signals, conduct controlled interaction studies, and analyze effects on trust, empathy, and conversational flow, with implications for remote collaboration, training, and therapeutic applications.
The main objective is to understand how real-time AR filters (facial, expressive, contextual) alter the perception of others and social interaction dynamics.
The project will be developed in Lens Studio (https://lensstudio.snapchat.com) and Snap Spectacles (https://www.spectacles.com)
Protocol:
Two participants interact while wearing Spectacles, each viewing the other through AR-enhanced filters.
Experimental variations include amplified expressions, augmented objects (e.g., glasses, hats), or simplified avatars.
Measures include perceived relational quality, trust, and interpersonal closeness.
Requirements
- Knowledge of English language (source code, comments, and final report should be in English)
- Object Oriented Programming skills (C/C++/C#), knowledge of TypeScript is advantageous
- Knowledge of Game Engines (Unity, Unreal, Lens Studio) and Augmented Reality is advantageous
Contact
For more information please contact Hugo Brument (https://www.vr.tuwien.ac.at/people/hugo-brument/) hugo.brument@tuwien.ac.at