Work performed and main achievements include:
• SUN explored and developed innovative approaches to reconstructing, streaming, and enriching visual content for XR. These advancements include artificial intelligence-based scalable methods for generating and improving 3D environments, objects, and avatars; high-performance solutions for interactive streaming in XR; and the application of artificial intelligence to analyse and enrich 3D assets.
• SUN investigated advanced solutions for collaborating and interacting in XR. The project introduced novel techniques for delivering thermal feedback to users, alongside innovative wearable haptic devices that enable more natural manipulation of virtual objects. Additionally, the project developed systems that support collaborative interaction among multiple users within a shared XR session.
• SUN also explored and experimented with novel paradigms for capturing user input and feedback. Specifically, it proposed and demonstrated the use of electromyography to infer user movement intentions, alongside sensor and computer vision-based techniques for postural assessment and pose estimation. These efforts were complemented by solutions for hand gesture recognition and user emotion detection.
• The components and solutions developed within SUN were integrated into the SUN Integrated Platform, an innovative technological framework designed to support the sustainable and secure development of XR applications. The platform incorporates solutions based on non-fungible tokens for managing XR assets, along with advanced techniques for detecting cyber threats in XR applications.
• SUN also addressed the social and human perspective of XR solutions by examining the legal, ethical, and societal dimensions of XR. This includes exploring the implications of processing personal and sensitive data collected through wearable devices, 3D acquisition technologies, and human-machine interaction systems.
Over the course of its three-year duration, the SUN project validated its technologies through real-world case studies focused on key application areas: XR for rehabilitation, XR for workplace safety and social interaction, and XR solutions designed to support individuals with mobility and verbal communication impairments. Validation activities were conducted at three distinct sites: the Rehabilitation Unit of Versilia Hospital in Lido di Camaiore (Italy), the shop floor of FACTOR in Valencia (Spain), and the Clinique Romande de Réadaptation of SUVA in Sion (Switzerland). In each case, the validation process actively involved real end-users, ensuring that the solutions were tested in authentic, practical contexts.
We believe that SUN has not only advanced the technological frontier of extended reality but has also demonstrated its tangible value in real-world contexts, paving the way for sustainable, ethical, and human-centered XR solutions. By integrating multidisciplinary research with practical validation, SUN leaves behind a robust foundation for future innovation, collaboration, and adoption of XR technologies across Europe and beyond.
