Augmented and Virtual Reality in the Metaverse

This is the first research monograph to explore augmented and virtual reality in the context of the emerging metaverse, and their impact on the future of education, culture, art, society, heritage, healthcare, and other areas. It reveals how the two metaverse-enabling technologies are changing the world we live in by changing the educational experience, by influencing art, culture, and society, and by engaging artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies.

Dealing with a wide range of topics, it includes: possible metaverses for education; designing simulations and effective learning environments in the educational metaverse; immersive collaborative learning; storytelling and cinematic virtual reality in metaverses; immersion and sensory enrichment in the metaverse; archaeology of perception in metaverse environments; integrating AI and Large Language Models with immersive technologies; AR-enabled X-ray vision in immersive environments; metaverse-based approaches in urban planning; and many others. Written by a team of 46 researchers, practitioners, and artists from 11 countries world-wide (Australia, China, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Italy, Norway, Romania, Serbia, Spain, and USA), it offers readers an international perspective.

Intended as a starting point for exploring augmented and virtual reality in the metaverse context, this book will be essential reading not only for researchers, practitioners, technology developers, and artists, but also for students (graduates and undergraduates), and for anyone interested in the emerging fields of ＂metaverse augmented reality＂ and ＂metaverse virtual reality＂.

Dr Vladimir Geroimenko is a Professor at the Faculty of Informatics and Computer Science, the British University in Egypt, Cairo. He has edited and authored 21 books, 14 of which have been published by Springer. His most recent research monographs include: ＂Augmented Reality and Artificial Intelligence: The Fusion of Advanced Technologies＂, Springer, 2023; ＂Augmented Reality Art: From an Emerging Technology to a Novel Creative Medium＂, 3rd Edition, Springer, 2022; ＂Augmented Reality in Tourism, Museums and Heritage: A New Technology to Inform and Entertain＂, Springer, 2021; ＂Augmented Reality in Education: A New Technology for Teaching and Learning＂, Springer, 2020; ＂Augmented Reality Games I: Understanding the Pokémon GO Phenomenon＂, Springer, 2019; ＂Augmented Reality Games II: The Gamification of Education, Medicine and Art＂, Springer, 2019.

Dr Geroimenko received his MSc degree in Physics and Mathematics from Vitebsk State University, Belarus (1976), PhD degree in the Methodology of Science from Belarusian Academy of Sciences, Minsk (1982) and a higher DSc (Doctor of Science) degree in Cognitive Sciences from Belarusian State University, Minsk (1990). From 1982 to 1998, he worked at the Belarusian Academy of Sciences. From 1991 to 1993, he was a Research Fellow of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation at the Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany and from 1995 to 1998 - Visiting Professor at the SSKKII Centre for Cognitive Science, Goteborg University & Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden. In September 1998, he joined the University of Plymouth, UK as a Reader in Multimedia and Web Technology. In September 2016, he joined the British University in Egypt as a Professor of Informatics and Computer Science.

Dr Geroimenko is also a digital artist and short story writer. A British citizen since 2002, he was born in the Vitebsk Region of Belarus, the legendary birthplace of Mark Chagall. Since 1995, he has been experimenting with different types of digital art. His limited-edition prints are in private collections of Australia, Brazil, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Holland, Japan, Malta, Mexico, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, UK, and USA. In 2013, he published the book ＂A Bottle of Plymouth Gin: 12 Detective Stories Set in Devon and Cornwall＂, which features 12 mysterious cases rooted in the lore of two of the most beautiful British counties. More than 60 of his art books of digital, abstract, and surrealist paintings are available in Amazon Kindle stores worldwide.