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Hochschule Karlsruhe Hochschule Karlsruhe - University of Applied Sciences Hochschule Karlsruhe Hochschule Karlsruhe - University of Applied Sciences
Hochschule Karlsruhe Hochschule Karlsruhe - University of Applied Sciences

Institute for Intelligent Interaction and Immersive Experience

Profile

Our Vision

  • To fully explore what's possible tomorrow by working at the forefront of what's technologically feasible to improve the interaction/communication experience between people and technology.
  • We envision good human-computer interaction technology as an unobtrusive, adaptive and supportive part of our everyday lives, providing context-sensitive feedback and understanding of human needs.

Our Mission

  • Bridging the gap between technology, design, and human behavior by fostering research and development of intelligent, user-centric applications.
  • Work on methodologies and tools that advance the field while considering ethical and social implications.
    Foster collaboration among research institutions, industry, and cultural institutions, and encourage the exchange of ideas, insights, and best practices to create more effective and inclusive human-computer interaction solutions that benefit diverse stakeholders.
  • Educate and train the next generation of human-computer interaction professionals, equipping them with the skills, knowledge, and mindset to contribute to an equitable future between humans and machines.

 

Contact

Main Campus
Building E
Moltkestr. 30 
76133 Karlsruhe

Mail: matthias.woelfelspam prevention@h-ka.de
Directions via GMaps

Fields of Research

Intelligence

  • Signal Processing & Machine Learning
  • Natural Language Processing (Dialogue Systems)
  • Personal Assistants 

Interaction

  • Conversational User Interfaces
  • 3D Gesture Recognition & Analysis
  • Non-Verbal Communication
  • Calm Computing

Immersion

  • Embodiment & Presence
  • Immersive Learning
  • Location Based Virtual Reality
  • Social Virtual Reality
  • Projection Mapping

News from the Institute

  • Image of the Best Paper Award showing the names of all authors, the title of the paper, the metadata, and the signatures of the General Chairs of the IEEE Smart World Congress and Smart Edu.

    Best Paper Award for Research at IIIX on Trust in Embodied Conversational Agents

    At the IEEE International Symposium on Smart Education in Rende, Italy, Nathalia Sautchuk-Patricio, Prof. Dr. Matthias Wölfel, and Prof. Dr. Peter Henning were honored with the Best Paper Award. In their paper, they develop a new scale for measuring trust in Embodied Conversational Agents (ECAs)—that is, virtual, human-like conversational partners. The scale specifically incorporates ECA-specific factors such as explainability, anthropomorphism, and self-similarity, and was tested with students. The IIIX joins the team of authors in celebrating this award!

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  • The horizontally divided image shows two scenes from the conference. In the upper section, a group of women can be seen standing behind the conference reception desk. The lower section shows a group photo taken in an auditorium, with Matthias Wölfel standing in the center of the group. On the far right, a conference lanyard has been cropped into the image, forming part of the overall composition.

    Prof. Dr. Wölfel is a highly regarded international keynote speaker

    This summer, the IIIX has enjoyed considerable international attention thanks to its institute director, Prof. Dr. Wölfel. Not only was he invited to deliver two international keynote addresses, but he was also in demand as a workshop leader. Following a visit to NTCUST, he took the stage as a keynote speaker at the IDSFC Design Conference in Taiwan and, just a few weeks later, once again at the ICVR VR Conference in England.

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  • Hands On Science: IIIX is at the pop-up lab in Karlsruhe!

    From June 2 to 30, 2026, IIIX will bring interactive research to the heart of Karlsruhe's city center: In the pop-up lab "Heute studiert Karlsruhe" at Kaiserstraße 145, visitors can try out the installation "Fake it till you make it" and playfully experience how fake news and digital opinion manipulation work. Admission is free!

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  • IIIX employee Thorsten Zylowski stands in front of a large group of people sitting on chairs. He points with his hand to a screen with his workshop slides.

    IIIX at LEARNTEC 2026: Understanding AI, not just using it

    How can we not only use AI, but really understand it? At LEARNTEC 2026, IIIX demonstrated how digital education can empower people to use new technologies in a critical, self-determined and responsible way with contributions on agentic learning, AI-supported learning partners and education about fake news.

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  • Drawn scene of Karlsruhe Palace, surrounded by lawns and bushes. In the foreground, two pugs - Karlina with a pink bow - sit together on a skateboard on a path. Birds fly above the castle, the sky is blue with scattered clouds.

    "A Pug's Date" - IIIX project is the trailer for the 25th INDEPENDENT DAYS

    With "A Pug's Date", HKA student Theresa Probst developed an AI-generated trailer for INDEPENDENT DAYS as part of her bachelor's thesis at IIIX. The film is a great example of the creative student projects that are created at the institute. "A Pug's Date" will celebrate its premiere at the international film festival in Karlsruhe in April.

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  • Two people stand in front of a large curved projection screen in the iXperience Lab and watch an interactive visualization on a 180-degree screen. One person points to a map while explaining the application.

    init visits the iXperience Lab at IIIX

    On March 12, 2026, the Karlsruhe-based company init visited Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences, including the iXperience Lab at the Institute for Intelligent Interaction and Immersive Experience (IIIX). After two semesters of renovation, the lab opened its doors to external guests again for the first time and presented current projects from the fields of immersive technologies and artificial intelligence.

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  • Daniel Hepperle stands on a stage with a microphone.

    From IIIX to Professor: Interview with Dr. Daniel Hepperle

    Former IIIX employee Dr. Daniel Hepperle took up a professorship for Augmented Reality Development at Offenburg University of Applied Sciences on March 1, 2026. In this interview, he talks about his new role, future research topics and defining moments from his time at IIIX.

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  • The picture shows the certificate that distinguishes Prof. Dr. Matthias Wölfel as a Fellow of the European Alliance for Innovation (EAI). Next to it is a photo of Matthias Wölfel in a suit, wearing a head microphone and giving a speech.

    Prof. Dr. Matthias Wölfel recognized as EAI Fellow

    The European Alliance for Innovation (EAI) has appointed Prof. Dr. Matthias Wölfel, Director of IIIX, as an EAI Fellow for his scientific achievements and many years of commitment. The Institute is delighted for Prof. Dr. Wölfel to receive this special award!

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  • Daniel Hepperle and Matthias Wölfel are standing next to each other with their arms over each other's shoulders. Both are laughing into the camera. Daniel Hepperle is standing on the left and is wearing a cardboard doctor's hat on which, among other things, a 3D model of VR glasses and a 3D model of his VR avatar can be seen; the hat is also covered with pictures of the IIIX team.

    Summa cum laude: Congratulations to Daniel Hepperle on his doctorate!

    IIIX employee Daniel Hepperle has completed his doctorate at Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences in cooperation with the University of Hohenheim with the top grade summa cum laude. The IIIX team congratulates him on this outstanding achievement!

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  • Symposium "The Fabrication of Truth": All talks now online!

    On October 24, 2025, the symposium "The Fabrication of Truth" took place at the ZKM | Karlsruhe, where around 250 participants discussed disinformation, artificial intelligence and the handling of truth. The talks of all experts are now available online as videos!

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  • Prof. Dr. Matthias Wölfel stands at the lectern on the stage of the Media Theater at the ZKM Karlsruhe and speaks to an audience in a dark hall with blue lighting. Several people sit in rows in front of him and listen attentively. Dr. Wölfel is wearing a dark jacket and jeans. At the top left of the picture, in large, bright blue letters, is the text: "The Fabrication of Truth".

    Symposium "The Fabrication of Truth" engages 250 participants from academia, education, and society

    With the symposium "The Fabrication of Truth", the Institute for Intelligent Interaction and Immersive Experience (IIIX) at Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences, together with the ZKM | Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe and the Carl Zeiss Foundation, made a strong statement. Around 250 participants discussed disinformation, artificial intelligence and society's approach to truth on October 24, 2025.

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  • PhD Student Fiona Schmidbauer (IIIX) stands to the right of conference chair Prof. Mario Barajas Frutos at the Best Student Paper Award ceremony at ICETC 2025, holding the certificate for the award.

    The IIIX at ICETC 2025: Awarded Research

    The Institute for Intelligent Interaction and Immersive Experience (IIIX) was represented with four contributions at this year's International Conference on Education Technology and Computers (ICETC 2025) in Barcelona. In addition to exciting presentations on AI-supported study guidance, learning humor from chatbots and the VR Campus, the IIIX was also delighted to get a special award: Fiona Schmidbauer received Best Student Paper for her research in the field of virtual learning spaces.

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  • Das Bild zeigt Matthias Wölfel bei einem Vortrag vor einer Leinwand, auf der "Institute for Intelligent Interaction and Immersive Experience" geschrieben ist.

    Prof. Dr.-Ing. Matthias Wölfel is the new editor-in-chief of the international journal EAI Endorsed Transactions on Creative Technologies

    The Institute for Intelligent Interaction and Immersive Experience (IIIX) is delighted to announce the new role of institute director Prof. Dr.-Ing. Matthias Wölfel as Editor-in-Chief of the international journal EAI Endorsed Transactions on Creative Technologies. With the journal's thematic reorientation, Prof. Wölfel is placing greater focus on the interface between AI, immersive media, and creative practice.

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  • Graphic in the style of an event poster. On the left, the event information can be read in capital letters: "The fabrication of truth - fake news and deepfakes in a post-factual society. 24.10.2025, ZKM Karlsruhe". Below the program items: "Keynotes, lectures, panels, workshops, hands-on stations, knowledge islands". At the bottom it says: "Call to Participation". On the right is a portrait of a person with a stylized, multi-part face mask, with blurred newspaper articles in the background. The design is in dark blue and beige tones.

    Invitation to the symposium "The Fabrication of Truth: Fake News and Deepfakes in a Postfactual Society" at the ZKM Karlsruhe

    The Institute for Intelligent Interaction and Immersive Experience (IIIX) is hosting an interactive symposium at the ZKM Karlsruhe on the topic of "The Fabrication of Truth: Fake News and Deepfakes in a Post-Factual Society". The event takes place October 24, 2025 and is part of the project "Reality Check: Fake or Fact in the Age of Generative AI", which was initiated by IIIX and is funded by the Carl Zeiss Foundation. The aim of the project is to sensitize young people to the challenges of digital disinformation. Contributions are currently being sought for the symposium - interested parties are invited to submit their own formats or ideas by July 31, 2025.

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  • The picture shows five people standing on a stage in front of a large screen with the inscription "delina 2025". In the center, Nadine Knobloch holds the trophy. To her left are Dr. Oliver Langewitz and Prof. Dr. Matthias Wölfel, to her right Oskar Tanaka and Sünne Eichler. They are all smiling at the camera, the background is bright yellow with the LEARNTEC logo at the bottom right.

    Third place for the VR project "Im Labyrinth der Demokratie (In the Labyrinth of Democracy)" at the delina Award 2025

    The VR project "Im Labyrinth der Demokratie: Finde deinen Weg (In the labyrinth of democracy: find your way!)" was awarded third place at the delina Award 2025 at LEARNTEC. The interactive film project teaches young people about democratic decision-making processes in an immersive way using virtual reality (VR). The IIIX was scientifically involved - another example of the institute's ongoing commitment to media education work with young people.

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  • The image shows a group of people in a dark 180-degree projection environment. They are looking at a large-scale projection showing the structure of a historic airship. The scene is kept in muted colors, the people are visible as silhouettes, while the projection is the main focus.

    The IIIX Teaser is here!

    After intensive preparations and an exciting day of filming, the teaser about the Institute for Intelligent Interaction and Immersive Experience (IIIX) is now ready and released. The short film offers insights into life and work at the institute and shows the range of technologies and projects being developed at IIIX.

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  • The picture shows the Embodied Conversational Agent of the IIIX, depicted as a life-size virtual character with short brown hair, glasses, a white shirt with the HKA logo and blue jeans. The agent stands in front of a brick wall and raises his hand in a friendly greeting.

    The IIIX Embodied Conversational Agent at ResearchContacts 2024

    On 7 November, the IIIX presented its innovative projects at the ResearchContacts transfer fair, including the Embodied Conversational Agent, a life-size interactive virtual conversation partner. With impressive real-time communication and AI-supported functions, it was a magnet for the public and informed visitors about the institute and the HKA.

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  • Cameraman Jan Holthaus was photographed from behind, filming Simon Janzer with his face-tracking technology

    Teaser filming in the iXperience Lab

    On September 25, the staff of the Institute for Intelligent Interaction and Immersive Experience (IIIX) came together to film a teaser about the iXperience Lab - the institute's research laboratory. The footage will be used for the institute's general external communication to present the innovative work of IIIX to a wider audience, for example at Research Contacts 2024, HKA's research transfer event.

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  • Vier Teilnehmerinnen sitzen in einer Diskussionsrunde, ein Teilnehmer steht hinter einem Redepult und klatscht.

    MERLOT project presented at the 4th Meeting of the Brazilian Diaspora of Science and Innovation in Germany

    Representing the MERLOT project, IIIX employee Nathalia Sautchuk Patricio attended the Meeting of the Brazilian Diaspora of Science and Innovation in Berlin on 7 June 2024. She presented the MERLOT educational assistant ‘OPRA’ at the panel discussion on research into different applications of artificial intelligence (AI). The meeting highlighted the joint efforts and successes of Brazilian scientists in Germany and created a common goal of promoting science and technology. The event provided a platform for important debates on the role and potential of artificial intelligence in various fields, thereby strengthening the collective commitment of Brazilian researchers to innovation and progress.

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  • Petra Olschowski from the Ministry of Science, Research and Arts visits the IIIX

    On June 27, 2024, Petra Olschowski, Baden-Württemberg's Minister of Science, Research and Arts, visited Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences (HKA) and our Institute for Intelligent Interaction and Immersive Experience (IIIX) together with her team.

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