Dr. André Zenner

Post-Doctoral Researcher

Loading...

Image of Dr. André Zenner

Research Interests

Augmented RealityVirtual RealityHaptic FeedbackRedirection TechniquesPsychophysicsIllusion Techniques
 

Open Thesis Topics

Topic

In recent years, a innovative technique known as hand redirection has revolutionized interaction in virtual reality (VR).
The technique leverages offsets between the user's real and virtual hand to take control over their hand movement trajectories (e.g., redirecting their real hand to locations that differ from the locations they see their virtual hand in). This can be used, for example, to interact with objects out of the user's reach. Previous research has shown that such techniques can go unnoticed by users if the offset stays below the so called perceptual detection threshold.

While existing investigations have only focused on the redirecting the user's hand, in this thesis, the goal is to apply the concept to the the user's legs and feet. Specifically, in the context of this thesis, you will:

  • identify relevant degrees of freedom in human leg and foot movement that are suitable for redirection
  • implement a prototype that applies redirection to legs and feet
  • study the perception of leg and foot redirection in a detection threshold experiment
  • implement 2-3 sample scenes that showcase this novel type of redirection

References

The following papers can serve as a reference to learn more about the topics (see also the videos on the linked websites and on my profile):

Prerequisites

  • Read the provided papers above (might require VPN to access)
  • Be familiar or get familiar with the concept of hand redirection (see also further publications on my profile website)
  • Background or interest in Virtual Reality
  • Ideally: experience with Unity3D
  • Completed HCI lecture and ideally already attended at least one seminar at our chair

How to apply

Please send me an email with the following pieces of information (if you do not answer every point, your application will not be considered):

  • When you plan to start the thesis
  • When you plan to finish the thesis
  • A short motivational statement (max 0.5 pages) why this topic is interesting for you
  • Your transcript of records and your CV

Advisors

Topic

As virtual reality (VR) becomes increasingly immersive and untethered, users are more likely to interact with mid-air interfaces while physically moving within real-world environments. However, this freedom introduces safety risks: users may unknowingly reach toward real-world hazards like hot drinks, sharp objects, or fragile items.

Hand redirection—a perceptual illusion technique that subtly alters the trajectory of a user's hand in VR—has been widely explored for interaction enhancement and space compression. Yet, its potential for real-world safety augmentation remains underexplored.

This thesis proposes a novel concept called “Redirect to Protect”: a system that uses the onboard cameras of modern headsets (e.g., Meta Quest 3) and vision-language models (VLMs) to detect real-world obstacles and dynamically redirect users’ hand movements away from them during VR interactions. This approach aims to preserve immersion while enhancing physical safety.

Research Gap

While prior work has explored hand redirection for interaction optimization and spatial manipulation, few systems integrate real-time environmental understanding with redirection for safety purposes. Moreover, the integration of VLMs for semantic scene understanding in VR safety contexts is still in its infancy.

Main Research Steps

  • Scene Understanding: Use cameras onboard a VR headset and VLMs to detect and semantically label real-world objects.
  • Risk Assessment: Identify which virtual UI elements, if interacted with, could lead to collisions with real-world obstacles.
  • Redirection Strategy: Apply hand redirection techniques to subtly alter reach trajectories toward safer paths.
  • System Implementation: Build a proof-of-concept prototype system on a modern HMD (e.g., Meta Quest 3).
  • User Study: Conduct a controlled lab experiment to evaluate safety, usability, and user perception.

References

The following papers can serve as a reference to learn more about the topics (see also the videos on the linked websites and on my profile):

Prerequisites

  • Interest in VR and AI and HCI
  • Having read the provided papers above (might require VPN to access)
  • Ideally: experience with Unity3D/VR/AR and/or VLMs/LLMs
  • Ideally: completed HCI lecture and/or already attended at least one (pro-) seminar at our chair

How to apply

Please send me an email with the following information (if you do not answer every point, your application will not be considered):

  • When do you plan to start the thesis?
  • When do you plan to finish the thesis?
  • A short motivational statement (max 1 page) why this topic is interesting for you.
  • Your transcript of records and your CV.

Advisors

 

 

Projects

 

 

Open B.Sc. / M.Sc. Thesis Topics

If you are interested in doing a Bachelor's or Master's thesis in my area of interest, feel free to contact me.
I am also open to topic suggestions.

 

Ongoing Supervised Theses

  • Master: Enhancing Traditional Strength Training Exercise Using Pseudo-Haptic Illusions in VR (supervised together with Pascal Lessel)
  • Bachelor: Virtual Glasses Against Cybersickness in Virtual Reality

 

Finished Supervised Theses

Master:

  • 2024 - Kora Regitz - supervised together with Martin Feick
    Investigating the Impact of Hand Redirection on Proprioceptive Accuracy
  • 2024 - Ulrike Kulzer - supervised together with Donald Degaren
    Disguising Hand Redirection in Virtual Reality with Multimodal Stimuli
  • 2023 - Anna Kiehn
    Exploration of Story Data Visualization Techniques [external thesis]
  • 2022 - Akhmajon Makhsadov - supervised together with Donald Degaren
    VRySmart: Multipurpose Integration of Smart Devices in Virtual Reality
  • 2021 - Tim Düwel
    Generating Optimized Construction Plans for LEGO Duplo-based Dynamic Passive Haptic Feedback
  • 2020 - Fajar Setyo Nugroho - supervised together with Tanja Schneeberger
    [external thesis in collaboration with Daimler Protics GmbH]
  • 2020 - Andreas Thieser - supervised together with Tanja Schneeberger
    VR Presentation Coach - A Virtual Reality Public Speaking Training Framework
  • 2017 - Dominic Gottwalles
    Eingabe diskreter numerischer Werte in Virtual Reality [PDF][Award]
    [external thesis in collaboration with Centigrade GmbH]

Bachelor:

  • 2024 - Tobias Schneider - supervised together with Tim Düwel
    Advanced Haptic Feedback for the Gravity Gloves Interaction
  • 2023 - Chiara Karr
    Investigating the Role of Saccade Direction for Saccadic Hand Redirection in Virtual Reality
  • 2023 - Simon Seibert - supervised together with Martin Feick
    The Impact of Avatar Completeness on the Detectability of Hand Redirection in Virtual Reality
  • 2022 - Kristin Ullmann
    Triggering Eye Blinks in Virtual Reality [PDF]
  • 2020 - Kora Regitz
    Leveraging Blink Suppression for Hand Redirection in Virtual Reality
  • 2020 - Hannah Kriegler
    A Toolkit for Hand Redirection in Virtual Reality
  • 2019 - Corinna Tasch - supervised together with Felix Kosmalla
    Foot Tracking in Mixed Reality Climbing Environments
  • 2018 - Julien Schuh - supervised together with Christian Lander
    Head-mounted Augmented Reality Productlens

 

Research

Dissertation

Overview & Toolkits

  • The Staircase Procedure Toolkit: Psychophysical Detection Threshold Experiments Made Easy
    André Zenner, Kristin Ullmann, Chiara Karr, Oscar Ariza (Universität Hamburg), Antonio Krüger
  • Haptic Proxies for Virtual Reality: Success Criteria and Taxonomy
    Niels C. Nilsson (Aalborg University Copenhagen, Denmark), André Zenner (Saarland University & DFKI, Germany), Adalberto L. Simeone (KU Leuven, Belgium), Donald Degraen (Saarland University & DFKI, Germany), Florian Daiber (DFKI, Germany)

 

Dynamic Passive Haptic Feedback

  • Drag:on - A Virtual Reality Controller Providing Haptic Feedback Based on Drag and Weight Shift
    André Zenner, Antonio Krüger
  • Shifty - A Weight-Shifting Dynamic Passive Haptic Proxy
    André Zenner, Antonio Krüger
    • Paper (IEEE TVCG, IEEE VR 2017) [PDF]
    • Video
    • Talk
    • GitHub

    • We need your consent to display YouTube videos. By clicking "Allow", you accept YouTube’s cookies. If you have also enabled cookies on this site, your preference will be remembered for future visits.

 

Hand Redirection (& Related Research)

  • winDirect: Studying the Effect of a Wind-Based Haptic Bracelet on Presence and the Detectability of Hand Redirection
    Ulrike Kulzer, André Zenner, Donald Degraen (University of Canterbury, New Zealand)
    • Paper (IEEE VR 2025 Poster) [PDF]
    • Poster PDF

    • We need your consent to display YouTube videos. By clicking "Allow", you accept YouTube’s cookies. If you have also enabled cookies on this site, your preference will be remembered for future visits.


  • Predicting the Limits: Tailoring Unnoticeable Hand Redirection Offsets in Virtual Reality to Individuals' Perceptual Boundaries
    Martin Feick, Kora Regitz, Lukas Gehrke (TU Berlin), André Zenner, Anthony Tang (Singapore Management University), Tobias Patrick Jungbluth, Maurice Rekrut, Antonio Krüger
    • Paper (ACM UIST 2024)
    • Teaser Video

    • We need your consent to display YouTube videos. By clicking "Allow", you accept YouTube’s cookies. If you have also enabled cookies on this site, your preference will be remembered for future visits.

  • Beyond the Blink: Investigating Combined Saccadic & Blink-Suppressed Hand Redirection in Virtual Reality
    André Zenner, Chiara Karr, Martin Feick, Oscar Ariza, Antonio Krüger
  • The Impact of Avatar Completeness on Embodiment and the Detectability of Hand Redirection in Virtual Reality 
    Martin Feick, André Zenner, Simon Seibert, Anthony Tang (Singapore Management University), Antonio Krüger
  • The Detectability of Saccadic Hand Offset in Virtual Reality
    André Zenner, Chiara Karr, Martin Feick, Oscar Ariza (Universität Hamburg), Antonio Krüger
  • Induce a Blink of the Eye: Evaluating Techniques for Triggering Eye Blinks in Virtual Reality
    André Zenner, Kristin Ullmann, Oscar Ariza, Frank Steinicke, Antonio Krüger
      
  • HaRT - The Virtual Reality Hand Redirection Toolkit
    André Zenner, Hannah Kriegler, Antonio Krüger
  • Blink-Suppressed Hand Redirection
    André Zenner, Kora Regitz, Antonio Krüger
  • Visuo-Haptic Illusions for Linear Translation and Stretching using Physical Proxies in Virtual Reality
    Martin Feick (DFKI, Germany), Niko Kleer (DFKI, Germany), André Zenner (Saarland University & DFKI, Germany), Anthony Tang (University of Toronto, Canada), Antonio Krüger (DFKI, Germany)
    • Paper (ACM CHI 2021) [PDF]
    • Full Video

    • We need your consent to display YouTube videos. By clicking "Allow", you accept YouTube’s cookies. If you have also enabled cookies on this site, your preference will be remembered for future visits.


  • Estimating Detection Thresholds for Desktop-Scale Hand Redirection in Virtual Reality
    André Zenner, Antonio Krüger
    Nominee for IEEE Virtual Reality 2019 Best Conference Paper

 

Combining Dynamic Passive Haptic Feedback & Hand Redirection

  • Combining Dynamic Passive Haptics and Haptic Retargeting for Enhanced Haptic Feedback in Virtual Reality
    André Zenner, Kristin Ullmann, Antonio Krüger
  • Shifting & Warping: A Case for the Combined Use of Dynamic Passive Haptics and Haptic Retargeting in VR
    André Zenner, Antonio Krüger

 

Passive Haptic Feedback

  • Touching the Moon: Leveraging Passive Haptics, Embodiment and Presence for Operational Assessments in Virtual Reality 
    Florian Dufresne (Arts et Métiers Institute of Technology), Tommy Nilsson (European Space Agency),  Geoffrey Gorisse (Arts et Métiers Institute of Technology), Enrico Guerra (University Duisburg-Essen), André Zenner, Olivier Christmann (Arts et Métiers Institute of Technology), Leonie Bensch (German Aerospace Center), Nikolai Anton Callus (European Space Agency), Aidan Cowley (European Space Agency)
  • VRySmart: A Framework for Embedding Smart Devices in Virtual Reality
    Akhmajon Makhsadov, Donald Degraen, André Zenner, Felix Kosmalla, Kamila Mushkina, Antonio Krüger
  • Smart Devices as Proxy Objects for Virtual Reality Position Paper
    Akhmajon Makhsadov, Donald Degraen, André Zenner, Florian Daiber
  • A Virtual Reality Couch Configurator Leveraging Passive Haptic Feedback
    André Zenner, Felix Kosmalla, Jan Ehrlich, Philip Hell, Gerrit Kahl, Christian Murlowski, Marco Speicher, Florian Daiber, Daniel Heinrich, Antonio Krüger
    • Paper (ACM CHI 2020 LBW) [PDF]
    • Video

    • We need your consent to display YouTube videos. By clicking "Allow", you accept YouTube’s cookies. If you have also enabled cookies on this site, your preference will be remembered for future visits.

  • The Importance of Virtual Hands and Feet for Virtual Reality Climbing
    Felix Kosmalla, André Zenner, Corinna Tasch, Florian Daiber, Antonio Krüger
  • Everyday Proxy Objects for Virtual Reality (EPO4VR)
    Florian Daiber (DFKI, Germany), Donald Degraen (DFKI, Germany), André Zenner (DFKI, Germany), Frank Steinicke (Universität Hamburg, Germany), Oscar Javier Ariza Núñez (Universität Hamburg, Germany), Adalberto L. Simeone (KU Leuven, Belgium)
  • Enhancing Texture Perception in Virtual Reality using 3D-Printed Hair Structures
    Donald Degraen, André Zenner, Antonio Krüger
    CHI 2019 Honourable Mention
  • Exploring Rock Climbing in Mixed Reality Environments
    Felix Kosmalla, André Zenner, Marco Speicher, Florian Daiber, Nico Herbig, Antonio Krüger
  • Investigating Weight Distribution in Virtual Reality Proxy Interaction
    André Zenner
    • Master's Thesis [PDF]

 

Pseudo-Haptics

  • Turn-It-Up: Rendering Resistance for Knobs in Virtual Reality through Undetectable Pseudo-Haptics
    Martin Feick, André Zenner, Oscar Javier Ariza Nuñez, Anthony Tang, Cihan Biyikli, Antonio Krüger
    • Paper (ACM UIST 2023) [PDF]
    • Full Video
    • Teaser Video

    • We need your consent to display YouTube videos. By clicking "Allow", you accept YouTube’s cookies. If you have also enabled cookies on this site, your preference will be remembered for future visits.

     
  • Audio-based Vibrotactile Feedback in Multimodal VR Interactions
    Oscar Ariza (Universität Hamburg), Felix Steiner (Universität Hamburg), André Zenner, Frank Steinicke (Universität Hamburg)
  • Continuous VR Weight Illusion by Combining Adaptive Trigger Resistance and Control-Display Ratio Manipulation
    Carolin Stellmacher, André Zenner, Oscar Javier Ariza Nunez, Ernst Kruijff, Johannes Schöning
    • Paper (IEEE VR 2023) [PDF]
    • Full Video

    • We need your consent to display YouTube videos. By clicking "Allow", you accept YouTube’s cookies. If you have also enabled cookies on this site, your preference will be remembered for future visits.

     
  • Holitouch: Conveying Holistic Touch Illusions by Combining Pseudo-Haptics With Tactile and Proprioceptive Feedback During Virtual Interaction With 3DUIs
    Oscar Javier Ariza Nunez, André Zenner, Frank Steinicke, Florian Daiber, Antonio Krüger

 

Immersive Process Models (with Passive Haptic Feedback)

  • Immersive Process Model Exploration in Virtual Reality
    André Zenner, Akhmajon Makhsadov, Sören Klingner, David Liebemann, Antonio Krüger
    • Paper (IEEE TVCG, IEEE VR 2020) [PDF]
    • Video
    • Talk

    • We need your consent to display YouTube videos. By clicking "Allow", you accept YouTube’s cookies. If you have also enabled cookies on this site, your preference will be remembered for future visits.

 

Involving Virtual Reality Bystanders

  • Addressing Bystander Exclusion in Shared Spaces During Immersive Virtual Experiences
    André Zenner, Donald Degraen, Antonio Krüger
     
  • A Projection-Based Interface to Involve Semi-Immersed Users in Substitutional Realities
    André Zenner, Felix Kosmalla, Marco Speicher, Florian Daiber, Antonio Krüger

 

Immersive Virtual Reality Notifications

  • Immersive Notification Framework: Adaptive & Plausible Notifications in Virtual Reality
    André Zenner, Marco Speicher, Sören Klingner, Donald Degraen, Florian Daiber, Antonio Krüger
    • Paper (ACM CHI 2018 LBW) [PDF]
    • Poster
    • Video
    • GitHub

    • We need your consent to display YouTube videos. By clicking "Allow", you accept YouTube’s cookies. If you have also enabled cookies on this site, your preference will be remembered for future visits.

 

Walking in Room-Scale Virtual Reality

  • Towards Sneaking as a Playful Input Modality for Virtual Environments
    Sebastian Cmentowski (University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany), Andrey Krekhov (University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany), André Zenner (Saarland University & DFKI, Germany), Daniel Kucharski (University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany), Jens Krüger (University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany, & University of Utah, USA)
    • Paper (IEEE VR 2021) [PDF (arXiv pre-print)]
    • Video

    • We need your consent to display YouTube videos. By clicking "Allow", you accept YouTube’s cookies. If you have also enabled cookies on this site, your preference will be remembered for future visits.

  • The Space Bender: Supporting Natural Walking via Overt Manipulation of the Virtual Environment
    Adalberto L. Simeone (KU Leuven, Belgium), Niels C. Nilsson (Aalborg University Copenhagen, Denmark), André Zenner (DFKI, Germany), Marco Speicher (DHfPG, Germany), Florian Daiber (DFKI, Germany)
    • Paper (IEEE VR 2020) [PDF]
    • Video

    • We need your consent to display YouTube videos. By clicking "Allow", you accept YouTube’s cookies. If you have also enabled cookies on this site, your preference will be remembered for future visits.

 

Ambient Feedback

  • Ambient Living Media as Haptic Proxy Interfaces for Virtual Reality
    Donald Degraen, Marc Schubhan, Felix Kosmalla, André Zenner, Florian Daiber
  • AmbiPlant - Ambient Feedback for Digital Media through Actuated Plants
    Donald Degraen, Marc Schubhan, Kamila Mushkina, Akhmajon Makhsadov, Felix Kosmalla, André Zenner, Antonio Krüger

 

Committee Memberships & Reviewing

I served as General Chair of the ACM Symposium on Spatial User Interaction (ACM SUI) 2024 in Trier, Germany.

I acted as a member in the following academic committees:

I have reviewed for the following conferences and journals:


Publications ()

Loading...