University of Primorska
Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies
The 25th IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality (ISMAR 2026) took place from 5 to 9 October in Bari, Italy. The symposium brought together researchers, innovators and developers from around the world to present and discuss advances in augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR) and virtual reality (VR).
The conference programme included 216 papers, 22 workshops, 173 workshop papers, 126 poster papers, 15 doctoral consortium papers, 27 demonstrations, three keynote presentations and two panel discussions.
The HICUP Lab participated in the symposium with Karolina Trjakovska, who presented a poster paper and a demonstration, both co-authored with Klen Čopič Pucihar, Matjaž Kljun and Maheshya Weerasinghe. Both presentations attracted considerable interest, with attendees engaging with the demonstration and discussing the work with the research team.
The lab’s co-founders, Klemen Čopič Pucihar and Matjaž Kljun, also introduced the HICUP Lab during the Pitch Your Lab session. In addition, Maheshya Weerasinghe participated as a mentor in the conference’s Speed Mentorship session, providing guidance and advice to student attendees.
The HICUP Lab was accompanied by a visiting PhD student from Aarhus University, Thorbjørn Mikkelsen, who is currently conducting a research visit at the lab until January. During his stay, he shared insights from his recent research experiences and his participation in the event.
- Could you tell us a little about your visit to Slovenia and your time at UP FAMNIT? What brought you here, and how has your experience been so far?
I was searching for a place to do my research visit, as is part of the Danish PhD program. It was at this time in Spring that my main supervisor Hans Gellersen recommended the dynamic duo of Matjaž Kljun and Klen Čopič Pucihar, my hosts and the co-directors here at FAMNIT’s HICUP lab, who had met Hans in Lancaster during their own PhD studies and again during later visits. Immediately they were friendly and we planned the 3-months stay within a single meeting; totally uncomplicated. This extends to my experience with the HICUP lab here throughout these first 6 weeks as well: friendly, casual and competent. A nice work environment, with many different profiles.
- Could you tell us more about your research and how it connects with the work of the HICUP Lab? Are there any particular aspects of your visit that have been especially valuable for your research?
In Aarhus I spend my time researching 3D manipulation of virtual objects and novel interaction techniques for interfacing with XR. The kind of interaction that is shown in trailers where users gaze at UI and pinch their fingers together in order to select and move objects with the Apple Vision Pro and GalaxyXR etc. Here at HICUP I have the pleasure of engaging with the local topics such as focus, immersion, memory and training, both via ongoing and new projects. I particularly enjoy the chats with the PhD-students here about how they approach their research.
At the high level, I research Extended Reality in Human-Computer Interaction, just as all my officemates at the HICUP lab office and my hosts. This common denominator is easily experienced when I travelled with several members of the group to ISMAR, leading to natural introductions across old and new colleagues at Aarhus, Lancaster, and now also UP and beyond. In fact, I ended up meeting previous visitors of the HICUP lab closely sharing my research interests, via introductions from Matjaž and Klen.
- Beyond your academic experience, how have you enjoyed your time in Slovenia and Koper? Have you discovered a favourite place or had any memorable experiences during your stay so far?
There are many memories I will bring back home with me. Of course, the most prominent will be those related to the students and people at HICUP, who have treated me amazingly. Chatting, going for lunch and dinner from day 1, showing me around Koper, getting drinks at Rampin, movie night and so on. Second, I will remember my intensive week of vacation where my parents visited me for a tour de Slovenia by car; we visited fantastically scenic Bled, Skocjan caves, Predjama castle, Lipica Stud Farm, Piran and even got the time for Pula in Croatia. It was amazing how much diversity and could be experienced in daytrips from Koper in less than a week. And even now, deep into Autumn, the weather treated us amazingly well with 20+ degrees and only little rain. Perhaps, because of this luck, my fondest memory of Koper as city is the walk from my apartment in Semedela, along “Koprska promenada”, to the HICUP lab every day to and from work. Once at the lab I will enjoy a cup of coffee, with the view of bay, and again, around the time of sunset, I will drink the last coffee of the day while enjoying this amazing view. I have yet to take it for granted, and even when I return to my Aarhus bay view back home, I surely will remember this time at the Adriatic coast and the nice people here.
