Projektet har undersökt möjligheter och utmaningar med AI-avatarer i immersiva lärmiljöer i svensk skola. Utgångspunkten har varit forskningsfrågor om teknikens nuläge, dess möjligheter och risker, målbild samt utbildningssektorns kunskapsbehov. Underlaget bygger på fokusgruppsintervjuer med personer i olika roller från de huvudmän som deltagit i projektet.

I den samlade dokumentationen från samtal, föreläsningar och intervjuer framträder flera centrala teman: från pedagogisk relevans och lärarroll till likvärdighet, risker och framtidsperspektiv. Tvärs igenom löper tydliga spänningsfält:

o möjlighet kontra risk

o komplement kontra ersättning

o individuellt kontra kollektivt lärande

o kommersiella drivkrafter kontra skolans bildningsuppdrag.

Övergripande indikerar dokumentationen att tekniken kan ge värde i avgränsade tillämpningar om den införs medvetet och kursplaneförankrat, utan att ersätta lärar-elev-relationen. Samtidigt kvarstår betydande osäkerheter kring kostnader, dataskydd, likvärdighet och långsiktiga effekter, vilket pekar på behov av fortsatt forskning och gemensamma nationella riktlinjer.

Since late 2021, there has been increasing interest in the idea of the “metaverse.” This is a virtual, augmented or mixed reality system that potentially millions of people can simultaneously inhabit and where people can interact with one another in real-time, irrespective of the physical distance between them. It is heralded by some as the next-level world wide web that will use a 3D immersive interface, with the potential of mixing virtual and physical reality, with environments persisting over time and all interoperable between different platforms and devices. Nevertheless, there is still no true example of a metaverse, only a number of nascent examples. Here we discuss the technical foundations for such metaverses, the role of generative AI, and its possible impact on society—including education, healthcare and quality of life, business and consumers, the future of work, and its implications for democracy. We also discuss public perceptions of the metaverse, issues of governance and regulation, and its legal implications. Overall, while the metaverse may radically and positively alter the way that we live, we must take into account ethical and regulatory issues in order to avoid predictions of a dystopian future being realized. This study is, therefore, a multi-disciplinary introduction to the metaverse concept that may be useful to readers with many different interests. 

urposes – Example Virtual SlaughterhouseThis report explores the procurement and implementation of immersive technologies, with a particular focus on Virtual Reality (VR), for educational purposes within the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) and the Swedish Food Agency (SLV). The case study examines the concept of a “virtual slaughterhouse,” designed to complement and partially replace physical study visits required in veterinary education and food safety training.The background to this work lies in the increasing demand for veterinarians in Sweden and the practical challenges of offering sufficient training opportunities at physical slaughterhouses. Immersive technologies, and VR in particular, offer a potential solution by creating scalable, repeatable, and safe training environments that can simulate complex or rare situations, that students might not otherwise encounter.The report applies the Double Diamond model to structure the research process: discovering and defining the challenges faced by SLU and SLV, before developing and delivering proposed solutions. Theoretical sections introduce the reader to XR technologies (VR, AR, MR), headset classifications, content types (360° film, photogrammetry, interactive 3D environments), and pedagogical considerations. A review of international initiatives and existing virtual slaughterhouse solutions (e.g., in Finland, Denmark, and the UK) provides comparative insights.Key technical findings emphasize the importance of selecting appropriate hardware, ensuring interoperability through open standards (such as OpenXR and WebXR), and considering long-term management via Mobile Device Management (MDM) systems and integration with Learning Management Systems (LMS). Content creation is highlighted as a central challenge, requiring close collaboration between subject-matter experts and developers, as well as iterative prototyping to balance pedagogical value with technical performance.Legal and regulatory aspects are addressed, including GDPR-compliant data handling, workplace ergonomics, accessibility, intellectual property, and information security. Particular attention is paid to public procurement.The report concludes with practical recommendations for organizations considering VR in education and training. These include starting small with scalable tools, prioritizing pedagogical design over technological sophistication, collaborating with other institutions to share knowledge and reduce costs, and planning for long-term sustainability in terms of both technical standards and organizational competence. Keywords: Virtual Reality (VR), immersive technology, educati

This report about the challenges of implementing XR¹ (eXtended Reality) is a part of the pre-study MAXAT. It’s a combination of observations and reflections from interviews and meetings with the participating companies as well as other companies met at e.g. technology fairs and conferences. In this research project we asked ourselves: if AR and VR are such powerful and useful technologies – how come more industries haven’t implemented them in their daily work? We could think of several reasons for this; relatively high cost to produce XR content, security issues with sharing construction files and challenges for the management to see a real business case. But, we also knew there must be more of these challenges out there. The main goal with this study was to identify these challenges and, if possible, come up with ideas on how they could be solved. MAXAT was a collaboration between RISE, Tetra Pak, Komatsu Forest, byBrick Interface, Automation Region and PanView. It was a research project within the strategic innovation program PiiA (Process Industrial IT and Automation), which is supported by Vinnova, Formas and the Swedish Energy Agency. The study was conducted between September 2018 and March 2019.

Footnote 1: Throughout this study we use XR as an umbrella term for VR (virtual reality), AR (augmented reality) and everything in between.

To get the right competence at the right time can often be crucial for a company. This competence can be of different types, e.g. data from a system or human knowledge related to a specific problem. The idea with CODE (Competence On DEmand) is to support the process industry by finding models and system which through new technology (like augmented and virtual reality) can facilitate the recruitment and supply of specialists, bridge generation gap and increase quality assurance in the transfer of knowledge between employees – to make sure the right competence is available when it is needed. This project has examined two companies with different prerequisites to see if modern technology could help them with their competence needs. ABB FACTS runs operations in many parts of the world and it can be complicated to coordinate maintenance actions for all the different sites. Instead of sending specialists to support the different operations (which cost money and is very time inefficient) could it be possible to use some kind of remote guidance solution instead? For Gyproc, a big plaster manufacturer, quality insurance is of the essence and it is crucial that different persons interpret information in the same way. Could augmented reality be used to make it easier for the operators to access information and could virtual reality be used to better prepare the operators before their shift begin? The results of this study show that a remote guidance system using augmented reality could really facilitate the process of helping a technician working remotely. It is also possible to construct a virtual environment where operators could learn how to perform difficult tasks and procedures in a safe way. In this project the main question was “is it possible to use modern technology to solve the problems these companies have”? The answer was yes so now the next step is a new project where the findings in CODE are used to create a prototype of a system that solves these problems.