Metaverse Scientist Forum No.3

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Asia Pacific Academy of Science Pte. Ltd. (APACSCI) specializes in international journal publishing. APACSCI adopts the open access publishing model and provides an important communication bridge for academic groups whose interest fields include engineering, technology, medicine, computer, mathematics, agriculture and forestry, and environment.

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2025

2024

2023

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Featured Articles

Garment-aware gaussian for clothed human modeling from monocular video

Reconstructing the human body from monocular video input presents significant challenges, including a limited field of view and difficulty in capturing non-rigid deformations, such as those associated with clothing and pose variations. These challenges often compromise motion editability and rendering quality. To address these issues, we propose a cloth-aware 3D Gaussian splatting approach that leverages the strengths of 2D convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and 3D Gaussian splatting for high-quality human body reconstruction from monocular video. Our method parameterizes 3D Gaussians anchored to a human template to generate posed position maps that capture pose-dependent non-rigid deformations. Additionally, we introduce Learnable Cloth Features, which are pixel-aligned with the posed position maps to address cloth-related deformations. By jointly modeling cloth and pose-dependent deformations, along with compact, optimizable linear blend skinning (LBS) weights, our approach significantly enhances the quality of monocular 3D human reconstructions. We also incorporate carefully designed regularization techniques for the Gaussians, improving the generalization capability of our model. Experimental results demonstrate that our method outperforms state-of-the-art techniques for animatable avatar reconstruction from monocular inputs, delivering superior performance in both reconstruction fidelity and rendering quality.

From paper to virtual: The meta-life of a historical cartographic artifact

The Charta of Rigas Velestinlis is one of the most important works of the eighteenth-century Neo-Hellenic Enlightenment and the most characteristic sample of Greek scholar cartography. Printed in Vienna in 1220 copies in 1796-1797, this emblematic map of the Balkan peninsula significantly influenced the development of ideas and perspectives that inspired the Greek War of Independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1821. The sixty (60) known remaining copies of this valuable material in Greece and abroad remain stored in the confined spaces of libraries, museums, and archives, strictly guarded for security, conservation, and preservation. This renders their access difficult to both the general public and the educational community. Since the Onassis Library and the General State Archives of Greece—Cartographic Heritage Archives both possess an original copy of this historical document each, they design and implement many educational programs aiming at highlighting its importance and reintroducing it to the public. This paper will present how the usage of new technologies, both in software and hardware, has facilitated the showcasing of cultural heritage artifacts, such as Rigas’ Charta, with an emphasis on technologies and resources that are freely available to everyone. It will also be demonstrated how the digitization projects, the digital libraries, repositories, and platforms implemented by many cultural and research organizations during the last decade, presented the opportunity for the new generation to come in contact with a variety of “locked away” historical documents, like Rigas’ Charta, allowing their reuse and reinterpretation while providing unlimited potential for the collection, research and presentation of facts, evidence and data. Furthermore, the incorporation of this digital cultural wealth in the school curriculum through targeted educational programs and the creative combination with open-source metaverse development tools, unleashed the possibilities of reviving the past, extending the life span of old materials to perpetuity. As a result, this multimodal approach paved the way for the emergence of a new more democratic, open-access, and inclusive educational model.

Deciphering avian emotions: A novel AI and machine learning approach to understanding chicken vocalizations

In this groundbreaking study, we present a novel approach to interspecies communication, focusing on the understanding of chicken vocalizations. Leveraging advanced mathematical models in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, we have developed a system capable of interpreting various emotional states in chickens, including hunger, fear, anger, contentment, excitement, and distress. Our methodology employs a cutting-edge AI technique we call Deep Emotional Analysis Learning (DEAL), a highly mathematical and innovative approach that allows for the nuanced understanding of emotional states through auditory data. DEAL is rooted in complex mathematical algorithms, enabling the system to learn and adapt to new vocal patterns over time. We conducted our study with a sample of 80 chickens, meticulously recording and analyzing their vocalizations under various conditions. To ensure the accuracy of our system’s interpretations, we collaborated with a team of eight animal psychologists and veterinary surgeons, who provided expert insights into the emotional states of the chickens. Our system demonstrated an impressive accuracy rate of close to 80%, marking a significant advancement in the field of animal communication. This research not only opens up new avenues for understanding and improving animal welfare but also sets a precedent for further studies in AI-driven interspecies communication. The novelty of our approach lies in its application of sophisticated AI techniques to a largely unexplored area of study. By bridging the gap between human and animal communication, we believe our research will pave the way for more empathetic and effective interactions with the animal kingdom.

Metaverse Scientist Forum No.3 was successfully held on April 22, 2025, from 19:00 to 20:30 (Beijing Time).

The session delved into key topics from the Metaverse Scientist Forum, particularly focusing on visual fatigue and emotional experience assessment in stereoscopic displays, as well as semi-supervised and generative models for 3D hand gesture recognition. Additionally, it covered the latest advancements in user experience assessment, generative AI technologies, and the development of end-side AI devices.

Participant Introductions
Dr. Bo Li announced the commencement of the third installment of the Metaverse Scientist Forum and introduced the session agenda and moderators.
Participant Introduction: Bo Li introduced Prof. Danli Wang and Associate Prof. Linlin Yang, highlighting their roles in delivering presentations at the forum.

Opening Speech: Prof. Pan Zhigeng delivered an opening speech via video, expressing his gratitude to the organizers for the invitation and outlining the purpose and expectations of the forum.

Assessment of Visual Fatigue and Emotional Experience in Stereoscopic Display

Prof. Danli Wang discussed the evolution of stereoscopic display technology and its extensive applications, emphasizing the critical importance of assessing visual fatigue and emotional experiences. She explained the mechanisms and methods for evaluating visual fatigue and emotional experiences, as well as the role of artificial intelligence in user experience assessment. Prof. Wang also shared her team’s future research directions, including deep and large-scale modeling, user experience assessment, and personalized recommendations.

Semi-Supervison and Generative Modeling for Hand Pose Estimation

Associate Prof. Linlin Yang explored the research background and application prospects of 3D hand gesture recognition, such as robot hand localization and VR/AR gesture recognition. She addressed issues related to domain discrepancy and singularity, demonstrating their impact on model performance. Dr. Yang detailed the principles, architectures, and applications of semi-supervised and generative models, discussed model optimization and evaluation, and explored low-latency hand gesture recognition. She also proposed methods for smooth transitions of multi-frame gestures through 4D network design and temporal smoothing operations. Dr. Yang highlighted the need for large models and proposed a hand gesture prediction method integrated with object-based large models, emphasizing the importance of user experience in research and advocating for human-computer interaction experience as a key metric.

Interactive Session

During the interactive session, the two guests discussed the challenge of balancing immersion and visual fatigue risk in the metaverse. Prof. Danli Wang noted that 3D display technology could be optimized to reduce visual fatigue by real-time tracking of users' fatigue status. She expressed optimism that advancements in light field display and true 3D display technology could mitigate the fatigue associated with parallax stereoscopic displays. Regarding user-centric R&D directions, Associate Prof. Linlin Yang emphasized that the ultimate goal should be to enhance user experience in human-computer interaction, rather than merely improving technical precision. Dr. Bo Li strongly agreed with Dr. Yang, stressing the need to prioritize interaction experience once a certain level of research accuracy is achieved.

Summary and Conclusion
Review of Forum Topics: Bo Li summarized the main content of the forum, highlighting the deep connection between human-computer interaction (HCI) and the metaverse.
Congratulation on Journal Inclusion: Bo Li congratulated the conference organizer, Metaverse Journal, on its inclusion in important databases, signifying its rapid development. He also encouraged more experts in the field to submit their articles to the journal to collectively promote the prosperity of the metaverse domain.

Academic Supporter

Institute for Metaverse, School of Artificial Intelligence, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology (NUIST), China

Editor-in-Chief

Prof. Zhigeng Pan

Director, Institute for Metaverse, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, China

Honorary Editor-in-Chief

Prof. Jianrong Tan

Academician, Chinese Academy of Engineering, China

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News & Announcements

2025-04-23

Metaverse Scientist Forum No.3

Metaverse Scientist Forum No.3 was successfully held on April 22, 2025, from 19:00 to 20:30 (Beijing Time)...

2025-04-21

Congratulations to Metaverse on being indexed in Scopus!

We received the Scopus notification on April 19th, confirming that the journal has been successfully indexed by Scopus...

2025-04-15

Updated Submission Guidelines for Manuscript Figures!

We are pleased to announce that we have updated the requirements for manuscript figures in the submission guidelines. Manuscripts submitted after April 15, 2025 are required to strictly adhere to the change. These updates are aimed at ensuring the highest quality of visual content in our publications and enhancing the overall readability and impact of your research. For more details, please find it in sumissions...

2025-04-10

Metaverse Scientist Forum No.2

Date and Time: April 13, 2025 16:00-17:30pm (Beijing Time)

#VooV Meeting VooV ID: 771-932-597...

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