Seal element of the university of freiburg in the shape of a trefoil

XR Future Forests Lab

Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources

XR Future Forests Lab

Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and Mixed Reality Applications

Abkürzung der Fakultät für Umwelt und Natürliche Ressourcen "unr" in der Farbe sand auf grünem, kreisförmigen Hintergrund

The XR Future Forests Lab develops virtual (VR), augmented (AR) and mixed (MR) reality applications, initially for forest and environmental sciences in particular, including research into advanced data acquisition and analysis and the creation of digital twins of real forests. These digital twins enable the detailed modelling and visualization of forest growth, management processes and environmental changes at different research sites. The lab combines the expertise of the Chair of Forest Process Engineering, the Chair of Forest Growth and Dendroecology and the Chair of Sensor-based Geoinformatics to improve research opportunities and generate synergy effects.

By integrating extensive forest data sets with innovative XR technologies, the XR-Lab will enable simulations of natural changes and human interventions and thus make a significant contribution to both research and education in forestry and environmental sciences in the future.

The Lab is a service facility of the Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources for all professorships, for research, teaching and science communication. National and international networking with comparable institutions as well as with application and practice partners is sought. The lab will initially focus on forestry and environmental sciences, but will be extended to all disciplines represented at the faculty (e.g. geosciences, geography, environmental social sciences) in the future.

The establishment and operation of the XR Future Forests Lab is funded by the Eva Mayr-Stihl Stiftung for an initial four-year project period (2024-2028).

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Team

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Teaching

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Research

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Associated Projects

WaldAgil

WaldAgil: Agile Forest Management for a Climate-Resilient Future.

Climate change presents immense challenges for forest management. The WaldAgil project leverages cutting-edge technologies to manage forests in a climate-resilient and sustainable way. By employing drones, laser scanners, and artificial intelligence, a digital forest twin is created, integrating precise data at the individual tree level. This digital platform enables dynamic scenario planning and supports forest managers with real-time augmented reality on-site. 
With innovative approaches from Forestry 4.0, WaldAgil ensures agile management that can adapt flexibly to environmental changes. The project aims to stabilize forests ecologically while ensuring their economic sustainability. By doing so, WaldAgil makes a crucial contribution to climate change adaptation shaping a future where biodiversity, timber production, and climate protection are harmonized.

Funding: BW-Stiftung
2024-2027 

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ForestAR

Potential and feasibility study for the operational use of augmented reality glasses in forestry.


Funding: FNR
2024-2026

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EU COST Action (CA23135)

Bringing Digital Data and Reality Together – Augmented Reality in Forestry (ARiF).

Digital transformation is significantly impacting the forest sector, with the proliferation of digital data enhancing a range of applications from remote sensing to Industry 4.0. A lot of data is currently being collected and assessed in the forest sector. However, there is a widespread lack of applications to use this digital data and a lack of coordinated, interdisciplinary research. Augmented Reality (AR), a futuristic technology that integrates digital elements into the real world, has become essential for visualising and interacting with these data.
The main objective of this COST Action is to establish a network of researchers from various disciplines together with industry partners and forest stakeholders. This collaborative effort will ensure the successful integration of AR into European forestry and the need for coordinated efforts to unlock its full potential.

Funding: EU COST Action
2024-2028

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