On March 12, 2026, the Institute for Intelligent Interaction and Immersive Experience (IIIX) welcomed the Karlsruhe-based company init to the iXperience Lab at Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences. The company is the world's leading provider of telematics solutions for public transport and is also a regional partner of HKA, including in the project KARL - Artificial Intelligence for Work and Learning in the Karlsruhe region.
The visit was a special occasion for the IIIX: after two semesters of renovation work, during which the lab had to remain closed to external guests, the doors of the iXperience Lab opened to visitors again for the first time. In addition to representatives from init , Prof. Dr.-Ing. Franz Quint, Vice-Rector for Research, Cooperation and Transfer at Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences, also took part in the tour of the lab.
Insights into current IIIX projects
The IIIX staff took the opportunity to present the laboratory in its new splendor and showcase a selection of current research and development projects - including both proven crowd-pleasers and new developments.
Highlights included the VR application Super NubibusIn the immersive simulation, visitors experience the city from the perspective of a hot air balloon and immerse themselves in a detailed historical environment. The application has already been presented at several exhibitions and events and is one of IIIX's best-known projects.
The institute's Embodied Conversational Agent (ECA) - a virtual conversation partner that is being continuously expanded - also aroused great interest. The ECA is being developed by Wladimir Hettmann and Thorsten Zylowski as part of the Freiraum project Embodied Conversational Agents in Teaching (ECAsL). In the current demonstration, the agent analyzed visitors' outfits and gave individual tips on fashion and styling. Behind the scenes, the system recognizes people, assesses their age and style and generates suitable recommendations. Such playful demonstrations show the potential of the technology, which in future should also support students in their everyday studies - for example by providing information about the campus, motivation for learning or small impulses for active breaks.
New developments in the lab
In addition to the familiar applications, current research projects were also presented. These include a customizable chatbot that IIIX employee Thorsten Zylowski is developing as part of his doctoral thesis. The focus here is on the explainability and trustworthiness of AI systems. Unlike traditional chatbots, this system can not only be controlled via prompts, but can also be adapted to personal needs via selectable options. For example, users can specify how detailed answers should be or how content should be explained, as well as gaining more transparency about the origin of the information used. This means that people can configure how they interact with the system themselves and gain more autonomy in dealing with AI.
Another crowd-puller was the interactive game "Fake it till you make it", which can be played on the lab's 180-degree screen. The application was developed by HKA students in the context of the symposium "The Fabrication of Truth" and presented by IIIX employee Karl Fischer. In the game, participants take on the role of a media manager who is supposed to help a company boss to present a product better through targeted disinformation - and are thus playfully confronted with the mechanisms of fake news and manipulation. During init 's visit, the game was clearly a crowd favorite.
Exchange and new impulses
The visit provided a good opportunity for discussions about current developments at the interface of artificial intelligence, immersive media and interactive technologies. At the same time, it marked an important moment for the institute: the iXperience Lab can now welcome visitors again following its renovation. The IIIX is delighted with the successful exchange with init and the visit by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Franz Quint and hopes that the discussions will lead to new ideas and future collaborations.