Workshop at CHI2026 Barcelona, Thursday 16 April, 2026

Submission deadline: February 12, 2026    March 1, 2026
Register now!

Overview

Recent advancements in augmented reality (AR) technologies have brought us closer to the vision of everyday ubiquitous computing and pervasive AR use. State-of-the-art AR glasses now enable mobile, on-the-move experiences that extend beyond laboratory settings. This promise has already been explored across diverse mobile contexts, including transportation, entertainment, shopping, and tourism. This workshop focuses on AR on-the-move, examining how AR can support interaction in dynamic settings where environmental and social contexts shift rapidly and users are in locomotion. We will discuss both the unique challenges and the rich opportunities such scenarios present for meaningful augmentation and new forms of interaction. By uniting established scholars and emerging researchers from across HCI, this workshop seeks to map out critical directions for future inquiry. Through hands-on activities and reflection, participants will collectively identify key opportunities, challenges, and next steps for advancing research on AR on-the-move.

Intended Audience

We welcome HCI researchers and practitioners working on extended reality (XR/VR/AR), mobile and wearable interaction, in-the-wild AR deployments, and related areas to join the workshop. We are equally keen to bring together attendees with expertise in AR adaptations,  spatial interaction, accessibility on-the-move, social XR and safety or ethics of AR in everyday environments. Participants from all career stages, including students, industry professionals, and experienced researchers, are warmly invited.

Long (2x 90 min) Workshop

The workshop will take place over one afternoon, structured in two 90-minute sessions that combine presentations and interactive activities. The program will include a keynote by an invited expert, participants’ paper or demo presentations. Following the presentations, participants will work in groups to examine selected challenges and opportunities in depth. The workshop will conclude with a plenary reflection to consolidate insights and capture concrete next steps for advancing AR in real-world contexts. The timeline will be adapted based on the number of participants to allow for a well-balanced and energetic workshop.

Call for Participation

Advancements in augmented reality (AR) technologies have brought us closer to the vision of ubiquitous computing and pervasive AR in everyday life. State-of-the-art AR glasses now enable mobile, on-the-move experiences that extend beyond laboratory settings.

This workshop focuses on AR on-the-move, examining how AR can support interaction in dynamic settings where environmental and social contexts shift rapidly and users are in locomotion. We will discuss the unique challenges and rich opportunities such scenarios present for meaningful augmentation and new forms of interaction.

Prospective participants are asked to submit a short position paper (2–4 pages, ACM single-column format) that addresses the following topics:

  • The participant’s background and experience using AR in mobile or real-world settings.
  • A description of a system that they developed, participated, or experienced.
  • A reflection piece that identifies one or two key challenges and opportunities for AR in on-the-move contexts. Ground the discussion in specific ideas, methods, or case studies to illustrate and elaborate these points.

They are also invited and encouraged to present a live or video showcase of the described AR system.
Submissions must be received by the deadline stated on the website. All submissions will be reviewed by the organizing committee, and participants will be selected based on relevance, diversity of perspectives, and potential for contributing to fruitful discussions.

Upon acceptance, participants will be invited to prepare a brief presentation or demonstration to share during the workshop. At least one author of each accepted submission must attend and all participants must be registered for the workshop. Moreover, all accepted position papers will be made available on the workshop website ahead of the event to facilitate cross-reading and engagement among participants.

To apply please fill out the following google form.

Submission deadline February 12, 2026    March 1, 2026
Notification March 12 & March 24, 2026

Topics of Interest

  • Context-aware AR
  • AR in social contexts
  • AR interaction techniques for mobile settings
  • Deploying AR in everyday scenarios (e.g., biking, navigation, exercise)
  • AR applications in indoor/outdoor sports
  • Low fidelity prototyping of AR on-the-move experiences
  • Accessibility and inclusivity in mobile AR use

Agenda

Activity 1: Introduction & Keynote

The workshop will open with a brief introduction by the organizers, outlining the schedule, activities, and overall goals for the day. Then a keynote from an invited HCI expert will follow, intended to situate the workshop theme within current research, highlight key challenges, and inspire participants for subsequent activities.
The speaker’s bio and presentation abstract will be published on the workshop website ahead of the event.

Activity 2: Paper Presentations – Interactive Demonstrations

In the second activity of the workshop, participants are asked to briefly present themselves (e.g., their work, research interests) and their position papers or demonstrations. Each short presentation will be followed by a focused Q&A to encourage exchange among participants. The presentation format will depend on the number of participants (e.g., PechaKucha).

Activity 3: Group Discussions

At the start of the second session, the organizers will initiate a discussion on the challenges and opportunities that emerged from both the keynote and the accepted position papers. Participants will then be divided into subgroups (3-5 people) focusing on specific topics, discussing them in detail and defining next steps. Sticky notes and sketch papers will be provided to each group to visualize and document their ideas.

Activity 4: Outcomes & Reflections

The final activity will center on group presentations and a plenary discussion moderated by the co-organizers. Each group will briefly share their main insights and propose next steps for AR in real-world settings. Building on these presentations, the organizers will facilitate a larger-group reflection to connect outcomes across groups, identify common directions and tensions, and discuss opportunities for future collaboration.

Organizers

Helen (Eleni) Stefanidi – University of Salzburg, Austria
Vincent van Rheden – University of Salzburg, Austria
Linjia He  – Monash University, Australia
Michelle Adiwangsa – The Australian National University, Australia
Jan-Hendrik Sünderkamp – Salzburg University of Applied Sciences, Austria
Alina Itzlinger – University of Salzburg, Austria
Andrii Matviienko – KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden
Julie Williamson – University of Glasgow, Scotland
Ian Oakley – KAIST, Republic of Korea
Markus Tatzgern –Salzburg University of Applied Sciences, Austria
Alexander Meschtscherjakov – University of Salzburg, Austria

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) (Project number: FO999904898), the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) 10.55776/DFH12 and the MSIT (Ministry of Science and ICT), Korea, under the ITRC (Information Technology Research Center) support program (IITP-2024-RS-2024-00436398) supervised by the IITP (Institute for Information & Communications Technology Planning & Evaluation).

Questions

If you have any questions, feel free to contact us.