Conceptualizing and advancing on Extended Reality applications in food science and technology

Abstract

The demand for immersive and interactive experiences follows an unprecedented rise, necessitating the integration of Extended Reality (xR) in the ecosystem of food science, thus offering huge opportunities for research, education and corporate engagement. By leveraging the numerous benefits of Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) and Mixed Reality (MR), food scientists can simulate and visualize complex food processes and enhance sensory activities. This paper presents the intersection of food science and xR applications examining the beneficial impact of the innovative xR technologies deployed onto food processing environments in a dynamic and engaging manner. Hereby, interactive learning environments in which scientists, professionals and educators cooperate to virtually utilize hazardous laboratory elements or chemical compounds in a safe environment, decreasing resource consumption are presented. A number of case studies are presented including; a qualitative laboratory VR simulation to train dairy plant employees offering risk free experimentation and efficiency. a VR training application designed to educate in meat slicing techniques with professional equipment, resulting in reduced resource waste and enhanced ergonomic improvement and finally a training VR application focusing on optimizing employee movements and safety while operating a puree-juice machine offering timely process refinements without interrupting real-time procedures. In addition, prototyping involved two AR developments, an AR application projecting nutritional information and videos onto milk cartons and an application which recognizes food logos on packaging and provides detailed information about organic or biological product aspects, both applications offering enhanced consumer engagement building trust and allowing transparency between the food industry and the consumers.