1. Evaluation of Virtual Heritage

• Goal: Improve evaluation of virtual heritage projects.
  
• Problem: Copyright access, sample size of audience, ambiguity of culture and intangible heritage, lack of suitable research focii, problem of changing content and contextually specific interaction, intrusiveness of many methods, or relying on subjective impressions and memory recall (questionnaires).
  
• Prototypes: PhD Thesis on Palenque.
• Publication: VSMM 2002 and 2004, PhD Thesis, Presence 2007.
  

2. Mimicry for Cultural Learning 

• Goal: A fun yet educational game in which participants learn about the situated context through thematic interaction without destroying engagement. 
• Problem: Authenticity, fun, believable non-playing characters, suitable gameplay, intelligent and durable game mechanics,  suitable innate evaluation, framework to use in differing situations, appropriate game genre and setting, developing care and appreciation of a local culture rather than just trying to trick them, expressive platial and avatar situatedness, sensitive detection of suitable mimicry.
• Prototypes: At University of Queensland, the Marco Polo Project.
• Publication: Interactive Emergent History As A Cultural Turing Test.

3. Thematic Interfaces and Meaningful Interaction

• Goal: Thematic Interfaces and novel interaction.
  
• Problem: Creating appropriate interaction that is easy to learn but allows expressiveness and enhances understanding of different ways of learning, acquiring, communication, and building.
  
• Prototypes: At University of Queensland, the Marco Polo Project, the Biofeedback Project, the Morrowind Egyptian Gods Project, Advanced Interactive Media Design, the Mining Town project.
  
• Publication: Explorative Shadow realms Of Uncertain Histories, Interactive Emergent History As A Cultural Turing Test, Playing With a Career in Ruins, Meaningful Interaction in Virtual Learning Environments.

4. Time and Interpretation

• Goal: Use digital media and multimodal interaction to allow people to explore different interpretations of past cultures and places.
  
• Problem: Creating appropriate interaction that is easy to learn but allows them to understand and separate interpretation from collective knowledge and scientific fact.
• Prototypes: At University of Queensland, the Unreality Palenque project to some extent, needs to be developed further.
  
• Publication:  Heritage Role Playing-History as an Interactive Digital Game, Playing With a Career in Ruins, Meaningful Interaction in Virtual Learning Environments.

 5. Spatial Projection

• Goal: Increase the sense of spatial immersion using surround projection, stereo sound, etc.
  
• Problem: Creating appropriate spatial surround projection that also adds to the audience experience as well as that of the players. This could eventually also help museum and other public display systems.
  
• Prototypes: At University of Queensland, the Palenque Unreality project, AI Studios game designs, Advanced Interactive Media Design, the Mining Town project.
  
• Publication: DACH 2007.