Principal Investigators: Radu-Daniel Vatavu (University of Suceava, Romania) and Andrei Braicov (Ion Creanga State Pedagogical University of Chisinau, Republic of Moldova)
Funded by UEFISCDI, Romania
Funding scheme: PNCDI IV - P5.8 - European and International Cooperation
Running period: September 2025 - August 2027 (24 months)
Abstract
Our physical environments have become increasingly complex through the integration of computer technology in virtually all aspects of modern life, turning concepts such as extended reality (XR) into practical experiences. One consequence of this computational transformation is that living in a computerized world requires a distinctive set of cognitive abilities for problem solving, which needs to capitalize on the core nature of the computers driving this transformation. In this project, we examine the new paradigm of extended thinking, denoting a distictive set of cognitive abilities needed in emerging XR worlds. Beyond critical thinking, limited to physical-world operation, and computational thinking, limited to algorithmic-like reasoning in the physical world integrating computers, extended thinking addresses experiential dimensions of presence in realities extending the physical world.
Objectives
Our specific objectives are:
Formalize the new concept of extended thinking for cognitive augmentation abilities in XR worlds by exploring relevant dimensions of XR technology, human factors, and skill learning theory.
Design and development of software technology for extended thinking through dedicated software applications implementing the superimposition of interactive experiences in XR with various modalities.
Evaluation of extended thinking with dedicated metrics of user experience.
Building and communicating research expertise in extended thinking.
Team
University of Suceava, Romania
Ion Creanga State Pedagogical University of Chisinau, Republic of Moldova
The research activities are conducted in the Machine Intelligence and Information Visualization (MintViz) Research Laboratory of the
MANSiD Research Center (Romania) and at the Ion Creanga State Pedagogical University of Chisinau (Republic of Moldova).
Main results
The following results have been achieved so far in the project:
A systematic literature review of cognitive augmentation in extended reality environments, which revealed main themes, reality types, platforms, and cognitive functions; details are available in the first-year report.
Outreach activities targeting the scientific, educational, and professional communities, as well as the general public; details are provided in the Communication and outreach section below.
The cognitive impact of this project is directly addressed through a new theoretical concept, extended reality thinking, which we propose as a complement to the established paradigms of critical and computational thinking. By extending thinking, this research will advance our understanding of how humans reason, learn, and solve problems in increasingly complex XR environments toward the formalization of a new set of cognitive skills required for effective operation in physical-virtual worlds. From a socioeconomic perspective, the project supports innovation in the design and development of novel XR applications that integrate extending thinking skills, particularly relevant to the education and creative sectors, by enabling cognitively supportive physical-virtual environments. We expect XR software prototypes, empirical datasets, and interdisciplinary collaboration between the two partner institutions contributing to both economic impact and societal adoption of our developments.
Communication and outreach
October 24, 2025.
Press release at the Ion Creanga State Pedagogical University of Chisinau (in Romanian: UPSC și Universitatea "Ștefan cel Mare" din Suceava au lansat un proiect de cercetare privind tehnologiile XR pentru augmentarea cognitivă).
October 20, 2025. News coverage (in Romanian): "Noile generații vor dezvolta abilități cognitive pe care noi abia le intuim!"
October 17, 2025. NEst-TV Channel News (in Romanian): "Viitorul nu va exista fără întrepătrunderea între lumea fizică și cea creată artificial"
Outreach and communication of the Super-XR project in various communities:
Laura-Bianca Bilius, Postdoctoral Researcher
Mihail Terenti, Postdoctoral Researcher
Tatiana Veverita, Senior Researcher
Ivan Budanaev, Senior Researcher
Ilona Popovici, Postdoctoral Researcher
Tudor Bumbu, Postdoctoral Researcher
Alexandru Bibic, PhD student
Ilie Musinschi, PhD student
