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In this article, we present approaches to interactive simulations of biohybrid systems. These simulations are comprised of two major computational components: (1) agentbased developmental models that retrace organismal growth and unfolding of technical scaffoldings and (2) interfaces to explore these models interactively. Simulations of biohybrid systems allow us to fast forward and experience their evolution over time based on our design decisions involving the choice, configuration and initial states of the deployed biological and robotic actors as well as their interplay with the environment. We briefly introduce the concept of swarm grammars, an agent-based extension of L-systems for retracing growth processes and structural artifacts. Next, we review an early augmented reality prototype for designing and projecting biohybrid system simulations into real space. In addition to models that retrace plant behaviors, we specify swarm grammar agents to braid structures in a self-organizing manner. Based on this model, both robotic and plant-driven braiding processes can be experienced and explored in virtual worlds. We present an according user interface for use in virtual reality. As we present interactive models concerning rather diverse description levels, we only ensured their principal capacity for interaction but did not consider efficiency analyzes beyond prototypic operation. We conclude this article with an outlook on future works on melding reality and virtuality to drive the design and deployment of biohybrid systems.Keywords: biohybrid systems, augmented reality, virtual reality, user interfaces, biological development, generative systems Biohybrid systems, i.e., the cross-fertilization of robotic entities and plants, take robotic control and interconnected technologies a significant step beyond the design, planning, manufacture, and supply of complex products. Instead of pre-defined blueprints and manufacturing processes that fulfill certain target specifications, biohybrid systems consider, even make use of the variability of living organisms. By promoting and guiding the growth and development of plants, the characteristics exhibited throughout their life cycles become part of the system-from esthetic greenery over loadbearing and energy-saving structural elements to the potential supply of nourishment. At the same time, biohybrid systems are feedback-controlled systems which means that (1) deviations of the individual plant, e.g., in terms of its health or developmental state, or (2) unexpected environmental trends, e.g., in terms of climatic conditions or regarding changes in the built environment, as well as (3) changes in the target specifications, can be compensated for. These traits of robustness, adaptivity, and flexibility in combination with a potential longevity that may easily outlast a human lifetime, may very well render biohybrid systems a key technology in shaping the evolution of man-kind. However, comprehensive basic research has to be conducted in order to arrive at state mature en...

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Figure 1: Overview of the immersive analysis of crystallographic diffraction data in reciprocal space. (a) Visualization: Reflections (spheres; size proportional to intensity), unit cell (center; yellow, cyan, magenta), and orthogonal space axis (right; red, green, blue). (b) Reciprocal lattice (green). (c) Orthographic projection to further assist spatial interpretation. (d) Distance measurement. (e) Indexing: Matching a periodic set of diffraction planes to reflections (red: disaligned, green: closely aligned).

Immersive visualization has become affordable for many laboratories and researchers with the advent of consumer virtual reality devices. This paper introduces two according scenarios, (1) modeling biological simulations of multi-cellular tumor spheroids, and (2) analysing spatial features in fluorescence microscopy data of organoids. Based on these, we derive a list of functional requirements for an immersive workbench that integrates both image data analysis and modeling perspectives. Three existing, exploratory prototypes are presented and discussed. Finally, we propose two specific applications of immersive technology for the support of the targeted user groups' research, one for the collaborative definition of segmentation "ground truth", and one for the analysis of spatial features in organoids.