Abstract
Extensive research has outlined the potential of augmented, mixed, and virtual reality applications. However, little attention has been paid to scalability enhancements fostering practical adoption. In this paper, we introduce the concept of scalable extended reality (XRS), i.e., spaces scaling between different displays and degrees of virtuality that can be entered by multiple, possibly distributed users. The development of such XRS spaces concerns several research fields. To provide bidirectional interaction and maintain consistency with the real environment, virtual reconstructions of physical scenes need to be segmented semantically and adapted dynamically. Moreover, scalable interaction techniques for selection, manipulation, and navigation as well as a world-stabilized rendering of 2D annotations in 3D space are needed to let users intuitively switch between handheld and head-mounted displays. Collaborative settings should further integrate access control and awareness cues indicating the collaborators’ locations and actions. While many of these topics were investigated by previous research, very few have considered their integration to enhance scalability. Addressing this gap, we review related previous research, list current barriers to the development of XRS spaces, and highlight dependencies between them.
Highlights
Using different kinds of extended reality (XR) technologies to enter augmented, mixed, or virtual reality scenes has been considered supportive for various areas of application.For instance, users could receive contextual information on demand during training or maintenance tasks, and product development processes could benefit from fast and cheap modifications as virtual augmentations are adapted
While previous research dealt rather separately with the three topics that we consider most crucial for the development of XR spaces (XRS) spaces, we focus on their integration to enhance scalability
We introduce the concept of XRS spaces scaling between different degrees of virtuality, different devices, and different numbers of possibly distributed users
Summary
Using different kinds of extended reality (XR) technologies to enter augmented, mixed, or virtual reality scenes has been considered supportive for various areas of application. The majority of XR applications are limited to single use cases, specific technology, and two users We believe that this lack of scalability limits the practical adoption of XR technologies as switching between tasks and technologies requires costly adaptions of the setup, as well as relearning interaction techniques. While previous research dealt rather separately with the three topics that we consider most crucial for the development of XRS spaces (i.e., collaboration support features, consistent and accessible visualizations, and intuitive interaction techniques), we focus on their integration to enhance scalability. To this end, we review the latest research in related fields and propose a future research agenda that lists both remaining and newly arising research topics
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