Shared Engagement in Digital Environments with Extended Reality and Tangible Interaction

Abstract

Emergent interactive technologies -- such as extended reality (XR) and its related subcategories augmented, virtual and mixed reality-- are increasingly used in interdisciplinary research endeavors. These technologies aim to explore how smart glasses and headsets that overlay digital objects may support the design of collaborative experiences that enhance human interactions in the physical world. In this short paper, we briefly outline the possibilities of immersive technologies for research and how the Extrality Lab at Stockholm University serves as an infrastructure to prototype state-of-the-art solutions that merge physical tangible interaction and virtual environments in novel applications. We also describe how 3D digital tools may be used for research purposes, taking as an example the project SECE, which aims to study novel interactions, technology-supported artistic expressions, and the future of mobile computing in a cross-disciplinary team in Stockholm. More details about the Extrality Lab at https://extralitylab.dsv.su.se/.