Mixed Reality Architecture: Concept, Construction, Use

Mixed Reality Architecture (MRA) dynamically links and overlays physical and virtual spaces. This paper investigates the topology of and the relationships between the components of MRA. As a phenomenon, MRA takes its place in a long history of technologies that have influenced conditions for social interaction as well as the environment we build around us. However, by providing a flexible spatial topology spanning physical and virtual environments it presents new opportunities for social interaction across electronic media. An experimental MRA is described that allowed us to study some of the emerging issues in this field. It provided material for the development of a framework describing virtual and physical spaces, the links between those and the types of mixed reality structure that we can envisage it being possible to design using these elements. We propose that by re-introducing a level of spatiality into communication across physical and virtual environments MRA will support everyday social interaction, and may convert digital communication media from being socially conservative to a more generative form familiar from physical space