Intelligent Immersion: The current landscape of AI tools in the Mixed Reality development pipeline for creative experiences

Among the technologies that hold immense potential to revolutionize how we interact with information and digital content, Mixed Reality (MR) offers unique immersive experiences that seamlessly integrate virtual objects into the user's physical environment. This groundbreaking fusion of the physical and digital worlds has a complex development process which is a fertile ground for applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI). This article aims to provide a comprehensive overview of AI tools and their applications, in all stages of the development of MR experiences for the creative sector. It also discusses the challenges and opportunities of incorporating them in the development pipeline and offer some use guidelines as a compass to navigate this rapidly changing landscape.Arts and Humanities Research Council (UK, AH/W005530/1) and National Endowment For the Humanities (US, HND-284975-22

On the Emergence of Symmetrical Reality

Artificial intelligence (AI) has revolutionized human cognitive abilities and facilitated the development of new AI entities capable of interacting with humans in both physical and virtual environments. Despite the existence of virtual reality, mixed reality, and augmented reality for several years, integrating these technical fields remains a formidable challenge due to their disparate application directions. The advent of AI agents, capable of autonomous perception and action, further compounds this issue by exposing the limitations of traditional human-centered research approaches. It is imperative to establish a comprehensive framework that accommodates the dual perceptual centers of humans and AI agents in both physical and virtual worlds. In this paper, we introduce the symmetrical reality framework, which offers a unified representation encompassing various forms of physical-virtual amalgamations. This framework enables researchers to better comprehend how AI agents can collaborate with humans and how distinct technical pathways of physical-virtual integration can be consolidated from a broader perspective. We then delve into the coexistence of humans and AI, demonstrating a prototype system that exemplifies the operation of symmetrical reality systems for specific tasks, such as pouring water. Subsequently, we propose an instance of an AI-driven active assistance service that illustrates the potential applications of symmetrical reality. This paper aims to offer beneficial perspectives and guidance for researchers and practitioners in different fields, thus contributing to the ongoing research about human-AI coexistence in both physical and virtual environments.Comment: IEEE VR 202

Engineering brain : metaverse for future engineering

The past decade has witnessed a notable transformation in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry, with efforts made both in the academia and industry to facilitate improvement of efficiency, safety and sustainability in civil projects. Such advances have greatly contributed to a higher level of automation in the lifecycle management of civil assets within a digitalised environment. To integrate all the achievements delivered so far and further step up their progress, this study proposes a novel theory, Engineering Brain, by effectively adopting the Metaverse concept in the field of civil engineering. Specifically, the evolution of the Metaverse and its key supporting technologies are first reviewed; then, the Engineering Brain theory is presented, including its theoretical background, key components and their inter-connections. Outlooks of this theory’s implementation within the AEC sector are offered, as a description of the Metaverse of future engineering. Through a comparison between the proposed Engineering Brain theory and the Metaverse, their relationships are illustrated; and how Engineering Brain may function as the Metaverse for future engineering is further explored. Providing an innovative insight into the future engineering sector, this study can potentially guide the entire industry towards its new era based on the Metaverse environment

The perception of emotion in artificial agents

Given recent technological developments in robotics, artificial intelligence and virtual reality, it is perhaps unsurprising that the arrival of emotionally expressive and reactive artificial agents is imminent. However, if such agents are to become integrated into our social milieu, it is imperative to establish an understanding of whether and how humans perceive emotion in artificial agents. In this review, we incorporate recent findings from social robotics, virtual reality, psychology, and neuroscience to examine how people recognize and respond to emotions displayed by artificial agents. First, we review how people perceive emotions expressed by an artificial agent, such as facial and bodily expressions and vocal tone. Second, we evaluate the similarities and differences in the consequences of perceived emotions in artificial compared to human agents. Besides accurately recognizing the emotional state of an artificial agent, it is critical to understand how humans respond to those emotions. Does interacting with an angry robot induce the same responses in people as interacting with an angry person? Similarly, does watching a robot rejoice when it wins a game elicit similar feelings of elation in the human observer? Here we provide an overview of the current state of emotion expression and perception in social robotics, as well as a clear articulation of the challenges and guiding principles to be addressed as we move ever closer to truly emotional artificial agents

Overcoming barriers and increasing independence: service robots for elderly and disabled people

This paper discusses the potential for service robots to overcome barriers and increase independence of elderly and disabled people. It includes a brief overview of the existing uses of service robots by disabled and elderly people and advances in technology which will make new uses possible and provides suggestions for some of these new applications. The paper also considers the design and other conditions to be met for user acceptance. It also discusses the complementarity of assistive service robots and personal assistance and considers the types of applications and users for which service robots are and are not suitable