International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality : (ISMAR) [proceedings]

We are witnessing the dawn of Distributed AI, where intelligence is no longer confined to centralized clouds but extends to the edge of networks. Edge AI now encompasses Physical AI that interacts with the real world and Agentic AI that acts autonomously, bringing intelligence closer to people, devices, and environments. Concurrently, Cloud AI provides the scale, coordination, and learning capacity necessary to connect these edge systems. This keynote will highlight how the rise of Distributed AI signals the beginning of a new era—one in which intelligence emerges through the interplay of Edge and Cloud, with connectivity as the key enabler of progress.

In the era of multi-modal Artificial Intelligence (AI), the convergence of AI and eXtended Reality (XR) is revolutionizing immersive technologies. In this talk, I will review the technical challenges in the XR industry over the last decade, and show how we have overcome those by exploring the pivotal role of on-device AI, multi-modal AI and computer vision in advancing XR experiences, especially on various XR form-factors including Project Moohan - the first device utilizing a new AndroidXR platform, an initiative bridging AI and XR to redefine user-centric real-world XR applications. The talk will underscore how multi-modal AI integrates diverse data streams-visual, spatial, and contextual- to create seamless, intelligent, and immersive XR experiences while synergies between software and hardware innovations are also emphasized. Attendees will gain insights into Samsung's vision for next-generation devices and the transformative potential of these technologies across various industries.

CALIVERSE is a next-generation AI metaverse platform that seamlessly combines immersive shopping, live performances, gaming, and Web3 user-generated content into a unified virtual experience. Built on cutting-edge technologies such as Unreal Engine 5, AI-powered lighting, VR AI enhancement, real time live-action rendering integration, and 3D AI conversion, CALIVERSE delivers an incredibly lifelike virtual world. The platform supports multiple environments, including PC, VR HMD, and glasses-free 3D displays (Screen Protector), delivering high-fidelity 4K+ virtual experiences with premium quality and deep immersion. In particular, CALIVERSE seamlessly composites live-action footage with real-time rendered graphics and utilizes AI lighting and image enhancement technologies to deliver natural and visually coherent virtual performances. It can depict audiences of over 80,000, setting it apart from conventional metaverse platforms designed for younger users. By integrating Korea's advanced server networking technology, CALIVERSE enables massively scaled simultaneous connections, setting a new standard for ultra-immersive next generation metaverse platforms.

This work addresses the limitations of traditional 2D collaboration tools in automotive design, where complex 3D model reviews require immersive spatial interaction. We developed a metaverse-based collaborative platform for automotive design processes using Unreal Engine 5, addressing three research directions: (1) core requirements for automotive design collaboration, (2) effectiveness of immersive technologies in such professional workflows, and (3) an empirical user study of test scenarios comparing the platform as a conventional PC application to an immersive Virtual Reality (VR) experience. Xstudio enables real-time interaction with 3D models and advanced functionalities for design teams. We evaluated the effectiveness of the tool through user studies and technical performance analysis. The expert study of 11 employees, who were part of the engineering department of BMW (a European car manufacturer), was designed to evaluate the usability of the features using the System Usability Score (SUS), which scored a promising value of 76 (VR) and 74 (PC). The NASA Task Load Index (NASA-TLX) resulted in 40.1 for VR and 37.7 in PC mode. A set of quantitative analyses with factors such as task completion time (TCT), error rates (ER), and user interaction metrics (UIM) were applied in the comparison of VR and PC modes. The result shows that the VR mode has higher TCT than the PC mode, but in contrast, VR has a higher interaction rate to complete the task, input precision, and the multi-step manipulation can be optimized. We summarize the findings in guidelines for future research in the collaborative car design process. Key technical contributions include a modular Entity-Component-System architecture for dynamic tool customization and hybrid VR/PC interactions. In the domain-specific automotive engineering space, both application types complement each other, offering efficiency (PC) or immersion (VR) for specific tasks. Future work will focus on UI/UX refinements with rigorous validation in follow-up studies. Specific improvements will include streamlined menus, snap-based selection aids, and pointer-locking tools to address precision challenges.

Shared synchronised activities, such as dancing and singing, can promote social bonding in both physical and virtual settings, but are susceptible to network latencies in mediated environments, such as social virtual reality (VR). Temporal delays can hinder interpersonal entrainment, causing users to feel out of sync, and reduce presence. While prior work has examined how stimulus type and frequency affect synchrony perception, the role of rhythmic interaction, central to many interactive synchronised experiences, remains unexplored. We conducted a within-subject study with 32 participants to systematically investigate how rhythmic interaction shapes synchrony perception of rhythmic audiovisual stimuli in networked VR environments. Motor behaviour and subjective synchrony ratings ($\mathrm{n}=32$) are analysed, complemented by eye-tracking metrics from a quality-controlled subset ($\mathrm{n}=25$). Through controlled stimulus onset asynchronies (SOAs) between audio and video stimuli, we simulate network latency scenarios wshere (1) audio precedes video (as in VR dance environments where music playback is synchronised to a global clock while remote dancer movements appear delayed), and (2) video precedes audio (as in orchestra experiences where a conductor's movements are perceived first, followed by a delayed auditory response from the orchestra). Participants either synchronised hand movements with a virtual avatar or passively observed it across two stimulus frequencies (0.5 Hz and 1 Hz), for both audio- and video-leading offsets. Our results show that rhythmic interaction significantly increases tolerance to audiovisual offsets, shifting the left decision criterion (LDC) by up to 66 ms, the point of subjective synchrony (PSS) by up to 31 ms, and widening the window of subjective synchrony (WSS) by up to 59 ms. These effects suggest that rhythmic interaction can reduce sensitivity to asynchronies in audio-leading scenarios, such as VR dance environments. We also found that temporal offsets influence rhythmic interaction behaviour and confirm that recent findings on the influence of stimulus frequency on PSS and temporal offsets on pupil dilation can to a certain extent be replicated in interactive VR.