A Survey of Handling Heterogeneous Spaces in Extended Reality

PhD Qualifying Examination


Title: "A Survey of Handling Heterogeneous Spaces in Extended Reality"

by

Miss Xuanhui YANG


Abstract:

Extended Reality (XR)—encompassing Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented 
Reality (AR), and Mixed Reality (MR)—transforms user experiences by 
advancing from traditional 2D environments to immersive 3D worlds. These 
technologies enable seamless interaction with digital content across 
ubiquitous spaces and facilitate remote, lifelike engagement with others. 
Physical environments are integral to XR systems, providing haptic feedback, 
hosting digital content, and maintaining situational awareness of the real 
world.

A central challenge lies in managing heterogeneous spaces that are pervasive 
in real-world applications. Research in this area focuses on delivering 
consistent experiences across dissimilar spaces, targeting different aspects 
such as enabling co-presence for remote collaboration, maintaining engagement 
across different physical locations, and achieving realistic haptic feedback 
that connects mismatched physical and virtual environments.

This survey systematically reviews research on spatial heterogeneity in XR, 
focusing on how systems address differences between spaces to enhance user 
experiences across diverse application scenarios.

Based on this review, we aim to highlight key challenges and identify research 
opportunities for future XR systems.


Date:                   Tuesday, 10 March 2026

Time:                   10:00am - 12:00noon

Venue:                  Room 2132C
                        Lift 22

Committee Members:      Dr. Xiaojuan Ma (Supervisor)
                        Dr. Arpit Narechania (Chairperson)
                        Prof. Hongbo Fu