Societal XR—A Vision Paper

Abstract

Most current research and developments in the field of extended reality follow a rather one-sided agenda: Creating virtual worlds and even metaverses which require all users to wear suitable head-mounted displays. They thereby reduce the application of XR to limited spaces, (relatively) few users, and (social) activities in these virtual worlds. Only few approaches such as Spatial Augmented Reality and Social XR overcome at least some of these limitations. So far, a vision for a truly public XR that can be used by everyone without wearing technology on their bodies, is missing. This vision paper therefore wants to give XR research and development an additional new direction. It coins the term “Societal XR” for a form of extended reality that moves all technology into the environment, becomes accessible to everyone including children and people with disabilites, and integrates virtuality into their users' reality and everyday life.