Will Network Latency Help or not in Collaborative XR

Introduction

Collaborative Augmented Reality (AR) allows multiple users to interact with shared virtual objects in the same physical environment. In these systems, network latency is usually treated as a technical problem because it can reduce presence, create discomfort, and disrupt synchronization. This assignment focuses on understanding how latency shapes competitive, coordination, and user experience in multi-user AR, and how future XR systems can balance performance with comfort and presence.

Task

·       Develop and evaluate a competitive AR/XR setup that investigates the effect of network latency on multi-user interaction ( we already have a collaborative version)

·       Study how heterogeneous latency influences task performance, presence, coordination, and physical discomfort.

·       Explore design strategies that reduce negative user experience while maintaining or improving collaborative performance.

Work

30% Theory, 50% Programming, 20% Writing

Contact

Gwen Qin (gwen.qin@utwente)