Mixed Reality: A Bridge or a Fusion Between Two Worlds?

Virtual heritage (VH) is one of the few domains to adopt immersive reality technologies at early stages, with a significant number of studies employing the technologies for various application themes. More specifically, virtual reality has persisted as a de facto immersive reality technology for virtual reconstruction and virtual museums. In recent years, however, mixed reality (MxR) has attracted attention from the VH community following the introduction of new devices, such as Microsoft HoloLens, to the technological landscape of immersive reality. Two variant perceptions of MxR have been observed in the literature over the past two decades. First, MxR is perceived as an umbrella/collective term for a virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) environment. Second, it is also presented as a distinctive form of immersive reality that enables merging virtual elements with their real-world counterparts. These perceptions influence our choice of immersive reality technology, interaction design, and implementation, and the overall objective of VH applications.

To address these concerns, this chapter attempts to answer two critical questions: (1) what MxR from VH perspective is and (2) whether MxR is just a form of immersive reality that serves as a bridge to connect the real world with a virtual one or a fusion of both that neither the real nor the virtual world would have meaning without a contextual relationship and interaction with each other.

To this end, this chapter will review VH applications and literature from the past few years and identify how MxR is presented. It will also suggest how the VH community can benefit from MxR and discuss limitations in existing technology and identify some areas and direction for future research in the domain.