Large-area Tracking and Rendering for Extended Reality

Abstract

As extended reality (XR) technologies continue to evolve, the potential for larger and more immersive experiences grows. However, one of the key challenges in expanding XR applications beyond small, room-sized environments is the issue of tracking accuracy over larger areas. Current XR headsets, primarily designed for living room-scale games, training sessions, or performances, are prone to drift when used in more extensive settings. This drift leads to a misalignment between the virtual and physical worlds, which undermines the immersive experience and presents significant technical barriers for applications requiring precise spatial alignment. This presentation introduces a groundbreaking approach to overcoming these challenges , focusing on recent advancements in large-area tracking and visualization. We will discuss how novel solutions developed by the research team at UHasselt, in collaboration with creative industry partner CREW, can be applied to scale up live cultural performances and various industrial use cases. Our approach integrates existing off-the-shelf XR headsets tracking technologies with newly developed tracking technologies that aims to mitigate the drift issue. By leveraging physical ground truth landmarks within the environment and adapting a SLAM-based (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) tracking algorithm, we have enhanced the ability of XR systems to maintain precise alignment over larger indoor areas. This advancement not only preserves the immersive quality of the XR experience but also opens up new possibilities for applications that require expansive and challenging indoor environments. The presentation will highlight the practical application of these technologies in live creative performances, where participants can roam and interact across much larger areas.