Extended Reality in IoT scenarios: Concepts, Applications and Future Trends

A survey work done by Daniel Bastos and me to highlight the importance of these technologies and how can we combine them together. 

Abstract

The multiple branches of Extended Reality (XR) are pioneering new ways to interact with digital content, both in real and virtual worlds. The Internet of Things (IoT) is also pioneering new real-world scenarios and use cases by taking advantage of sensed data and automation. These technologies are bridging the gap between the real world and the digital world. In this paper we present XR and IoT technologies, explaining their concepts, popular devices and challenges. We then provide a study on the current applications of XR technologies in IoT scenarios. These include visualization of IoT data in Virtual Reality (VR), network management of IoT devices in Augmented Reality (AR) or 3D visualization of smart buildings and cities. In order to tackle the challenge of incorporating IoT data into XR applications, we propose a data communication model that allows translation of IoT data into XR objects, events or scenarios. We conclude by discussing future trends for XR and IoT.