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Bo Han, a computer science professor in the College of Engineering and Computing at George Mason University, is working with colleagues Songqing Chen, Parth Pathak, and Craig Yu to create a research infrastructure capable of connecting extended reality experiences across varying distances.
“We want to have a multi-site, multi-user testbed for extended reality,” said Han, whose specialization is computer networks, networked systems, and mobile computing. Extended reality (XR), Han explained, is an umbrella term referring to virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality.
The George Mason computer scientists teamed up with researchers at the University of Maryland (UMD) for their project, “CoMIC: A Collaborative Mobile Immersive Computing Infrastructure for Conducting Multi-User XR Research,” funded by a National Science Foundation grant since April 2023. The project has sites at both George Mason and UMD, and the two will be connected over the public Internet.
Already, the team has published two papers, one on detecting harassment on social virtual reality platforms and the other on assessing the efficacy of online virtual reality education platforms.
While single-user XR systems have been extensively studied, the transition to multi-user, multi-site XR experiences has not been fully considered. Networked XR systems demand more bandwidth than traditional networking and data transmission methods provide.
The team endeavors to connect distant XR users via robust network infrastructure. They intend for their infrastructure to provide researchers with essential tools and datasets for advancing networked XR research, ensuring reproducibility, and fostering collaboration within the broader research community.
Han emphasized the open-source nature of the team’s progress. He envisions widespread adoption and contribution from researchers beyond the team on the grant. By democratizing access to networked XR research infrastructure, the team aims to accelerate advancements in the field and pave the way for a more interconnected XR future.
With a three-year grant spanning until April 2026, the team is poised to continue pushing the boundaries of networked XR, driving innovation, and fostering collaboration in the rapidly evolving field. As the project progresses, Han remains focused on addressing key challenges such as data compression, mobility support, and network optimization, all essential for realizing the full potential of XR experiences.
By pioneering networking support for extended reality, Han and his team are shaping the future of immersive computing, unlocking new possibilities for human interaction and digital experiences.