Open AccessA Systematic Literature Review on Extended Reality: Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality in Working Life
Author(s) -
Minna Vasarainen,
Sami Paavola,
Liubov Vetoshkina
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
the international journal of virtual reality/the international journal of virtual reality
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2727-9979
pISSN - 1081-1451
DOI - 10.20870/ijvr.2021.21.2.4620
Subject(s) - virtual reality , mixed reality , augmented reality , systematic review , set (abstract data type) , everyday life , space (punctuation) , process (computing) , work (physics) , computer science , human–computer interaction , medline , engineering , political science , mechanical engineering , law , programming language , operating system
Extended reality (XR), here jointly referring to virtual, augmented, and mixed (VR, AR, MR) reality, is becoming more common in everyday working life. This paper presents a systematic literature review of academic publications on XR indicating changes in practical organization of work. We analyse both application areas of XR and theoretical and methodological approaches of XR research. The review process followed the PRISMA statement. Design, remote collaboration, and training were the main application areas of XR. XR enabled overcoming of obstacles set by time and space, safety, and resources by mediating experience of space. Research on XR applications in actual working life settings is yet relatively rare and covers primarily three areas: collaboration, evaluation of knowledge transfer, and work practices. Virtual reality was the most common form of applied XR, although the hardware used varied case by case. We identified four research areas regarding XR: collaboration, work practices, and evaluation of knowledge transfer, which somewhat followed the application areas. We did not find XR-specific methodologies in the reviewed articles, only few recent studies used novel ways of collecting research material, such as recording the movement in virtual reality. For now, XR still holds significant potential rather than clearly confirmed general advantages in working life.