[Paper Review] IRVO: an Interaction Model for designing Collaborative Mixed Reality systems

René Chalon, Bertrand David|ArXiv.org|Jul 10, 2007

Augmented Reality ApplicationsComputer Science15 references19 citations

TL;DR

IRVO is a model-based interaction framework for designing collaborative mixed reality (MR) systems, explicitly modeling user-object-tool relationships to support the design phase. It enables structured specification of interactions through notation and integration within a Model-Based Design approach (CoCSys), improving clarity and reusability in MR application development.

ABSTRACT

This paper presents an interaction model adapted to mixed reality environments known as IRVO (Interacting with Real and Virtual Objects). IRVO aims at modeling the interaction between one or more users and the Mixed Reality system by representing explicitly the objects and tools involved and their relationship. IRVO covers the design phase of the life cycle and models the intended use of the system. In a first part, we present a brief review of related HCI models. The second part is devoted to the IRVO model, its notation and some examples. In the third part, we present how IRVO is used for designing applications and in particular we show how this model can be integrated in a Model-Based Approach (CoCSys) which is currently designed at our lab.

Motivation & Objective

• To address the lack of systematic design models for collaborative mixed reality (MR) applications.
• To provide a formalized way to represent interactions involving real and virtual objects in MR environments.
• To support the design phase by explicitly modeling users, objects, tools, and their relationships.
• To integrate the model into a broader Model-Based Design methodology (CoCSys) for systematic MR application development.
• To improve clarity, reusability, and consistency in the specification of collaborative MR interactions.

Proposed method

• Proposes IRVO (Interacting with Real and Virtual Objects) as a notation-based model for representing interactions in mixed reality.
• Defines explicit roles for users, real objects, virtual objects, and tools in interaction scenarios.
• Uses a formal notation to model relationships between users and objects, emphasizing interaction semantics.
• Integrates IRVO into the CoCSys (Collaborative Mixed Reality System) development methodology for end-to-end design support.
• Applies the model in practical design examples to demonstrate usability and expressiveness.
• Supports traceability and reuse by structuring interaction logic at the design stage before implementation.

Experimental results

Research questions

• RQ1 How can interaction in collaborative mixed reality systems be systematically modeled during the design phase?
• RQ2 What formal notation is effective for representing relationships between users, real objects, virtual objects, and tools?
• RQ3 How can such a model be integrated into a larger model-based software development methodology?
• RQ4 In what ways does the IRVO model improve clarity and reusability in MR application design?
• RQ5 What are the practical benefits of using IRVO in designing real-world collaborative MR applications?

Key findings

• IRVO provides a structured and formal notation for modeling interactions in collaborative mixed reality environments.
• The model explicitly represents users, real and virtual objects, tools, and their interrelationships, enhancing design clarity.
• IRVO supports the design phase by enabling early specification of interaction semantics before implementation.
• Integration with the CoCSys methodology demonstrates feasibility and scalability in systematic MR application development.
• The model enables better traceability and reuse of interaction patterns across different MR applications.
• Case examples show that IRVO effectively captures complex collaborative MR scenarios with consistent notation.