The advancement of virtual and augmented reality (VR, AR) technologies has enabled diverse forms of communication and creative activities through avatars in virtual and physical spaces. However, while the community continues to push the boundaries of these technologies, we are approaching a new frontier: the seamless integration of cognitive and behavioral changes between virtual and physical spaces. This "Seamless Reality" (SR) concept represents a paradigm shift in how we envision the integration of virtual and physical worlds. Building upon recent advances in Virtual and Augmented Reality technologies, SR proposes methods to enable seamless transfer of cognitive and behavioral changes between virtual and physical spaces. SR aims to create an inclusive society where authentic self-expression and behavior modification become naturally integrated aspects of human experience. This seminar will invite leading international researchers from AR, HCI, human augmentation, and cognitive science to explore technical foundations crucial for implementing SR, including high-presence VR/AR systems, perception-based design, and physical space interactions, while examining their potential societal impacts.

Over the past several years, multiple successful Shonan Meetings have addressed Augmented Reality (AR) and Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), including #174 ("Perception in Augmented Reality," C. Sandor et al., 2016), #135 ("Augmented Reality in Human-Computer Interaction," Y. Itoh et al., 2018), and #174 ("Augmented Perception" ( Y. Itoh et al., 2020).

With the upcoming meeting on #216, "Human-Computer-Interfaces x Neuroscience" (2025, P. Lopes, T. Hiraki , et al.) expected to establish new foundations in brain-computer interaction, we propose a new Shonan Meeting focused on "Seamless Reality" to explore the next frontier where the boundaries between physical and digital realities dissolve naturally.

Recent advances in Virtual Reality (VR) and AR technologies have enabled diverse forms of communication and creative activities through avatars in virtual and physical spaces [1]. In 2022, more than 171 million humans [2] accessed various social VR platforms. This gradual shift of human life into virtual space has the potential to overcome the limitations of real-world sensing and analysis in capturing and understanding human behavior. Modern virtual environments can comprehensively record and analyze full-body movements, gaze patterns, facial expressions, and interpersonal interaction patterns [3]. These systems can now adjust spatial parameters dynamically based on individual perceptual characteristics and preferences [4]. These technological developments extend beyond traditional perceptual augmentation, supporting new experience designs that enhance human cognition, behavior patterns, and higher-order decision-making processes [5].

"Seamless Reality (SR)" represents a new concept for effectively transferring cognitive and behavioral changes from virtual spaces to the physical world. For example, a well-known "Proteus Effect" in VR environments demonstrates that using an avatar can actively enhance self-perception and behavioral patterns [6]. SR aims to connect these effects smoothly with the physical world. Researchers have proposed methods to enhance self-perception and behavior in physical environments by reconfiguring physical embodiment through AR head-mounted displays (AR-HMDs) [7] (Fig.1). This approach applies behavioral modifications acquired in virtual spaces to physical environments, working toward an inclusive society where individuals can express themselves authentically through enhanced self-expression and behavior [8].

This meeting aims to advance the technical foundations necessary for implementing Seamless Reality. The research focus encompasses the development of AR display systems with high presence, AR representation design based on visual perception and psychological insights, and AR interactions using shape changes and haptic feedback in physical spaces. This meeting will bring together leading researchers worldwide in AR, HCI, human augmentation, and cognitive science to discuss next-generation perception and cognition enhancement technologies. Through this interdisciplinary approach, we will explore the potential impacts of Seamless Reality on future society.

[1] M. Slater and M. V. Sanchez-Vives, "Enhancing our lives with immersive virtual reality," Frontiers in Robotics and AI , vol. 3, Article 74, 2016.
[2] Statista. ”Number of Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) Users in the United States From 2017 to 2023.,” https://www.statista.com/statistics/1017008/ , (accessed Nov. 21, 2024).
[3] K. Kilteni, R. Groten, and M. Slater, "The sense of embodiment in virtual reality," Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments , vol. 21, no. 4, pp. 373–387, 2012.
[4] M. V. Sanchez-Vives and M. Slater, "From presence to consciousness through virtual reality," Nature Reviews Neuroscience , vol. 6, no. 4, pp. 332–339, 2005.
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[6] N. Yee and J. Bailenson, "The Proteus effect: The effect of transformed self-representation on behavior," Human Communication Research , vol. 33, no. 3, pp. 271–290, 2007.
[7] A. Genay, A. Lécuyer, and M. Hachet, “Being an Avatar for Real: A Survey on Virtual Embodiment in Augmented Reality”. IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics , vol. 28, no. 12, pp. 5071–5090, 2022.
[8] Y. Hatada, G. Barbareschi, K. Takeuchi, H. Kato, K. Yoshifuji, K. Minamizawa, and T. Narumi. "People with disabilities redefining identity through robotic and virtual avatars: A case study in avatar robot cafe." In Proceedings of the 2024 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI ’24), Article 63, pp. 1-13, New York, NY, 2024.