# Extended Reality (XR) Remote Research: a Survey of Drawbacks and Opportunities

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2101.08046 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2101.08046/

## Key facts

- Cited by 3 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 20 Jan 2021.

## Built on by (most cited first, 3 of 3)

- [On the Emergence of Symmetrical Reality](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2401.15132/) (2024)
- [Federated Learning for 6G: Paradigms, Taxonomy, Recent Advances and Insights](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2312.04688/) (2023)
- [The Metaverse: Survey, Trends, Novel Pipeline Ecosystem & Future Directions](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2304.09240/) (2023)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Extended Reality (XR) technology - such as virtual and augmented reality - is now widely used in Human Computer Interaction (HCI), social science and psychology experimentation. However, these experiments are predominantly deployed in-lab with a co-present researcher. Remote experiments, without co-present researchers, have not flourished, despite the success of remote approaches for non-XR investigations. This paper summarises findings from a 30-item survey of 46 XR researchers to understand perceived limitations and benefits of remote XR experimentation. Our thematic analysis identifies concerns common with non-XR remote research, such as participant recruitment, as well as XR-specific issues, including safety and hardware variability. We identify potential positive affordances of XR technology, including leveraging data collection functionalities builtin to HMDs (e.g. hand, gaze tracking) and the portability and reproducibility of an experimental setting. We suggest that XR technology could be conceptualised as an interactive technology and a capable data-collection device suited for remote experimentation.