Experimental evidence for mixed reality states

TL;DR

This paper investigates mixed reality states where real and virtual systems synchronize, demonstrating that bidirectional coupling induces blurred boundaries, with implications for controlling real-world systems.

Contribution

It provides experimental evidence of mixed reality states and explores their implications in system control, highlighting the role of bidirectional coupling.

Findings

Synchronization occurs when real and virtual systems are coupled.

Mixed reality states blur the boundary between real and virtual.

Bidirectional coupling is essential for mixed reality states.

Abstract

Recently researchers at the University of Illinois coupled a real pendulum to its virtual counterpart. They observed that the two pendulums suddenly start to move in synchrony if their lengths are sufficiently close. In this synchronized state, the boundary between the real system and the virtual system is blurred, that is, the pendulums are in a mixed reality state. An instantaneous, bidirectional coupling is a prerequisite for mixed reality states. In this article we explore the implications of mixed reality states in the context of controlling real-world systems.