DualStream: Spatially Sharing Selves and Surroundings using Mobile Devices and Augmented Reality

TL;DR

DualStream is a mobile AR system that enables real-time spatial remote communication by capturing, streaming, and displaying users and environments with adjustable fidelity, fostering more natural and shared spatial interactions.

Contribution

It introduces a novel mobile AR platform supporting dynamic spatial representations and persistent shared spaces, bridging gaps in current remote communication technologies.

Findings

Users valued spatial interaction and representation transitions.

DualStream can be integrated into existing remote communication practices.

The system supports creating shared spaces with environment snapshots.

Abstract

In-person human interaction relies on our spatial perception of each other and our surroundings. Current remote communication tools partially address each of these aspects. Video calls convey real user representations but without spatial interactions. Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR/VR) experiences are immersive and spatial but often use virtual environments and characters instead of real-life representations. Bridging these gaps, we introduce DualStream, a system for synchronous mobile AR remote communication that captures, streams, and displays spatial representations of users and their surroundings. DualStream supports transitions between user and environment representations with different levels of visuospatial fidelity, as well as the creation of persistent shared spaces using environment snapshots. We demonstrate how DualStream can enable spatial communication in real-world contexts, and support the creation of blended spaces for collaboration. A formative evaluation of DualStream revealed that users valued the ability to interact spatially and move between representations, and could see DualStream fitting into their own remote communication practices in the near future. Drawing from these findings, we discuss new opportunities for designing more widely accessible spatial communication tools, centered around the mobile phone.