The fields of Extended Reality (XR) and robotics are undergoing significant transformations, driven by advancements in interaction, autonomy, and artificial intelligence. A common theme among recent developments is the focus on improving user experience, interaction, and immersion in XR, while increasing accessibility, affordability, and autonomy in robotics.
In XR, innovative applications are emerging in medical education, art, and entertainment. Researchers are exploring new ways to enhance XR interactions, such as on-body touch input, touch segmentation on ad hoc surfaces, and hybrid user interfaces. Notable papers include Unlocking Mixed Reality for Medical Education, EgoTouch, Promisedland, and From Perception to Protection, which address various aspects of XR interaction, security, and privacy.
In robotics, the trend is towards increasing accessibility and affordability, with a focus on developing low-cost robotic platforms and teleoperation systems. Innovations in 3D printing and open-source design are reducing the cost of robotic platforms, while advancements in teleoperation are improving the ease of use and effectiveness of remote robotic control. Noteworthy papers include TARA, U-ARM, DEXOP, and CRISP, which demonstrate the potential for low-cost, highly capable robotic systems.
The field of robot manipulation is witnessing significant advancements with the development of innovative policies that integrate vision, language, and action. Recent research has focused on creating generalist robot policies that can efficiently handle diverse input modalities and generate precise, high-dimensional actions. Notable papers include ManiFlow, Language-Guided Long Horizon Manipulation, FLOWER, OpenEgo, and LLaDA-VLA, which demonstrate improved performance in simulation and real-world benchmarks.
The convergence of XR and robotics is enabling more advanced and generalized mobile manipulation capabilities, with a focus on enabling robots to assist humans in dynamic environments. Recent developments have led to the creation of more efficient and effective methods for object reconstruction, grasping, and manipulation. Notable papers include MoTo, O$^3$Afford, Cooperative Grasping for Collective Object Transport, and ZLATTE, which propose novel frameworks and approaches for mobile manipulation and human-robot interaction.
Finally, the field of robotic-assisted diagnosis and teleoperation is moving towards the development of more accurate, efficient, and user-friendly systems. Researchers are focusing on creating robotic platforms that can facilitate precise tissue extraction and diagnosis, as well as enhance human-robot interaction in virtual reality environments. Notable advancements include the integration of multimodal sensing and artificial intelligence to improve teleoperation performance and user experience, as demonstrated in papers such as MIRAGE and EMMA.
Overall, the convergence of XR and robotics is driving significant advancements in interaction, autonomy, and artificial intelligence, with potential applications in various domains, including healthcare, education, and entertainment. As these fields continue to evolve, we can expect to see more innovative applications and developments that enhance human-robot interaction and improve overall system performance.
