Special Issue on Next-Generation Mixed-Reality User Experiences: Smart Guidance Systems

The upcoming generation of smart, wearable, embedded, and ubiquitous technology paved the way to a new era of context-aware, intelligent mixed reality (MR) user experiences, as a mash up of separate advancements in key areas of MR, artificial intelligence (AI), and spatial computing. We sought contributions extending current boundaries of MR user experiences that addressed new methods, technologies, approaches, applications, case studies, and industrial showcases for novel insights, breakthrough designs, discussions, and developments in this rapidly evolving domain. This second chapter of the Special Issue presents three contributions in the field of MR user smart guidance. The first contribution is a sensor-rich MR application in the field of cultural heritage, offering innovative navigation for exploring the artworks. Rather than passively receiving information, visitors are actively guided and engaged in contents of interest. The other two propose the combination of MR technology with AI tools for task guidance in complex cognitive and emotionally demanding scenarios. These works clearly show the still undiscovered potential of the integration of these technologies, but also the limitations and challenges to be addressed by future research.