MetaTwin: A Collaborative XR Platform for Seamless Physical-Virtual Synchronization

This paper presents MetaTwin, a collaborative platform that enables seamless synchronization between physical and virtual realms for co-existing Extended Reality (XR) experiences. MetaTwin employs a hybrid decentralized server architecture to synchronize user interactions and environments within a shared space, allowing users to collaborate and socialize across physical locations while experiencing the convergence of real and virtual spaces. Integrated IoT devices act as both physical and virtual entities, supporting shared control and enabling resource sharing, such as presentation slides and music. We detail the configuration and deployability of MetaTwin as a solution for XR collaboration. To evaluate performance and feasibility, we compared MetaTwin with an existing XR platform and conducted an ablation study to identify the benefits and limitations of our approach. Additionally, a user study investigates the impact of spatial and temporal synchronization offsets on collaboration quality. Our findings inform the development of operational guidelines for future collaborative XR platforms.