Multimodal Cyber-physical Interaction in XR: Hybrid Doctoral Thesis Defense

Academic events, such as a doctoral thesis defense, are typically limited to either physical co-location or flat video conferencing, resulting in rigid participation formats and fragmented presence. We present a multimodal framework that breaks this binary by supporting a spectrum of participation - from in-person attendance to immersive virtual reality (VR) or browser access - and report our findings from using it to organize the first ever hybrid doctoral thesis defense using extended reality (XR). The framework integrates full-body motion tracking to synchronize the user's avatar motions and gestures, enabling natural interaction with onsite participants as well as body language and gestures with remote attendees in the virtual world. It leverages WebXR to provide cross-platform and instant accessibility with easy setup. User feedback analysis reveals positive VR experiences and demonstrates the framework's effectiveness in supporting various hybrid event activities.