CollabXR: Bridging Realities in Collaborative Workspaces with Dynamic Plugin and Collaborative Tools Integration

Hybrid meetings, often constrained by the limitations of videocon-ferencing, typically lack immersive and cohesive collaborative experiences, leaving participants feeling disconnected. Extended Reality (XR) technology counters this by enabling immersive spaces for both remote and co-located participants, thereby enhancing social presence, non-verbal communication, and educational experiences. As Mixed Reality (MR) platforms become more accessible, there is a shift towards cross-reality, platform-agnostic collaboration. However, this shift introduces unique communication challenges due to interaction asymmetries across different modalities. Addressing these issues, this paper presents CollabXR, an open-source frame-work developed using Babylon.js, WebXR, and Colyseus, specifically designed for the research community. CollabXR features a unique runtime plugin system for custom code and data integration and is seamlessly integrated with widely-used collaborative and communication platforms. It serves as a research platform for developing novel interaction techniques to facilitate cross-reality collaboration, overcoming communication asymmetries in scenarios where complete symmetry is unachievable.