Smart textiles for XR: a design space based on state-of-the-art research

Smart textiles, integrating electronic components into fabrics, enhance Extended Reality (XR) interactions by enabling intuitive, haptic, and embodied experiences. This paper addresses three key questions about smart textiles in XR—their current role, design space, and user perceptions—via a scoping review of 109 publications, a novel design framework, case studies, and an empirical user study. The review synthesizes trends, such as the dominance of on-body forms like gloves in Virtual Reality (VR) for haptic feedback, while identifying gaps in Augmented Reality (AR)/Mixed Reality (MR) and near/off-body textiles. Further, we proposed a design space structured around Textile Form, Interaction Mode, and Application Domain to map synergies and opportunities, demonstrated via two cases: a smart pillow for haptic social interactions in VR and wearable keyboard sleeves for text entry in MR. Besides, an exploratory image-based perception study suggests that familiar on-body forms and gesture/tactile interaction concepts were perceived relatively favorably, while some biodata-related concepts raised anticipated comfort and privacy concerns. These results provide framework and insights for HCI researchers and designers, fostering innovation in textile-augmented XR that bridges physical and digital realms.