QoE enhancement of the industrial metaverse based on Mixed Reality application optimization*

As a comprehensive integration of many new-generation information technologies, the metaverse has become a research hotspot that has attracted much attention. As a part of the metaverse, the industrial metaverse is expected to break through the constraints of space and time and promote high-quality industrial development. The industrial metaverse is human-centric, so its quality of experience (QoE) is a key topic. As one of the enabling technologies of the industrial metaverse, Mixed Reality (MR) can seamlessly integrate virtual information with the physical world and is widely regarded as an important window to the industrial metaverse. In close integration with other enabling technologies, industrial MR applications can be seen as a path toward the realization of the industrial metaverse; thus, the optimization of industrial MR applications can effectively achieve the QoE enhancement of the industrial metaverse. Based on the analysis of existing research and the characteristics of industrial scenarios, consistency, authenticity, smoothness, and comfort are identified as the factors that influence the user experience (UX) of industrial MR applications. Specific optimization methods for industrial MR applications are proposed to improve the UX with regard to these four factors. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed methods, a QoE evaluation model of the industrial metaverse based on the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) is established. Moreover, an industrial metaverse prototype for longwall mining that incorporates the proposed methods is developed and its QoE is evaluated. The results show that the proposed optimization methods for industrial MR applications significantly enhance the QoE in the industrial metaverse, and can provide better services for users in industrial systems, thus better serving these systems.