Hybrid virtual-physical entities

Mixed reality (MR) combines virtual elements with the real, physical world. Virtual elements can be more dynamic - easily moving around or changing appearance. Physical elements are more static but improve immersion and presence. The combination of the two creates dynamic, immersive MR environments. However, individual entities in MR environments, e.g. an object or a character, are typically either purely physical or purely virtual. We propose using both virtual and physical elements in a hybrid virtual-physical entity. We implemented this idea with a hybrid virtual human and ran several user studies. These studies helped us develop guidelines for implementing hybrid entities.