Immersive technologies such as virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) allow remote users to meet and interact in a shared virtual space using embodied virtual avatars, creating a sense of co-presence. However, asynchronous communication-essential in many real-world contexts-remains underexplored in these environments. Traditional playback-based systems lack interactivity and often fail to preserve critical contextual cues necessary for effective asynchronous communication. In this paper, we introduce AVAGENTs, AI-powered virtual avatars that replicate users' verbal and nonverbal cues from recordings of past meetings. Avagents can interpret meeting context and generate appropriate responses to questions posed by asynchronous viewers. Through a user study (N = 30), we evaluated Avagents against a traditional playback method and a voice-based AI assistant across two asynchronous meeting scenarios: analytic reasoning and affective resonance. Results showed that Avagents enhance the asynchronous communication experience by increasing social presence, sense of belonging, emotional intimacy, and other user perceptions. We discuss the findings and their implications for designing effective AI-driven asynchronous communication tools in VR/AR environments.

The proliferation of personalized video content consumption, amplified by advances in virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), has introduced new paradigms in media engagement.This paper presents the development and evaluation of “Watch Buddy,” an expressive virtual agent designed to enhance the video-watching experience within an AR environment. The research assesses the impact of the agent’s presence and expressiveness on user satisfaction, technology acceptance, social presence, and emotional intimacy. A comparative user study with 30 participants reveals that the expressive agent significantly improves the viewing experience, as well as the perceived social connection between users and the agent, compared with an inexpressive agent and no agents at all. This paper contributes to VR/AR and human-agent interaction by demonstrating how virtual companions can influence media consumption and foster social connections, particularly for isolated demographics like the elderly or those living alone.

Immersive and simulation technologies, such as Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), Mixed Reality (MR), and Digital Twins (DTs), have proven effective in enhancing decision-making, streamlining operations, and improving safety through intuitive visualizations. Unsurprisingly, the oil and gas (O&G) pipeline industry is increasingly turning to these technologies to tackle complex construction and resource management challenges. This paper reviews the applications, benefits, and future trends of these technologies, focusing on integration and emerging trends in monitoring, training, maintenance, and testing. It identifies potential gaps, offers guidance for future research, and emphasizes adapting to technological evolution, providing insights to improve system reliability and sustainability in O&G pipeline operations using immersion and simulation methods.