  The metaverse, i.e., the collection of technologies that provide a virtual
twin of the real world via mixed reality, internet of things, and others, is
gaining prominence. However, the metaverse faces challenges as it grows toward
mainstream adoption. Among these is the lack of strong connections between
metaverse objects and traditional physical objects and environments, which
leads to inconsistencies for users within metaverse environments. To address
this issue, this work explores the design and development of a framework for
bridging the physical environment and the metaverse through the use of
internet-of-things objects and mixed reality designs. The contributions of this
include: i) an architectural framework for extending the metaverse, ii) design
prototypes using the framework. Together, this exploration charts the course
toward a more cohesive and hyper-connected metaverse smart environment.
