  The spatial XR-IoT (XRI) Zone Agents concept combines Extended Reality (XR),
the Internet of Things (IoT), and spatial computing concepts to create
hyper-connected spaces for metaverse applications; envisioning space as zones
that are social, smart, scalable, expressive, and agent-based. These zone
agents serve as applications and agents (partners, assistants, or guides) for
users co-living and co-operating together in a shared spatial context. The zone
agent concept is toward reducing the gap between the physical environment
(space) and the classical two-dimensional user interface, through space-based
interactions for future metaverse applications. This integration aims to enrich
user engagement with their environments through intuitive and immersive
experiences and pave the way for innovative human-machine interaction in smart
spaces. Contributions include: i) a theoretical framework for creating XRI
zone/space-agents using Mixed-Reality Agents (MiRAs) and XRI theory, ii) agent
and scene design for spatial zone agents, and iii) prototype and user
interaction design scenario concepts for human-to-space agent relationships in
an early immersive smart-space application.
