Embodying Knowledge Flow: The Collision of Synthetic Experience and the Real World

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Presented at HICSS 2025 by

Jon Brewster

A case study is proposed to address the problem of knowledge friction encountered when attempting to acquire and transfer 1st person, spatial-temporal or experiential knowledge, e.g., operating heavy machinery, ship-handling, warfighting, etc. Based in the theories of knowledge flow and embodied cognition, it is hypothesized that employment of extended reality (XR) is well suited to reducing knowledge friction when attempting to flow experiential knowledge. This study will specifically evaluate XR facilitation of knowledge flow in addressing ship-handling tasks required in complex harbor situations. A statistical analysis of an XR bridge training system will be made in comparison to a traditional physical bridge mock-up simulator. The goal of this research seeks to determine whether an ‘information only’ training process can aid human performance on par or better than a physical mock-up trainer.