11 Jun 2025
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AWE Team
AWE USA 2025 Day 2 Recap
AWE USA 2025
The second day of AWE USA 2025 continued to build momentum, bringing together leaders, creators, and technologists across a full slate of sessions, product showcases, and community gatherings. From new insights into geospatial intelligence to discussions on immersive storytelling, Day 2 demonstrated XR’s expanding role across industries and everyday life.
Main Stage Keynotes: Niantic, Auki Labs, and Google Set the Tone
The day began with Brian McClendon, CTO of Niantic Spatial, who introduced the audience to Large Geospatial Models—powerful tools designed to help AI interpret and interact with the physical world. In a compelling keynote, McClendon outlined how geospatial intelligence can enable everything from AR glasses to autonomous robots to navigate with more context and precision.
Nils Pihl, founder of Auki Labs, followed with a keynote titled The Great Reversal, challenging the audience to rethink the foundations of spatial computing. In a meditative atmosphere, he underlined how important it is to make the physical world accessible to AI.
Later, Juston Payne and Hugo Swart (Google) took the stage to present Android XR, outlining how Google’s latest platform will enable a wave of headsets and glasses built for all-day wear and integrated experiences. Built in collaboration with Samsung Electronics (Project Moohan) and Qualcomm (Snapdragon), Android XR supports multimodal input and scalable development. They also highlighted XREAL's Project Aura, a smart glasses developer device built on Android XR and optimized with Google’s perception stack and Qualcomm’s reference designs.
Snap Inc. was represented again on the Main Stage today—this time by CTO and Co-Founder Bobby Murphy. His keynote focused on how developers are pushing the boundaries of AR while also building a developer-friendly ecosystem that’s defining the next generation of AR experiences.
One of the day’s most anticipated main stage moments brought gaming royalty to AWE: the Bushnell family. In a rare and dynamic conversation, Nolan Bushnell—the legendary founder of Atari and Chuck E. Cheese—was joined by five of his children to trace the evolution of gaming from its arcade roots to today’s immersive XR experiences. The panel was equal parts nostalgia and inspiration, with stories about growing up in a household where innovation and play were part of everyday life.
From Track Sessions to Start-Up Pitches: Deep Dives and Bold Ideas
The track rooms on Day 2 hosted a wide variety of sessions, drawing both veteran attendees and new voices to the conversation.
- AI + XR Track: Sessions included "AI and Emerging Formats" by Yelena Rachitsky (Meta), a panel on AI NPCs in social, education, and business 3D worlds featuring speakers from Microsoft, Stanford University, and Meta, and "AI and Immersive Avatars" by 2025 XR Hall of Fame recipient Gregory Panos (Persona Foundation).
- Healthcare & Wellness Track: Highlights included a screening of "The Pitch: Patient Safety's Next Generation," followed by a discussion with healthcare experts Suzan Kardong-Edgren and Devin Marble.
- Retail & Marketing Track: Sessions featured "Understanding the VR Generation" by Jake Zim (Another Axiom), "Beyond the Booth" by Omead Sinai (Rock Paper Reality), and "How to Leverage XR as the Next Era of Sports Fan Engagement" with speakers from LA Galaxy, Cosm, and MVP Interactive.
- Gaming, Entertainment & Media Track: Included "Epic Realities: Revolutionizing Theme Parks with AR Magic at Universal Epic Universe" and a fireside chat on "Behind the Scenes of 'Bono: Stories of Surrender (Immersive)'" with Elad Offer.
- Start-up Pitch Competition: Brought early-stage XR companies to the spotlight, with nine finalists competing for the “Start-up to Watch” Auggie Award.
What Went Down Today at the Expo: Games, Hacks, and XR Magic
The expo floor was buzzing today, and a jam-packed schedule kept the Builders Nexus and Gaming Hub humming all day long.
We kicked off with "How to Get Bootstrapped with Meta Horizon OS" at the Gaming Hub, offering indie devs and studios a look into building on one of the most exciting platforms in XR today. Over at the Builders Nexus, the stage lit up with back-to-back lightning rounds from the XRAI Hack and Stanford XR Hackathon winners—showcasing rapid-fire demos of fresh ideas and real-world applications that wowed the crowd.
In between sessions, podcast fans gathered to watch not one, but two live recordings: episode #245 of The AI/XR Podcast and a special edition of TechMagic with Cathy Hackl, both broadcast straight from the expo floor.
Throughout the day, the Playground and Expo offered something for everyone. Attendees got hands-on with cutting-edge demos: from eye-tracking technology and educational apps, to tools that support visually impaired users. Samsung impressed with its advanced displays, and visitors could try everything from walking in VR to exploring immersive 360° video environments.
16th Annual Auggie Awards and Hall of Fame
Day 2 closed with the 16th Annual Auggie Awards, AWE’s annual celebration of excellence in spatial computing across 19 categories. From industry-defining products to visionary creators, the awards honored the people and projects shaping what’s next in XR.
View the full list of winners here
In this same festive environment, we honored 10 new inductees to the Hall of Fame—visionaries and trailblazers who have helped build the XR industry.
What to Look Forward to on Day 3 – Thursday, June 12
As AWE USA 2025 concludes, Day 3 offers a rich lineup of sessions and experiences:
- Main Stage Panel: "State of Smart Glasses and What's Around the Corner" featuring industry leaders from Creative Strategies Inc., Lenovo, Meta, and XREAL.
- Developer Track: "You are the controller! Mastering Hand Tracking in XR" by Celine Tricart, exploring advanced interaction techniques.
- XR Enablement: "Using Vision-Language Models to Evaluate and Secure Mixed Reality Experiences" presented by Maria Gorlatova from Duke University.
- Creator Track: "Crafting Immersive Audio Experiences for Interactive VR Narratives" with Larry Chang of Larrisim Studio.
- Healthcare & Wellness: Sessions focusing on the integration of XR in medical training and patient care.
- Gaming Hub: Live demonstrations and discussions on the latest in XR gaming innovations.
- Builders Nexus: Final presentations and networking opportunities for XR developers and startups.
- Wrap-Up & Best in Show Awards: Join Ori Inbar at 3:45 PM in the Grand Ballroom for closing remarks and to celebrate standout exhibitors and innovations.
For the full agenda and to plan your day, visit the official agenda.
