17 Jun 2026
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AWE Team
AWE USA 2026 — Day 3 Recap
The third day of AWE USA 2026 continued to build momentum, bringing together leaders, creators, and technologists across a full slate of sessions, product demos, and community gatherings. From new insights into hardware computation to discussions on enterprise scaling, Day 3 demonstrated XR’s expanding role across industries and everyday life.
Main Stage Keynotes & Panels: Tech Giants and Material Innovation Set the Tone
The day began with a packed schedule in the Grand Ballroom focusing heavily on the intersection of AI, hardware innovation, and enterprise execution.
XR and AI at Work: the Main Stage kicked off with a powerful panel detailing everything from real-time guidance to edge deployment, mapping out how these two mega-tech tracks are merging in the workforce. Experts from Dell Technologies and NVIDIA explored how XR and generative AI are delivering hands-free, real-time guidance directly in the flow of work where local compute, data privacy, and speed are non-negotiable. Healthcare and life sciences served as examples, including AI-enabled lab workflows from Stanford that could accelerate life-saving therapies, and augmented reality surgical guidance from the University of Pittsburgh/UPMC designed to help surgeons work faster and smarter.
“The Missing Link in Smart Glasses" session led by Paul Meissner, VP and GM of the Photonics Platforms Business at Applied Materials addressed the long-standing trade-offs in augmented reality development, illustrating how prior attempts to maximize display brightness or processing power often compromised daily wearability and battery efficiency. Instead of focusing on isolated component breakthroughs, the presentation detailed how approaching performance, industrial design, and global manufacturability as a single, unified system from day one resolves these ecosystem bottlenecks. The session provided attendees with a highly practical roadmap for the consumer smart glasses market, demonstrating that the necessary architecture to scale the technology is already available today.
ArborXR Co-Founder and CEO Brad Scoggin addressed the pervasive issue of enterprise spatial computing deployments getting stuck in the pilot phase, drawing on data from over 60 Fortune 500 customers to outline how to successfully scale extended reality (XR). He identified "5 Program Killers" that routinely stall rollouts—such as the absence of a dedicated internal XR champion, selecting overly complex initial use cases, neglecting upfront ROI tracking, falling into restrictive hardware or software vendor lock, and failing to integrate XR data with existing corporate Learning Management Systems (LMS). Using Mars Wrigley's targeted single-variable tracking that proved a $20 million savings as an example, Scoggin emphasized that moving beyond a pilot isn't a question of finding the perfect hardware, but rather building a device-agnostic, integrated ecosystem designed from day one to deliver sustainable, measurable business value.
During the session "Android XR and Project Aura: Enterprise XR Gets Real," Amir Khorram (XREAL), Ben Stein (Qualcomm), and Sean Ginevan (Google) explored how recent platform advancements improve device management, security, and AI-driven capabilities, demonstrating how organizations can evaluate and scale on Android XR today.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Main Stage hosted an expert panel focused on the landscape of spatial creativity, titled "Deep Dive into Immersive Art." The session brought together prominent voices from major cultural institutions—including Brett Renfer of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Jordana Leigh from the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Diliana Alexander of FilmGate Interactive, Jacquelyn Morie of All These Worlds, and Lori H. Schwartz from StoryTech. The speakers, who also served as official judges for the inaugural Art Festival, shared their perspectives on the selected works and analyzed how creators are successfully blending physical and digital mediums. The conversation also addressed the broader operational challenges and funding opportunities facing interactive art, giving the audience a clear view of where the immersive entertainment ecosystem is heading.
AWE USA 2026 featured an exclusive, curated program dedicated to enterprise and government VIPs, designed to bridge corporate strategic needs with advanced technology solutions. Early in the morning on Days 2, 3, and 4, dedicated guides led executive delegations on private tours of the expo floor before it opened to the public. This exclusive access allowed officials and enterprise leaders to explore the latest advancements in Spatial AI, robotics, and smartglasses, helping them determine which solutions best fit their operational requirements. Following these morning previews, the program continued throughout the day with private, closed-door roundtables where leaders from key industries, including manufacturing, aerospace, healthcare, defense, and retail, gathered to solve deployment hurdles, analyze ROI, and establish high-level strategic partnerships.
The Builders Stage inside the expo hall hosted the Builders Lightning Rounds today, marking the second year this highly successful program has run at AWE USA following its European expansion at UnitedXR in Brussels last December. The fast-paced session gave young builders, creators, and prestigious XR hackathon winners a few minutes each to deliver an elevator pitch on their latest projects. Beyond the stage presentations, the program provided these early stage teams with crucial ecosystem visibility and direct commercial opportunities through structured speed networking sessions with industry mentors and investors.
The Research Poster Showcase in the expo hall successfully highlighted the practical crossover between XR technologies and emerging spatial AI workflows. While the academic and independent research posters remain on display for attendees to view throughout the entire duration of the event, the daily designated "Demo Hours" provided a more interactive experience. During these dedicated afternoon sessions, the researchers and authors were available in person to discuss their methodologies, answer questions, and provide live, hands-on demonstrations of their prototype applications to fellow attendees, startups, and potentially investors.
A beloved tradition continued at AWE USA 2026, where the community gathered once again to celebrate the vital achievements of female leaders at the 6th Annual XR Women Awards. The ceremony presented honors to outstanding professionals across three distinct categories: Trailblazer, Real World Impact, and Innovation. This year's awards went out to:- Innovation Award: Carolina Cruz-Neira
- Trailblazer Award: Wadooah Wali
- World Impact Award: Nonny de la Peña
Expo Highlights
The momentum from opening day carried straight into Day 2, with the expo floor remaining packed as attendees explored this year's specialized zones. In addition to the already traditional sections like the Startup Pavilion, the AWE Playground, and the Gaming Hub, the floor expanded to feature dedicated pavilions for Robotics & Physical AI, Reality Capture & Digital Twins, and AI Smart Glasses. The entertainment space saw a major upgrade with the newly designated LBE zone, while the Research Poster Showcase and the inaugural Art Festival generated tremendous interest and engagement throughout the afternoon.
Gaming & LBE Mixer
Late afternoon an exclusive Location-Based Entertainment (LBE) and Gaming community mixer called "In Living Memory of Reality" sponsored jointly by Jadu and Cleanbox brought together developers, creators, and enthusiasts straight from the expo floor. Attendees connected over drinks and explore a transient projection room designed by Jadu. 
17th Annual Auggie Awards and Hall of Fame
Day 3 closed with the 17th Annual Auggie Awards, AWE’s annual celebration of excellence in spatial computing across 18 categories. From industry-defining products to visionary creators, the awards honored the people and projects defining what’s next in XR.
View here the full list of winners.
In this same festive environment, we honored 8 new inductees to the Hall of Fame—visionaries and trailblazers who have helped build the XR industry.
VWS fundraising auction
Before you go - be sure to check out the Virtual World Society's incredible auction of VR memorabilia, services, and experiences! Bidding closes at 5 pm Thursday, so use this link to secure your piece of XR history now.
What to Look Forward to on Day 4 – Thursday, June 18
- Main Stage: The Wild West of Storytelling: From Hollywood Legacy to Immersive Worlds
- Builders Stage | Expo Hall: Art Festival Showcase
- Expo Hall: Research Posters Showcase Demo Hour
- Research & Education track: Roundtable Discussions: XR Success Stories from Universities
- Expo Hall: Final Hours on the Show Floor & Playground Demos
- Main Stage: AWE USA 2026 Closing Keynote and Special Announcements
