Agenda

Description

OnBoardXR is a seasonal, virtual festival of short, live performances and artists showcasing their own experimental XR tools in a single 3D virtual event. Audiences may access the show from almost any device to experience roughly one hour of curated synchronous, short spatialized performances. Join this session to see highlights from the last year, including full body motion capture dance, IOT connecting the physical and virtual worlds, structured improvisation and semi-traditional theater using avatars and web cameras.

Speakers

Michael Morran

Digital Events Producer , Active Replica

Clemence Debaig

Artistic Director , Unwired Dance Theatre

Rebecca Evans

XR Producer & Director , Dimension Adventures

Brendan Bradley

Scrappy Storyteller , The Jigsaw Ensemble

Description

Good friends Alex Goldberg and Lee Kebler reminisce on some of the most influential examples of spatial computing from the films that they grew up with, and they elaborate on products and services that might have been subsequently influenced. There will be a Q&A session at the end where they encourage audience members to share some of their personal favorite examples.

Speakers

Alex Goldberg

XR Innovations , Blue Origin

Lee Kebler

Director , Journey

Description

With various companies announcing their support for WebXR, there is an acute need to understand its advantages and disadvantages. How does performance and visual fidelity compare? How do you monetize? Can you even build big projects on the web?

In their talk, Jonathan Hale, CEO & founder of Wonderland, and Lydia Berry, COO of “The Fitness Resort” will answer your pressing questions about VR, AR and MR on the web.

Speakers

Jonathan Hale

CEO & Founder , Wonderland Engine

Lydia Berry

Chief Operations Officer , The Fitness Resort

Description

Zheng Qin has since 2018 developed the cutting edge, wide FoV AR optics system called Mixed Waveguide, with the most advanced Crossfire solution that gives you a 120-degree FoV and is interchangeable between AR and VR. It’s even slimmer than most VR optics (including the Pancake solutions), so it could be the ultimate optical solution for AR & VR hybrid glasses. Zheng will walk you through the reasons why Crossfire is much better than its competitor Pancake +VST (video see-through) solution. Additionally, Zheng will introduce the whole family of Mixed Waveguide solutions, which has been adopted by many key clients around the world.

Speakers

Zheng Qin

Founder , Ant Reality

Description

Invite Only: Founders and investors are invited to a networking luncheon in a reserved area of the Expo Hall. Come raise a glass, celebrate your achievements and make new friends with others who are building the future of XR.

Description

Join us in the Expo Hall and Playground areas to meet sponsors and exhibitors, discover the latest AR/VR tech, check out the newest start-ups, make connections, and more.

Description

AI is rapidly being adopted into game development, providing developers the ability to increase game quality and create new experiences for players, while dramatically reducing time and cost to market. This panel features leaders in the spaces of generative AI for game development, who are driving the next wave of AI technology that will transform how games are made moving forward. Verónica Orvalho, CEO & Founder of Didimo, an AI-based NPC and character generation platform, will lead a discussion on how their platform is helping game devs create thousands of unique, fully-animated characters for their worlds in a matter of hours. Emmanuel de Maistre, CEO and Co-Founder of Scenario, will share how his team is helping game titles generate high-quality assets at scale. And Kylan Gibbs, Chief Product Officer and Co-Founder of Inworld AI will detail how they can bring advanced NPC behavior & unscripted dialogue to games. These leaders will discuss their visions for how game studios can use innovative AI tools to both greatly enhance upcoming projects and cut costs at the same time.

Speakers

Kylan Gibbs

CPO , Inworld AI

Emmanuel de Maistre

Co-founder & CEO , Scenario

Veronica Orvalho

CEO and Founder , Didimo

Emilie Joly

CEO , Zoe Immersive Inc

Description

Join us in the Expo Hall and Playground areas to meet sponsors and exhibitors, discover the latest AR/VR tech, check out the newest start-ups, make connections, and more.

Description

What XR experience draws you in? What's throws you out? Good User Experience keeps the users in the “Flow” state while the bad one makes the users nauseous. In this talk, I will share with you the dos and don'ts of UX design for XR.

Speakers

Dominique Wu

Founder , XReality Pro

Description

The recent proliferation of new digital technologies and art distribution platforms has resulted in a major shift in the way contemporary artists create and distribute their artworks. Eric Prince, founder and CEO of digital production platform and art marketplace ART[XR], introduces the new digital WebXR medium and present some use cases where artists, galleries, and museums have used this technology to create compelling art experiences.

The discussion illustrates how the XR medium has evolved from a solitary process to a collaborative process of artists and developers creating the work together in real time from all over the world.

Internationally renowned artist Bill Claps conveys his experience working with the webXR medium to create and present his artworks with the new XR-NFT format, walking us through the process of transforming real world art into digital 3D artworks.

Immersive Storyteller and Immersive Media Producer Christi Fenison brings perspective on employing elements of narrative transport, immersion, agency through interaction, and gamification to engage users and drive change.

The talk will conclude with a discussion of the implications that this democratization of the art distribution process has for changing the commercial and economic structure of the art world.

Speakers

Christi Fenison

Co-Founder , Cause + Christi: Immersive XR Design

Eric Prince

Founder & CEO , ART[XR]

Bill Claps

COO , ART[XR]

Description

When people think of emerging technology such as AI, XR, and more, consumer activities and gaming tend to dominate the conversation. But with ongoing business disruptions, including persistent labor shortages and widening skills gaps, business applications could emerge on top for these technological developments in 2023. In fact, according to Deloitte, the U.S. manufacturing industry alone is expected to have 2.1 million unfilled jobs by 2030. There is a need for digital transformation.

From retailers to manufacturers, businesses are looking to the functionality of generative AI, XR and other enterprise technology to enhance operations, especially regarding training for high-risk, industrial jobs. High impact industries such as manufacturing and construction are just a couple of the real-world environments where employee mistakes can prove fatal.

While traditional classroom settings can bolster learning retention, most acquire 70% of the necessary skills from the type of experiential learning that XR training provides.

Additionally, in an age of social media and the internet, training manuals and long-form video or training sessions are no longer effective. The attention span of the average millennial is 8 seconds, and with millennials anticipated to make up 75% of the workforce by 2025, the need for an upgrade of existing training will never be higher. 

In the future, if new hires have access to intuitive and immersive training, not only will the process become more interactive, personalized and therefore more easily applied, but also workplace accidents could be reduced significantly – meaning more lives could be saved.

In this presentation, Jinhwan An, Senior Manager of New Business Development at LG Electronics and Entrepreneur in Residence at LG NOVA, LG Electronics’ North American Innovation Center, will discuss:

• An outlook of the future of training– including AI, XR, and remote learning
• How businesses can leverage smart technologies in workforce training, and the infrastructure needed to support the digital transformation
• Real-life companies and case studies who are developing this technology with large corporate partners

Speakers

Jinhwan An

Sr Mgr of Business Development , LG NOVA

Ali Merchant

CEO , iQ3Connect

Christoph Leuze

Founder & CEO , Nakamir

Description

Join us at the official AWE After Party at Stage 3 for a fantastic opportunity to network and hang out with others from the AWE community!

One way shuttles will be provided from ACV at 18:00 to the venue:
Otto Preminger Straße 3
1030 Vienna

Open to all AWE participants with an AWE badge.

Description

Who will own love in the Metaverse? How will we make love in the Metaverse? Will anyone want to?

This panel explores how life in the Metaverse will impact the perception of self, the emotional and mental wellbeing, and the interpersonal relationships of the users. How do we serve physical needs in a world that by definition lacks all physicality?

What interactions - and how many degrees of suspension of disbelief - are possible? What kind of sensory input is required to achieve sensual immersion? What will be the role of avatars, haptic technologies, motion tracking, and spatial audio, to facilitate emotional connectedness in this environment? How can creators make sure users don't end up in sex dungeons, unless they really want to? What about true love, romance, feelings, and intimacy? Can virtual love thrive in the real world?

This panel puts the metaverse hype in perspective, and imagines how the convergence of physical and digital could enhance people's affective bandwidth in digital environments to create a more sustainable and inclusive experience.

Speakers

Cam Mullen

Growth , Nevermet

Nadine Laakso

Operations Manager , Virtex

Francesca Rosella

CCO , CuteCircuit

Description

There are no WIMPS (Windows Icons Mice Pointers Solo play) in the Metaverse. Instead, we all want to feel like Neo in The Matrix and think WHOAS. Rather than frame our content in windows and endless scrolling feeds we need to design Worlds for people to explore. Instead of clicking on button icons with mice, give people caves full of treasure they can interact with using Hands and Objects. Give people Avatars and Social collaborative play. Let’s not carry forward vestigial pancake monitor design practices to 3D worlds. Let’s not make the same mistakes we made in Web 2 when building Web 3. Whether you are building for Enterprise, Brands, or Games people need Metaverse native UX design. Join us for a deep dive into 12 new design principles for building the people centric Metaverse.

Speakers

Nicole Lazzaro

President , Xeodesign Inc

Description

Leading XR, Civic & Big Tech Organizations Unite to Kick-off a Workforce Diversity Program for the Metaverse

Speakers

Rahel Demant

Co-Founder , XR Bootcamp

Kavya Pearlman

Founder & CEO , XR Safety Initiative

Christina Jackson

Reality Labs Policy Manager , Meta

Description

Food Available for Purchase at ACV.

Description

Food Available for Purchase at ACV.

Description

In this presentation, we introduce the innovative PinTILT™ structure, which combines the best of traditional waveguides and birdbath structures, incorporating both pupil expansion and pupil forming functionalities.

Speakers

Jeong Hun HA

CTO , LetinAR

Description

Hear how the values of security, openness, education as well as the success of gaming impact XR design from a Nordic perspective.

Speakers

Teemu Ollilainen

Managing Director, Prime Minister , Spatial8 LLC

Jyrki Saarinen

Professor , Open AR Cloud Europe

Maria Nova

XR Designer , Creator

Kristine Kvam

CTO , Fynd Reality

Description

With promises of the metaverse making headlines around the world and consumer spending on video gaming in the U.S. totaling over $60.4 billion in 2021, defining where you fit in this rapidly evolving landscape is more important now than ever before. In this session, join Joanna Popper, Global Head of VR, Go-to-Market at HP and Roblox VP of Product Bjorn Book-Larsson for a fireside chat exploring the keys to human co-experience in digital worlds in an effort to empower aspiring developers and brands as they seek to define their entry path, zeroing in on the importance of identity and a shared fabric.

Speakers

Joanna Popper

Senior Media, Ent & Emerging Tech Exec , Consultant

Bjorn Book-Larrson

VP of Product , Roblox

Description

Almalence presents a set of ISP techniques enabling high picture quality beyond optical hardware limitations in VR/AR head-mounted displays by dynamically compensating for the optical system deficiencies specific to the optical path at a given eye position.

Optical hardware design constraints inherent to head-mounted displays compromise the image quality and visual experience in VR/AR. Even the latest-and-greatest devices retain the common flaws spoiling user experience: poor image detail, blur and color fringing outside of the small “sweet spot,” geometry distortion when moving the gaze direction, and low picture resolution of the outer world captured via pass-through cameras.

In the session, we will explore why dynamic optical aberrations correction, distortion correction, and super-resolution algorithms are indispensable to achieving high visual quality in head-mounted displays. We will also see examples of picture quality improvement those computational techniques produce on the highest-end VR displays from Pico, Varjo, and HP.

Speakers

Eugene Panich

CEO , Almalence

Description

We all know that harassment is an issue in XR, but why does this happen and what can we do about it? Join our panel of experts, who have extensive experience working with the targets of abuse and designing the policies and systems to address it. You'll leave this talk with concrete suggestions about how companies, designers, and XR users can encourage positive user behaviors to create safer digital worlds with space for everyone.

Speakers

Brittan Heller

Counsel , Atlantic Council

Queenie Wong

Reporter , CNET

Jessica Outlaw

Research Director , The Extended Mind

Jordan Fieulleteau

Reality Labs Policy Manager , Meta

Description

WebXR offers advantages over native. What if we could just put a native Meta Quest 2 game on the web and gain those advantages? It would not perform well--or would it? Come visit our talk to answer all these questions and many more. WebXR is ready. We will show you.

Speakers

Timmy Kokke

Senior WebXR Solutions Architect , Wonderland Engine

Jonathan Hale

CEO & Founder , Wonderland Engine

Description

Deutsche Telekom has been using Virtualspeech VR training for years across Europe. This talk will provide the results of key findings as together they navigated introducing VR training to a global organisation. The discussion will cover planning, implementation, challenges, and results, as well as a look into the future of Enterprise training at scale.

Speakers

Sophie Thompson

CEO & Co Founder , VirtualSpeech

Višnja Cicvarić Šonje

Training & Development Specialist , Magenta Telekom

Description

If you need to raise capital for your games studio, where do you start? Bobby Thandi from XR Games reveals the do's and don'ts of raising investment. Including what you need to get ready before investment, what to expect during the process, red and green flags regarding potential investors, the questions you need VCs to answer, and the questions VCs will be asking YOU.

Speakers

Bobby Thandi

Founder and CEO , XR Games

Description

With the upcoming next-gen consumer VR headsets integrated with eye tracking, XR games are expecting huge opportunities of optimizing gamers' experience in many areas like interaction, UI, avatar, visual and graphics. Tobii and Starcade Arcade will share their experience in how to make Starblazer, a space RTS game, more intuitive and immersive, pitfalls to avoid in development and new features to expect.

Speakers

Alexander Clark

CEO & Founder , Starcade Arcade

Johan Bouvin

Senior Director of Sales and Business Development , Tobii

Description

How hologram telecommunication delivers the parts that every other technology leaves out — the parts that make us human.

Speakers

David Nussbaum

Founder , Proto

Description

Join us for a presentation of a new metaverse social platform where people can gather, communicate, and express themselves digitally.

Speakers

Donghwa (Jerry) Jang

Corporate Development Manager , Seerslab

Michael Chong

CEO , Seerslab

Description

By bringing together the learnings of hardware solutions from NuEyes Technologies with the user experience design from 302 Interactive's team of game designers, we've created NuLoupes - a solution that supports medical practitioners to leverage augmented reality in their training and operational practice.
Fraser Bowie (NuEyes) and Kyle Morrand (302) will be taking you through the journey of designing the ergonomics and UX needed for healthcare applications that work for both patients and practitioners and share their vision of what comes next.

Speakers

Kyle Morrand

CEO , 302 Interactive

Fraser Bowie

CPO , NuEyes Technology, Inc.

Description

What exactly should we do about all that Digital Fashion/WEB3/Metaverse buzz? Most brands don't understand the value but want to do something because of the FOMO. We need to dispel the fog and explain 1) how these technologies can be applied in a simple language and 2) how to not just create a project but also connect it to the receiving of predictable results.

Join us as Dmitry Kornilov addresses:

- analysis of significant changes in consumer persona
- overlaying of audience behavior and technical opportunities
- finding viable Digital Fashion and Metaverse use-cases starting from virtual try-on and ending with in-game integrations
- integration of Digital Fashion and Metaverse projects into a cross-platform communication ecosystem, from online to offline
- analysis of Digital Fashion and Metaverse projects and connecting them to revenue growth

Speakers

Dmytro Kornilov

Co-founder/CEO , FFFACE.ME

Description

The world is awash with identity politics, and many communities and brands feel as if they are drowning in the chaos. But what if the key to 21st Century growth is in truly listening to these voices? Come learn how to grow in VR by empowering the unheard to lead.

Speakers

Jeremy Nickel

VP Community & Live Events , Tripp

Description

Why it is so important to keep the AR community alive, well and prosperous? Considering the future of how we're going to experience and interact online, envisioning the Web 3.0 as an XR-based Metaverse, we don't want our future built by one or two companies, but rather a global community of conscious individuals!

Speakers

Isabel Palumbo

Founder , ＬＯＣＶＳ ＳＯＬＶＳ

Anne Horel

Digital & Social Media Artist • XR Creator • Director , Partizan

Isabelle Udo

Founder & Creative Director , videOrbit Studio

Zuza Sliwinska

Co-Founder & Partnerships Manager , Lenslist

Description

In this session, we will release the latest data on the Chinese spatial computing market, and provide an overview of the current market landscape. CEOs of leading companies in the region will share their opinions on the latest trends, biggest challenges, and excitement to come. A taste of AWE Asia!

Speakers

David Weeks

Producer & COO , AWE Asia, Sunrise International

Description

Learn how developers have been using the Snapdragon Spaces Developer Platform to bring new and existing AR experiences to life, hear first-hand their experiences and lessons learned using Snapdragon Spaces, moderated by Katie McCort, Product Manager at Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

Speakers

Dan Flanegan

Founder & CEO , That XR Company

Tom Minich

Co-founder and COO , forwARdgame

Javier Davalos

Founder/Lead developer , Overlay

Description

Join us at the FIL Rooftop for the official AWE Afterparty!

Open to all AWE participants with an AWE badge.

Come enjoy drinks and snacks in this gorgeous setting while mingling with friends and colleagues to make memorable, AWE-some connections!

Description

A healthy creative ecosystem, with diverse technologists and artists working in a wide variety of modes and methodologies, is absolutely critical to our cultural climate. It also makes better art, and better products.

Interdisciplinarity requires flexibility to build collaborative trust and to merge or understand the possibilities of practical capabilities like technologies and instruments, and others' creative and technical expertise.

Limber connective tissue is needed for interdisciplinary practice and may take some warming up, or time to learn new creative language or workflows. Opportunity for creative frictions and cross-pollination can bring inspiration toward new pursuits, or nourish existing practice. Meaningful inclusivity takes thoughtfulness.

In this panel, we will discuss some challenges and strategies for functional creative and technical interdisciplinary collaboration.

Speakers

Sarah Ellis

Director of Digital Development , Royal Shakespeare Company

Ellen Oh

Dir. of Interdisciplinary Arts Programs / Stanford Arts Incubator , Stanford University

Valencia James

Director , Creator

Ruthie Doyle

Director, Interdisciplinary Program , Sundance Institute

Description

Craig will present an outlining of how Contact CI has come to define Multi-Force Ergonomic Haptics, sharing our approach and the story of building Maestro EP, all while providing examples and evidence for why MFE haptics are important and impactful in generating an immersive sense of touch for a range of VR/AR users.

Speakers

Craig Douglass

CEO , Contact CI

Description

"The metaverse." How did a term go from the pages of sci-fi literature to being the tech industry’s next multibillion dollar bet? And how did our industry end up speaking about something with such conviction with no agreed-upon definition? Join John Riccitello, CEO of Unity, as he breaks down the tech industry’s word du jour, what the metaverse is and isn’t and how brands can get beyond the buzzwords.

Speakers

John Riccitiello

CEO , Unity

Description

Shopping is the killer feature in any reality. The Spatial Commerce team at Shopify aims to prepare merchants for a wild future where real and virtual worlds merge, delivering the best of IRL and URL shopping. Russ Maschmeyer, Team Lead, and Eric Florenzano, Staff Engineer, are exploring what's possible and useful for merchants in this new landscape. They'll share cutting-edge prototypes as well as tools and capabilities merchants can leverage today.

Speakers

Eric Florenzano

Senior Developer , Shopify

Russ Maschmeyer

Product Lead , Shopify

Description

Many industry and construction 4.0 use cases such as maintenance, production line planning, or default detection require displaying in AR and updating over time complex Digital Twins at a very large scale. By moving spatial computing and rendering into the cloud or at the edge based on 5G connectivity, we will show how the AR cloud platform developed in the context of the EU Research and Innovation project ARtwin can meet these requirements, whatever the AR device capabilities.

Speakers

Alexander Werlberger

CTO , Holo-Light

Jérôme Royan

Principal Architect & Senior Scientist , IRT b<>com

Nischita Sudharsan

Mixed Reality Engineer & XR Project Manager , Siemens AG

Description

For adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer patients, support group sessions have been proven to increase survival chances and alleviate depression. But for a number of good reasons, very few patients are comfortable attending in-person therapy sessions. So the Yale School of Medicine teamed up with Foretell Reality (A Glimpse Group Company) to develop a VR application to solve this dilemma. Join us to find out how.

Speakers

Asher Marks

Associate Professor of Pediatrics , Yale University School of Medicine

James Watson

Chief Marketing Officer , The Glimpse Group

Description

While the Metaverse is exciting, building a better physical world is critical. Learn how holographic collaboration can drive productivity and sustainability for companies building everything from sneakers to satellites. You’ll hear about customer use cases in apparel, retail, and aerospace that allow hybrid teams to collaborate using CAD models and 3D scans. Jay will also reveal a new addition to the Campfire system.

Speakers

Jay Wright

CEO / Co-Founder , Campfire

Description

Established remote-assistance solutions allow remote experts to set annotations and highlights directly within the on-site user’s field of view. However, there is no shared realm of experience where both users can interact as if they were physically standing next to each other.

This talk presents an ongoing research project that aims to solve this problem by capturing and streaming the on-site user’s real 3D-environment (including persons) to create a shared sense of space. The remote expert, who uses a VR-HMD, is able to move freely within the live 3D reconstruction, whereas the on-site user is able to see him using an AR-HMD. The result is an intuitive and natural collaboration experience that solves the shortcomings of current solutions.

Speakers

Fabian Rücker

Researcher , Fraunhofer IGD

Description

João Blümel, the Metaverse Mentalist, promises to read your mind at his one-of-a-kind show.
Come witness the world’s first show to fuse VR, AR and Mind-Reading into a single performance.

Speakers

João Blümel

Mind-Reader | VR/AR performer ,

Description

Over the last two decades, 3D capture has become a core technology used in nearly every field from architecture and construction, to VFX and gaming. In 2022, a novel machine learning technique called NeRF (Neural Radiance Fields) became accessible and rapidly started shifting the way we approach 3D capture.

Originally introduced in a 2020 academic paper, NeRF first became accessible to creators when NVIDIA released their "Instant NGP" research tool two years later. In recent months, it has rapidly become a consumer-ready technology with platforms like Luma AI dramatically lowering the barrier of entry.

Using NeRF, anyone is now empowered to create stunningly detailed captures of scenes with unparalleled photorealism from simple photo or video input without requiring expensive specialized hardware. By leveraging emerging AI methodologies, it leapfrogs previous capture techniques while reducing the need for human labor resulting in a dramatic reduction in the cost of creating VFX-grade 3D scenes.

With its advanced capabilities and efficiency, NeRF is revolutionizing how industries think about 3D capture and enabling a future where anybody can capture truly immersive memories.

Speakers

Jonathan Klein

Managing Director , PropTech Consulting

Amit Jain

Founder , Luma AI

Description

From smart factories to digital supply chains and connected work – Industry 4.0 processes rely on Intelligent Technologies to run better. Together, TeamViewer and SAP are driving innovation and help enterprises accelerate their digital transformation in the industrial space and build resilient supply chains. AR solutions close the loop where manual work becomes inevitable, supplying frontline workers with digital tools and real-time data to get the job done efficiently, for use cases like for logistics, assembly, quality assurance, inspections, maintenance, and field service. Learn how you can optimize processes along the entire value chain by putting the human factor at the center of digitization by relying on seamlessly integrated systems and new technology.

Speakers

Sudhanshu Kapoor

Vice President AR/MR , TeamViewer

Duarte Filipe

Senior Solution Advisor , SAP

Description

There is an enormous buzz around the metaverse with tales of fully virtual spaces mimicking real life and extending it via games or online collaboration. Taking a closer look though, the metaverse does not seem to offer much for businesses from the industrial space. It is so far leaving out people that are already solving real-world problems across industries and processes. TeamViewer strongly believes in a continuous convergence between the physical world and technology in general. So, it is way beyond time to leap into the “industrial metaverse” and redefine frontline work in the 21st century – with the help of AR solutions and the power of AI.

Speakers

Sudhanshu Kapoor

Vice President AR/MR , TeamViewer

Description

Everyone will wear AR glasses on their faces by 2030. Just centimeters from our optic nerve, computers have never been closer to our brains. This changes both content creation and consumption.

These immersive technologies could create a more empathetic, educated and empowering future. But they could also promote inequality and fake news.

Yusuf Omar, Co-CEO of SEEN, has been wearing cameras on his face for over a decade. His team has overlaid journalism stories on cities from Boston to Cape Town. Everyone loves a good story, especially if they can be a part of that story. And that’s what immersive storytelling does. On your face.

Speakers

Yusuf Omar

Co-founder , SEEN

Description

Creating an incredible multiplayer experience with esports potential is no easy task, but our panel of developers discuss challenges, best practices, community-building, and lessons learned as they've paved the way for esports in a new medium.

Speakers

Tim Mcguinness

Co-Founder & CEO , Virtex

Amy Stormant

Content Creator | Reporter , VR Community Builders

Seth Luisi

Founder , Impulse Gear

Jan Goetgeluk

CEO , Virtuix Inc

Dennis Nuis

Consultant | Community and Change Manager , Caveman Studio

Description

Join us as startups pitch to our panel of judges for a chance to be named AWE's "Startup to Watch" for 2023. The winner will be announced at the Auggie Awards ceremony.

Speakers

Gregory Tran

Co-Founder & CEO , Trace 3D

Darya Sesitskaya

Co-founder & CEO , Shader

Mike Noonen

CEO , Swave Photonics

David Gratton

General Manager and Product Lead , Strawberry Fields Interactive Inc.

Chris Rojas

Co-Founder & CTO , Shader

Ohto Pentikäinen

CEO , Doublepoint

Gregory Castle

Managing Partner , Anorak Ventures

Cory Heizenrader

CEO , EducationXR

Marco DeMiroz

Co-founder & General Partner , The Venture Reality Fund

Maddie Callander

VP Accelerator & Portfolio , BoostVC

Alex Azzi

Co Founder / CEO , XR Workout

April Swando Hu

Co Founder & COO , VRWorkout

Description

Join us as startups pitch to our panel of judges for a chance to be named AWE's "Startup to Watch" for 2023. The winner will be announced at the Auggie Awards ceremony.

Speakers

Jacob Segil

CEO , Afference

Anzen Kennedy

Co-Founder & COO , Augmented Fantasy

Annabell Vacano

Co-Founder , Atopia

Gregory Castle

Managing Partner , Anorak Ventures

Patrick Kennedy

Co-Founder & CEO , Augmented Fantasy

Paul Miller

CEO , Lemur.ai

Patrick Burton

Co-founder , Benvision

Dan Lowenthal

Founder and CEO , SparX

Maddie Callander

VP Accelerator & Portfolio , BoostVC

Amir Baradaran

Founder & CEO , ABXR Studio

Soobin Ha

Audio Designer | Team Benvision , Velan Studios

Marco DeMiroz

Co-founder & General Partner , The Venture Reality Fund

Description

We will delve into the common pitfalls and drawbacks of using augmented reality in advertising. We will explore how brands and marketers can make AR campaigns more effective and user-friendly, and discuss the importance of considering the target audience and brand message when implementing AR technology. Join us to learn how these lessons can be applied to new ways of advertising and to the emerging field of AR books and education, and discover how to create engaging and meaningful experiences for users.

Speakers

Ioana Carp

Brand Strategist , SQUARS

Description

Doug Engelbert expressed the idea of augmenting human intellect, not just for individuals, but as a collaborative experience. We have been working on Croquet, with the goal of creating a foundation that would enable such an augmentation of our ability to create, explore, understand and solve problems collaboratively. We define the augmented conversation as follows:
1 - A discussion within a group of users that is extraordinarily enhanced with the kinds of tools and capabilities that are only available with a computer.
2 - A computer AI is a full participant in this conversation. It allows us to jointly discuss and explore complex systems, data sets, and simulations as naturally and easily as we engage today.
3 - There is a guarantee of shared truth. The simulation I see must be the exact same as what you see. Anything I do to affect the shared simulation must also be accurately shared. If this is not the case, then there is no guarantee that what you see and understand is the same as for me, so you are unable to trust that communication channel.
In the very near future, the virtual objects that will soon populate our world must be as responsive and alive as a physical object. There won't be a physical reality and a virtual or augmented reality. Soon, there will only be a seamless, multi-user reality.

Speakers

David A. Smith

CTO, Founder , Croquet

Description

Join as leaders in extended reality (XR) for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs talk candidly about how immersive technology is transforming the way healthcare is delivered and experienced. This transformation has been enabled and amplified through collaboration – both within the organization and with the broader XR community.

Speakers

Anne Lord Bailey

Executive Director, Strategic Initiatives Lab , Veterans Affairs

Caitlin Rawlins

Deputy Director, Clinical Tech Innovation , Veterans Affairs

Description

The AR Cloud will become the most important communication medium of our time, providing connections and context between people, places and connected machines. We will discuss available SDK's and cover the essential elements, components, and tools required to develop public and private spatial computing applications. We'll walk through real world examples created with the YOUAR Cloud SDK to illustrate how to create, use and leverage AR Cloud infrastructure at your facility today.

Speakers

George Blikas

CTO , YOUAR.io

Description

What should the Metaverse look like? How do maximalist and minimalist approaches affect XR? Is either inherently better? Do we want technology that is minimally invasive, or do we want to live in our best fantastical art worlds? Watch best friends with wildly opposing design philosophies duke it out.

On the side of maximalism, we have Jerome Morrison, a creative technologist at Meow Wolf, known for its larger than life maximalist psychedelic art installations.

On the side of minimalism, we have Lauren Cason. Lauren is the co-founder of RefractAR and is known for her minimalist design approach in her XR work. She was previously an artist on Monument Valley 2 and a prototyper at Apple.

Speakers

Jerome Morrison

Product Manager , MEOW WOLF

Lauren Cason

Cofounder/Creative Director , RefractAR

Description

Omni-channel shopping experiences for consumers today lack the real context of the purchase decision. There is significant cognitive load on the consumer to imagine how a couch in a physical store would look in their living room, or how an image of a refrigerator would fit into their kitchen. Join Sravanth Aluru (Founder & CEO) from Avataar as he talks of how the camera has now evolved as the new home page, where consumers will browse, search & discover products in the context of their own space, and compare similar products or mix & match multiple products. Get a sneak-peek at how leading retailers today are using camera AI/CV to bridge the gap between today’s flat screen devices and tomorrow’s wearables.

Speakers

Sravanth Aluru

Founder & CEO , Avataar

Description

An overview of Magic Leap 2 and how it will power the next leap forward in enterprise AR.

Speakers

Jade Meskill

VP of Product , Magic Leap

Description

Having energy utilities workers well trained and prepared for any emergency or outage helps to keep our homes safe and warm, our businesses operating and our infrastructure flowing. Preventing the outages or leaks with more effective training is even better. Learn how Local Gas Distribution Companies and Nuclear facilities are incorporating fully immersive Virtual Reality (VR) training courses into their overall training programs to improve day-to-day operations, reinforce preventative measures, and enable personnel to safely experience and resolve emergency situations. Learn how VR training is being used to keep workers safe as the learn how to work more effectively and safely in the plant and in your neighborhoods.

Speakers

Scott Allen

CIO/CTO , Oberon Technologies

Description

Join Kasper Tiri as he opens the floor for a discussion with developers about interoperability. Is it essential for the future of immersive technology? This is an opportunity to chat with others in the industry who are passionate about this topic.

Speakers

Sam Sprigg

Managing Editor , Auganix Ltd

Kaspar Tiri

Co-Founder , Ready Player Me

Description

Learn how specialized Virtual Reality NeuroTherapy (VRNT) is used for in-patient, out-patient and telehealth care for Spinal Cord Injury, Brain Injury and Stroke recovery to enhance neurological engagement for improved range of motion, pain management and quality of life.

Speakers

Jessica Maslin

Co-Founder and President , Mieron, Inc.

Description

In today’s ever-evolving retail landscape, personalization is essential to engage customers and build brand loyalty. In this session, you’ll learn why AI + AR technology and solutions such as virtual try-on are transforming the retail space and enabling personalization in powerful new ways. Learn how top brands have leveraged AI + AR across their omnichannel shopping journey to provide every customer with personalized recommendations.

Speakers

Paul Liu

AVP, Product Marketing, Strategic Partnerships , Perfect Corp.

Description

The modern warfighter has limited situational awareness and performs under a high cognitive load while operating and executing missions utilizing autonomous systems. Currently, operators are head and eyes down, losing the ability to fully know what is happening in the environment around them.
The use of AI-generated 3D models and AR pre-visualization tools can eliminate mission repetition and reduce commander intent communication while allowing for full situational awareness. The warfighter will also see a reduction in the expertise required in unmanned system flight control enabling them to "launch and forget" until notified of pertinent activity.
XR tools enable seamless command and control of unmanned system while providing safety to the operator.

Speakers

Brian Streem

CEO , Vermeer

Description

With the use of a standard phone and a 3D scan of a location, you can determine your position with an impressive accuracy of 5cm - a game changer for AR. This technology opens doors to a variety of features including AR indoor navigation, AR workflows, and even remote assistance across large facilities. Spatial applications will make AR a tool for daily use, creating massive ROI for businesses. This talk will show how to use AR for daily operations and ultimately how to increase your ROI.

Speakers

Alexander Loidolt

CCO , ViewAR

Description

Coming Soon!

Speakers

Antti Sunnari

CEO , Dispelix

Description

Tilt Five, the winner of last year's AWE Auggie Award in gaming, is also the ideal device for collaborating with colleagues on a '3D problem' in the workplace. In fact, the same factors that make Tilt Five such an award-winning platform for entertainment are what make the system an indispensable tool for companies. Find out how Tilt Five delivers the only augmented reality solution that checks all the boxes: collaborative, comfortable, adaptable, affordable and easy to use. Hear what other companies have discovered by embracing the Tilt Five system for enterprise needs.

Speakers

Hans ten Cate

Chief Operating Officer , Tilt Five

Description

For XR creators, creating content has been difficult and expensive. XR creators have had to rely on DSLRs or even professional 3D devices. Now with Pivo, XR creators can make content easily, 1/5 the cost! Using Pivo, we would like to bring XR content to the mainstream, by democratizing the tools & hardware!

Speakers

Ken Kim

CEO , 3i

Description

The DPT pixel is a single microLED emitter whose emission wavelength can be tuned all the way from red to blue and beyond, including white light. This removes the need for ‘RGB’ sub-pixels made from different material systems, and no further colour conversion/filtering or complex stacking architectures are required. DPT enables colour uniformity, eliminates complex fabrication processes, simplifies system design to deliver high-performance microLED displays and optical solutions, offers the most advanced approach to full-colour microLED displays, and brings these advantages to the whole display industry.

Speakers

Tongtong Zhu

CEO , Porotech

Description

Dispelix develops and delivers lightweight, high-performance see-through waveguide combiners that are used as transparent displays in extended reality (XR) devices. Our full-color near-eye displays encompass all dimensions of XR comfort - social, wearable, and visual alike – in a simple eyeglass-lens form. Rich and pleasant XR experience calls for seamless merger of display and light engine technologies. In her presentation, Dispelix Vice President Pia Harju discusses how advanced design contributes to XR comfort and same time helps draw full potential from the light engine and display. We will showcase how built-in mechanical and optical compatibility fuse esthetic and functional aspects of design, paving the way for mind-altering XR eyewear experience.

Speakers

Pia Harju

VP of Business Development , Dispelix

Description

XR development is a new career for anyone seeking to work in the immersive technology industry. If you love being creative and transforming ideas into interactive 3D experiences, this could be the perfect pathway for you. Join Circuit Stream and alumni Nakita Chand to learn everything you need to know about how to become an XR developer.

Speakers

Nakita Chand

Content Product Manager , Microsoft - Mixed Reality

Stephane Licina

Partnerships Manager , Circuit Stream

Description

UX concepts in XR are the key for inclusive access to physical and digital content, products and services. Marco Richardson and Nina Blömer are discussing the topic Technical Opportunities VS community-based limitations and behaviors.

The duo is showing how to unlock the full power of Web 2.0 with technical aspects of metaverse in the first run, build trust and daily habits – step by step.

They will show how to build bridges to your data, XR is the IO interface with complete different UX concepts and ways, how we interact with digital content in the real word. One important fact is to empower people to make the UX shift.

Speakers

Marco Richardson

Founder and CEO , Inclusify AG

Nina Blömer

Product Manager , Inclusify AG

Description

Join Vishal Shah, GM of ThinkReality at Lenovo and learn how the ThinkReality platform is making it easier for customers to scale into the enterprise Metaverse. From hardware to software and solutions, see how practical and proven tools today can lead to a successful onramp into the enterprise Metaverse of tomorrow.

Speakers

Vishal Shah

General Manager, XR & Metaverse , Lenovo

Description

At SQUARS, we strongly believe that the future of AR is on the web. Our vision is to empower everyone to easily create, share, and experience their own AR content with cutting-edge WebAR technology. Join our discussion on how we at SQUARS are nurturing an environment in which individuals, professionals, and enterprises can reach their full potential and strengthen their business with AR-enriched content.

Speakers

Markus Meirhofer

Business Development Manager , SQUARS

Description

Moving from VR to AR enables us to visually engage in the real world but presents great challenges for optics. How do we create a display that does not look like a display?

Speakers

Jussi Rahomaki

Chief Product Officer , Dispelix

Description

Coming Soon!

Speakers

Jordan (Seungmo) Shim

Business Developer , MAXST

Description

Collaboration between creative technologists, film, TV, game, and creative arts is an ever evolving indie scene but as the industry grows so do the players and corporations in this space. With the inevitable development of 3D worlds, Web3, AI eventually being part of a global future, this talk will openly discuss the production and skills required for the evolution of emergent technology storyworld entertainment.

Speakers

Lou Doye

Executive producer , Lou Doye Presents

Description

Jason McGuigan, Lenovo’s Head of Virtual Reality, will discuss how the current avalanche of AI powered services are acting as a major force multiplier for XR developers. With the launch of the Lenovo ThinkReality VRX, Jason will discuss how some of Lenovo’s software partners are adopting these technologies to enhance their products and deliver profound new experiences to their customers.

He will share examples of these tools in action and discuss how the adoption of GAI will allow smaller teams to do more, reduce the costs of development, and speed the time to market. The results of these advances will be nothing short of revolutionary as enterprise organizations will be able to solve for a greater variety of use cases in higher quality, more cost-effective VR solutions.

Speakers

Jason McGuigan

Head of Virtual Reality , Lenovo

Description

Shared AR is a foundational service for our AR future and opens up new social opportunities today. Learn more about how Niantic can enable you to create shared experiences with 8th Wall (WebAR) and Lightship ARDK (Unity).

Speakers

Ria Bhatia

Sr. Product Manager , Niantic, Inc.

Description

Discover how mixed reality (MR) is being used to enhance the training of medical first responders for challenging contexts. Medical first responders are confronted with an increasing number of mass-casualty incidents with many injured people that include include:

• Proper evaluation of the situation itself
• Checking and monitoring the vital status of a large number of victims
• Choosing the most appropriate strategy to further proceed with treatments are particular challenges

In the H2020 project MED1stMR, an innovative mixed reality (MR) training technology is developed that combines real-world patient simulation manikins with virtual environments to train medical first responders for these challenging situations. Through the integration of high-fidelity patient simulation manikins and the medical equipment into the MR experience, a much richer sensory experience is offered, allowing trainees to immerse into virtual scenarios and be able to feel and perceive vital signs and actual movements of the limbs, head, and face through tactile and visual interaction as they are actuated.

This brings virtual training closer to reality and enable both scenario training and medical training in the same MR training environment. Furthermore, it enables systematic manipulation of a large set of potential influence factors to optimize training effects.

The realization of a bio signal feedback loop with body sensors allows for monitoring trainees' stress and behavior during training and will make this data available for scenario control. The trainer can adapt training to the personal needs of trainees and provides a new way of interaction between the trainer and trainee.

This is sure to be a beneficial session for all those in healthcare fields so join us and be prepared to ask any questions you might have.

Speakers

Markus Murtinger

Head of Competence Unit , AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH

Daniela Weismeier-Sammer

Researcher Assistant & Emergency Paramedic , Johanniter Austria

Description

With no end in sight to the labor shortages and the expected retirement of the boomer generation over the next seven years, workforce challenges are hitting organizations large and small around the globe. There aren’t enough people to fill the open jobs, and the people that are there need to be capable of doing more things - often with less time for traditional training or upskilling programs. What if you could create instant experts and transfer organizational knowledge with ease? What if you could create instant experts and save millions of dollars in training costs and make your employees more engaged and productive?

In this fireside chat inspired presentation, Michael Hinckley, Sector Manager of Manufacturing Systems Engineering at Northrop Grumman, and Scott Montgomerie, Founder & CEO of Scope AR will talk about how Northrop Grumman created instant experts on their manufacturing floor for assembling some of the world’s most advanced products. Powered by augmented reality, these instant experts accelerated process times by up to 66%, eliminated errors and are creating the next generation of shop floor enablement. Join Scott and Michael to hear real stories of how Northrup Grumman adopted AR, how it went, how it’s going and what is in the future.

Speakers

Scott Montgomerie

Co-founder and CEO , Scope AR

Michael Hinckley

Senior Systems Engineering Mgr (AMT) , Northrop Grumman

Description

First introduced in 2011, the Epson Moverio Smart Glasses range is the result of Epson’s expertise in
projection technology (the N°1 global projector manufacturer for more than 20 years) and more
than a decade of experience driving the deployment of smart glasses into key vertical markets.
Using augmented reality (AR) powered by Epson’s unique Si-OLED microdisplay technology, Moverio
Smart Glasses are delivering real benefits to a range of industries through a broad range of use
cases: from expanding virtual work life possibilities and creating innovative and inclusive visitor
experience, to transforming industrial maintenance & training though remote assistance and
workflow guidance.
Whether you are an enterprise end user, software development company, or system integrator,
there is an opportunity for you to benefit from Epson’s smart glasses unique capabilities.
Join us to learn more about our technology and how it can benefit your company and business
today!

Speakers

Marc-Antoine Godfroid

Manager of New Market Development , Epson

Description

VR esports take competitive gaming to the next level through a combination of technology and physicality. For the past couple of days the team you'll see here on stage, along with PeskyCashew (Asst Leagues Director) and Damage (Business Relations/Marketing Director), have offered an introduction to VR esports in the AWE Playground.

Now we invite you to sit back and enjoy a quick mini-competition featuring Ready At Dawn's Echo Arena. Watch professional players duck, jump, and dodge as they try to score goals in a 2v2 match that will require skill and precise cooperation with their teammate.

Don't miss this exciting on-stage demo as players compete for the win and the glory while professional casters from VR Esports League (VREL) give play-by-play commentary on the action!

Speakers

Christopher Vezina

Founder , VR ESPORTS LEAGUE

Nathan "V-Tach" Baker

Digital Operations Manager , VR Esports League (VREL)

Kevin Austin "PigOnPCin4K" Goldstein

Esports Commentator/Asst Media Director , VR Esports League (VREL)

Nareg "Nutmeg" Djabrayan

Director of Social Media , VR Esports League (VREL)

Dewey Blankenship

Founder , VR Party League

Jade Michael

Pro VR Esports Player, Community Moderator , VR Esports League (VREL)

Amy Stormant

Content Creator | Reporter , VR Community Builders

Description

A fireside chat with LAMINA1 CEO Rebecca Barkin and Odeon Theatrical CEO Stephanie Riggs on the unique challenges of concepting, designing, and delivering moving and intuitive experiences in immersive mediums. We’ll dive deep into the design challenges stifling Web3 and the development of thriving open virtual worlds, as well as large-scale interactive experience design, and practical strategies for creating meaningful interaction that invites mainstream adoption.

Speakers

Rebecca Barkin

CEO , Lamina1

Stephanie Riggs

Founder , Ink & Paint

Description

This talk will help you to understand the key benefits of using VR for training, and the main factors you need to be aware of when considering implementing VR training.

Overview:
- Learn how companies use VR gamification to drive engagement with employees
- Understand how VR training can address the issue of equipment scarcity
- And how companies use VR to take the risk out of Health & Safety training.

We will share our learnings across the following topics:
- How do you identify the right use case and business case for VR training?
- Understanding the 3 key uses of VR for training: 1. Knowledge 2. Skills and 3. Behaviour
- What are the key steps you need to take to effectively (and profitably) use VR in your enterprise?
- How can you best scale the integration across a large enterprise safely and securely?
- What makes for a successful implementation, including metrics and ROI?

Speakers

Sophie Thompson

CEO & Co Founder , VirtualSpeech

James Watson

Chief Marketing Officer , The Glimpse Group

Description

Whether you're using VR for training employees in the enterprise, educating students in classrooms, or treating patients in hospitals, understanding how you'll grow from pilot stage to full-scale adoption is critical to the success of your project. In this talk, we'll discuss best practices for scaling your deployments from one device to thousands.

Speakers

Luke Wilson

CEO , ManageXR

Description

Welcome to Metaverse Melodies, a groundbreaking live pitch competition where three teams pitch their musical creation to a panel of producers as they vie for the chance to bring their productions to life in virtual reality. In this high-stakes, high-energy session, witness the future of Broadway and live entertainment as it unfolds in the metaverse. The winner will receive the ultimate prize: a full-scale production of their show in virtual reality.. Be part of this pioneering journey that shatters traditional barriers and creates a more inclusive and accessible world of theater, where artists, producers, and crew members come together to build a thriving, equitable ecosystem.

Don't miss out on the chance to witness the birth of the next generation of Broadway and live entertainment, where creativity knows no bounds, and technology takes center stage. Come and be inspired by the rich, diverse stories that will captivate audiences and elevate humanity, both on and beyond the virtual stage.

Speakers

Tim Kashani

CEO & Co-Founder , Apples and Oranges

Pamela Winslow Kashani

Co-Founder , Apples and Oranges

Christopher Sepulveda

Film, Theatre & XR Producer , Apples and Oranges

Description

In addition to supplying Moverio - a range of finished models of AR smart glasses, for certain verticals, Epson is now offering their core microdisplay technology together with the original optical engine to market.
The new solution is set to transform various emerging applications and innovative products, by enabling easy integration of AR capability and making it easy to develop a custom head-mounted binocular see-through display.

Speakers

Alex Zaretsky

Market Development Manager , Epson

Description

How does augmented reality overlap with the shift from web2 to web3?
Amy will moderate a panel of experts on the convergence of #AR with the growth in adoption of blockchain, NFT, and cryptocurrency.

Speakers

Eric Wagliardo

Founder / Executive Creative Director , &Pull

Maddie Callander

VP Accelerator & Portfolio , BoostVC

Amy LaMeyer

Managing Partner , WXR Fund

Olivia Forman

Unity Developer , Jadu

Leighton McDonald

Spatial Interaction Designer , LATE-FX

Description

Tibor Mérey from BCG X and Tina Werro from Swisscom share their experiences on where we currently stand on our journey into an augmented human experience, which elements of the Metaverse flywheel are picking up speed currently, and what we can learn from Swisscom’s own journey as well as the 150+ other companies BCG X supported in order to reap outsized returns in this new world.

Speakers

Tibor Merey

Managing Director and Partner , Boston Consulting Group

Tina Werro

Head of Swisscom Outpost Innovation Programs , Swisscom

Description

NASA developed a series of XR medical scenarios for astronaut training during deep space exploration missions. Led by Dr. Roger Dias, MD, PhD, MBA at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) and Harvard Medical School, and funded by the Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH), this project has a rather lengthy title “Mixed Reality (MR) Care-delivery Guidance System to Support Medical Event Management on Long Duration Exploration Missions” but is a very noble and important mission. The development of these XR, highly realistic, medical scenarios for in-flight space training was carried out by a collaboration between the BWH, Radiant Images, Inc., and Panogramma Inc. The photogrammetry and volumetric video capture, editing, and processing were performed with several other collaborators, including Metastage, Sony, and Arcturus. This session will cover the challenges and solutions this team faced and solved in the production of these medical training modules.

Speakers

Piotr Uzarowicz

Head of Partnerships & Marketing , Arcturus

Rodrigo Cerqueira

CEO , Panograma Inc

Michael Mansouri

CEO , Radiant Images + MeetMo.io

Roger Dias

Asst Prof of Emergency Medicine , Harvard Medical School

Christina Heller

CEO , Metastage

Description

Ori Inbar, CEO and cofounder of AWE, will welcome attendees to the 14th annual AWE USA 2023 event with the theme: XR is Everywhere!

He will kick off with his annual update about the state of the XR industry and where it's headed, and will follow up with "Metaverse Unplugged" - a super-fan conversation with Neal Stephenson - the legendary author who coined the term Metaverse.

Speakers

Neal Stephenson

Co-Founder , Lamina1

Ori Inbar

Co-Founder , AWE and Super Ventures

Description

K-pop has become a truly global phenomenon, and last 2 years of the pandemic, K-pop has jumped into the metaverse, a shared virtual world, creating another way to connect to their fans in digital world and XR was the best solution of creating virtual space.

Session will explain how XR solutions have been adopted in K-pop and how it expanded its usage through out the K-culture.

Speakers

Alexis Choo

Creative Director , NP Inc.

Description

Join us for this healthy debate as we roll up our sleeves to discuss how to envision and build a human-centered future towards a democratised, interoperable, multi-layered reality across worlds, platforms and industries. What are the 4.0 tools, techniques and teams needed for this convergence into Life 3.0, and how do take ownership and responsibility to make these new worlds a better place, for you and for me and the entire metahuman race*?

*robots and cyborgs included

Speakers

Rupert Breheny

Emerging Technology Advisor , Cobalt Stars

Alina Kadlubsky

Managing Director , Open AR Cloud Europe

Muki Kulhan

CIO, Executive XR/MetaTech Producer & Creative Technologist , MUKI-INTERNATIONAL, LTD

Description

Give me an A! Give me a W! Give me an E! Grab an icy cold one and take a seat in our VIP Box seats where your ticket includes exclusive access to recent industry home runs revealing how a fan’s experience is evolving for new XR-powered sports, via hyper-personalised, frictionless, data-driven engagement across activations, platforms and worlds, and what’s next for these expanding XR franchises.

Speakers

Muki Kulhan

CIO, Executive XR/MetaTech Producer & Creative Technologist , MUKI-INTERNATIONAL, LTD

Description

In this strategy-forward session, Prince will outline MicroOLED's principles for mass adoption of AR with a focus on commercial/enterprise applications. The session will address what's holding back AR, and propose a path forward to accellerate adoption across a range of use cases from navigation and wayfinding to process and procedure, which can all be addressed with MicroOLED's Light AR solution, today.

Speakers

Mark Prince

GM and Chief Commercial Officer | ENGO , MicroOLED

Description

XR4EUROPE is a Pan-European association that federates all the XR professionals, organisations and initiatives to support the development of, promote and represent XR innovation, industry and creativity from Europe.

This European Not-For-Profit Association was created in May 2021, and is the result of the XR4ALL project supported by the European Commission’s H2020 programme which ran from December 2018 to August 2021. The founding members are former XR4ALL consortium members and European territorial clusters.

The aim of XR4Europe is to contribute to the development of XR in Europe. It is important to note that there are many private and public initiatives in Europe for the development of XR. These initiatives are positive, but the fragmentation of these supports does not allow sufficient resources to be mobilised for major structuring projects, whether in terms of technology, equipment or content.

In addition to providing appropriate services to its members, XR4Europe wants to contribute to reducing this fragmentation and to become an interlocutor of the sector with user companies and public authorities.

Speakers

Harriet Bartlett

Managing Director , XR4Europe

Description

With new technologies come new opportunities & challenges. This is no different for emerging technologies, 5G is one of the basic requirements to make the most of its many applications. Without a stable and solid data connection, 5G preferably, we are lost. Unlike other continents, Europe is not as connected as one might think. In large parts of Europe, people do not even have a stable Internet connection, let alone 5G technology.

What does this mean for the European market, for overall accessibility, its workforce, education, the XR ecosystem, hardware and software development? All domains that work with these emerging technologies, or even depend on them today and going forward.
Does Europe, its population, the European XR ecosystem really experience the difference with other continents/places where 5G is embedded and not only in the industry, in companies but even among the general public as well?

What are the consequences from the lack of accessibility? How are industries, businesses dealing with this lack daily? Unknown is unloved by the public, but how much are we falling behind in Europe because of that? Do we still have the ability to compete on a global scale?

A topic that - in today's world - is more relevant than ever, or at least should be!? Our panel members share their insights, each from their own experience and expertise. We're opening the discussion in the hope to inspire the people needed to defend Europe's position, to defend its interests on the world stage.

Speakers

Daria Fedko

CEO , WeAR Studio

Elisabetta Rotolo

CEO & Founder , MIAT

Isabel De Peuter-Rutten

Director | President , Euromersive | Federation of EU XR Professionals

Olivier Zitvogel

CTO , MACKNeXT

Description

Haptics is the next major unlock for augmented reality and virtual reallity, like “HD” and “4K” was for audio and video. This panel will explore the current state of haptics tech in XR, ethnics, accessibility and future-forward use cases, including live events, training and esports. The discussion will cover technologies, innovations, standards, advice on adoption, and hands-on development.

Speakers

Ashley Huffman

Strategic Partnerships , TITAN Haptics

Caleb Eubanks

XR Producer & Content Creator , RealityCheckVR

Alex Meland

Strategic Partnership Manager , Contact CI

Ivan Moreno

Developer , OWO

Description

A presentation on Toyota Material Handling’s deployment of VR Training for Dealerships. Measuring return on investment as well as the power of multiplayer/collaborative virtual reality training courses

Speakers

Holly Brotzman

Dealer Human Resources & Training Manager , Toyota Material Handling

Roni Cerga

CEO , VR Vision Inc

Description

Two finalists from the $100,000 XR Prize Competition join us on stage to discuss their projects. Both Oleg Gubar and Reedah El-Saie have created immersive games that educate and encourage more sustainable behaviors, particularly in children when the behaviors can more easily become habit.

Join us on the main stage as Oleg and Reedah each have an opportunity to present an overview of the project that earned them a finalist spot in the XR Prize Competition at AWE USA 2023.

Speakers

Reedah El-Saie

Founder , Brainspark Games

Oleg Gubar

CEO , ARRR

Description

In this session, we will explore the design aspects of BenVision, an accessible AR experience utilizing a Technology-Centered Design approach. We will discuss the integration of Camera Vision and AI in AR and the role of soundscapes in shaping emotions within XR environments. Our speakers will share their expertise in developing an immersive and accessible experience for vision-impaired individuals.

Using BenVision as a case study, we will investigate how the project enhances the world's experiential appreciation for visually impaired individuals through sound. We will cover our approach to effectively conveying object presence using sound in AR glasses and address ambience, musical soundscapes, and spatial audio features. Additionally, we will discuss our methodology for categorizing object characteristics based on sound qualities.

The session will touch on design principles from both UX and audio perspectives, emphasizing best practices for creating accessible XR experiences that promote functionality and emotional connections. Attendees will gain insights into designing for technology and humanity in the ever-evolving landscape of emerging technologies like XR.

Speakers

Lucas Thin

Design Technologist, Scholar , DesignSingapore Council

Soobin Ha

Audio Designer | Team Benvision , Velan Studios

Description

Imagine a world where you attend a Broadway show any day of the week, at a price you can afford, from anywhere across the globe and have the best seats in the house. Now imagine that the community of artists, producers and crew members who create this experience have unified to craft an ecosystem of equality where all make a living wage and issues such as disability, sexual orientation, gender, and race inequity have been reduced to a case study in the history books. Imagine that world where we celebrate rich, diverse stories accessible to everyone, inspiring generations to come in elevating humanity. The intersection of foundational technologies has crossed the exponential growth point, making what was futuristic now real.

In this session we explore current and future XR live theatrical versions that intersect stage, screen and beyond. By creating digital assets and story moments in XR we accelerate the traditional development lifecycle while defining and building the virtual future of live entertainment.

Speakers

Tim Kashani

CEO & Co-Founder , Apples and Oranges

Pamela Winslow Kashani

Co-Founder , Apples and Oranges

Description

Join a timely and compelling conversation between product leaders across the field of XR wearables. Nexus Studios hosts a roundtable between innovators at Qualcomm, T-Mobile, and Meta, to explore both present and future trends in HMD AR applications. Spanning both consumer and enterprise solutions, from personal computing, to remote work, to multiuser gaming, hear how professionals are thinking about, preparing for, and executing on the upcoming era of HMD-based augmented reality. What projects, products, and processes will inspire you to see the world anew?

Speakers

Monica Arés

Founder , Th3 Third Door

Martin Herdina

Sr. Director XR , Qualcomm

Pablo Colapinto

Head of Immersive , Nexus Studios

Cerilenne Menendez Mendoza

XR Lead , T-Mobile

Description

Recently, there has been, and continues to be, a flurry of activities around AR and the Metaverse. How these domains intersect and unfold over time is still very much in the early stages. What is clear, however, is that the “on-ramp” or gateways into the Metaverse starts with the ability to perceive the physical and digital worlds simultaneously. Many technologies and devices are needed to enable the true immersion and first and foremost is the ability to overlay the digital domain onto the physical space. In this talk we will discuss these aspects and delve deeply into near-to-eye display technologies that allows uses to coexist in the physical and digital domains.

Speakers

Bharath Rajagopalan

Director, Strategic Marketing , STMicroelectronics

Description

AR glasses continue to become more compelling on a larger scale as we see thinner lenses, more powerful processors, interactive software, and increasing interest. Experts in specialty fields like architecture and medicine have pushed forward the desire for AR technology while we're also seeing increased interest from average consumers who want to know more about this technology.

With that in mind, we're already heading in the right direction so how do we capture the momentum and help AR glasses go mainstream?

Speakers

Pia Harju

VP of Business Development , Dispelix

Sebastian Anjou

Business Development Director EMEA , Vuzix Corporation

Edu Strul

CEO , Eyejets

Jay Latta

Fusionist , The Fusionists

Description

Leaders from the Korean XR ecosystem share the latest news and information on innovations of Korean developers.

Speakers

Danny Cho

Chief Strategy Officer , MARVRUS

Woosuk Chang

CEO/Founder , Team of Wakers

Jurang Kim

Deputy General Manager , Woongjin Thinkbig Co., Ltd.

Dominica Lee

General Manager , P&C Solution Co., Ltd

Description

We often think of mixed reality as blurring the lines between reality and fiction - and do that effectively, developers have long battled to make virtual and augmented worlds more realistic and immersive. Significant progress has been made in displays, haptics, motion tracking, and graphics, but what role does generative AI have to play? And how can developers leverage AI to unlock a new frontier in mixed reality?

AI-driven characters will pave the way for new forms of entertainment, education, and communication. Join Inworld and our partners Niantic and Liquid City in a discussion on developing mixed reality experiences with intelligent characters.

Speakers

Kylan Gibbs

CPO , Inworld AI

Ernestine Fu

General Partner , Brave Capital

Keiichi Matsuda

Director , Liquid City

Maryam Sabour

Head of Business, Platform & AR Headsets , Niantic

Description

Table stakes for the "The Metaverse" are to allow each user to be immersed into a virtual world that evolves with them. For too long this has been considered impractical due to the budget implications intrinsic in doing them manually. New advances in AI are shifting the calculus in a major way. In particular, new techniques make it possible to drastically scale up asset creation, improve runtime performance, and, most importantly, create a living world.

Speakers

James Kaplan

CEO & CoFounder , MeetKai, Inc.

Description

The technology that brought us Deepfakes is permanently reshaping the way we create content of all kinds - from movies and music to apps and websites. The idea of applying algorithms to manipulate or generate media isn't new, but several advances in computer science have brought the technology out of the halls of academia and into the hands of anyone and everyone with a desire to create. In this session, we'll explore how synthetic media and computational design are inspiring all sorts of machine-assisted creativity, how it's changing the overall creative process, and see examples of how this will bring about an explosion of immersive content that will shape the metaverse.

Speakers

Ian Beacraft

CEO & Chief Futurist , Signal and Cipher

Description

Most research works featuring AR and Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) systems are not taking advantage of the opportunities to integrate the two planes of data. In this project, we propose a prototype which combines an existing AR headset HoloLens 2 with a Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI) system and we perform several tasks to validate this concept. In the first experiment, we reduced the distraction of the user by including information about the current attentional state, stress and cognitive load. In the second prototype we propose a system based on covert visuospatial attention (CVSA) – the process of focusing attention on different regions of the visual field without overt eye movements. In the experiment we did not rely on any stimulus-driven responses. Fourteen participants were able to test both systems over the course of two days.

Speakers

Nataliya Kosmyna

Research Scientist , MIT

Description

It is indisputable that technology evolves faster than the ethical use of that technology. This results in inequitable systems that benefit the majority who developed the system while excluding the minority who were outside the scope of participation.

Blockchain and Web3 technologies must be available and usable by all individuals, regardless of their physical or cognitive abilities. However, because of the decentralized approach to development, no one appears to be accountable for making this happen. Making Blockchain and Web3 technologies accessible to individuals with disabilities can increase the potential user base for these technologies, creating new market opportunities. Blockchain and Web3 will face many regulatory hurdles. Making them accessible will remove a regulatory objection in countries that have strong accessibility laws. Many technologies in use every day, such as Siri and Speech to Text, were initially invented for people with disabilities. These are known as curb cuts, named for the dips in street corners that allow wheelchair users to get from one side to the other without assistance however 99 % of the users are not disabled. Including more diversity in developers, including individuals with disabilities, can lead to new and innovative solutions, approaches, and curb cuts that may not have been considered otherwise. Finally, Improving accessibility and disability inclusion will improve the experience for all users, not just those with disabilities, which will lead to increased adoption and usage of Blockchain and Web3.

Speakers

Sheri Byrne-Haber

Senior Staff, Accessibility Architect , VMware

Description

In the current ecosystem of Spatial artificial intelligence (SAI), access to, applications of and benefits from SAI continue to center power within a small number of individuals and organizations. Citizens are in no way able or prepared to engage with SAI as it exists today, an issue of inequity that will only grow in scope and scale as SAI’s capabilities, capacities and uptake also grow. To address this inequity, a holistic reimagining of the current ecosystem is needed. In this space, my colleagues and I have highlighted the need for what we call ‘Collective SAI’. As we imagine it, Collective SAI would be a citizen-run technological tool that, through its accessibility, transparency, independence and utility, would provide counterbalance to the current power dynamics that define the SAI ecosystem. By matching technology with technology in a practical and achievable way, such an approach is arguably our best hope to ensure equity and justice in the world of SAI now and into the future.

Speakers

Amir Baradaran

Founder & CEO , ABXR Studio

Description

Introducing a new technology into an organization is always a challenge- funding it, building it and operationalizing it, even more so. This is especially true when the perception is that it could make existing skillsets obsolete.

The creation of 3D content involves new workstreams and new stakeholders, but the aesthetic sensibilities and consumer insights needed to engage customers remain unchanged. The impact of curation and storytelling will never fall away. We need the talent we have today- most of whom have never leveraged 3D assets in their work.

Emotional intelligence has a place on your technology roadmap. It’s a big LOE, of course, but baking it in means you’ll spend a lot less time dragging colleagues into the future kicking and screaming. (Not literally, of course.)

The process is rooted in this basic truth; We need one another.

Speakers

Cynthia Maller

Head of 3D Creative Technology , Walmart

Description

Listen in on a conversation with Meta & Immerse as they discuss the opportunities & pitfalls that come with building a virtual world focused on education. This will be both a lively and candid conversation sharing their behind the scenes experience pioneering cutting edge technology and learning how to balance pedagogical efficacy, quality user experience and scaling a go-to-market strategy.

Speakers

Description

How might we best use XR to power the next generation of healthcare innovation? During this fireside chat with Rebecca Rough, PHD (Defense Health Agency), Col. E. Mark Shusterman, MD (AFWERX), and Maj. Gen. (ret) Josef Schmid III, MD (NASA / Air Force) they will share more about best practices and key considerations around nascent AR/VR technologies enabling remote healthcare solutions, training, and knowledge sharing. 

Speakers

Dr. Rebecca Rough

Innovation Design Strategist , Defense Health Agency

Maj. Gen. (ret) Josef Schmid III

NASA Flight Surgeon & Major General (retired) , NASA

James Colraine

Head of Engagements , AFVentures

Fernando De La Peña Llaca

CEO & President , Aexa Aerospace

Col E. Mark Shusterman, MD

Senior Medical Advisor , AFVentures

Description

Augmented Reality Portals is a new way to fully surround users in a 360 and 3D digital world using their mobile phone. AR Portals combine the “immersiveness” of virtual reality and the ubiquity of the smartphone to create a tool for brands and creators alike to develop magical experiences for everyone.

Take your users on a journey of your factory, have them walk around a virtual store that throws the laws of gravity out the window, or have them go on an interactive adventure while fully immersed in a digital world. These are just a few ideas of what you can do with AR Portals.

AR Portals can be created for Social AR (Snap Lens Studio and Meta's Spark AR Studio) and for WebAR and we'll talk about the pros and cons of both options.

This talk will go over the most frequent use cases for AR Portals, a high-level technical overview, and best practices in creating your own. We will also showcase some of the best AR Portals out there. If you're interested in bringing magic to the world with AR, then I can't wait to share this talk with you.

Speakers

Yoni Binstock

CTO , Atomic Digital Design

Description

In the multisensory virtual experience, the interplay of sight, sound, and touch simulation can enhance our sense of immersion, embodiment, and delight. How far away are we from achieving that? How can we integrate visual, audio, and haptic interfaces to create more compelling experiences? How can we use these tools today to facilitate genuine connection and communication – and what advances do we want to watch out for?

Our panelists will share learnings and observations from their research and development work to exceed the expectations of customers who want new, tactile experiences and unique personal environments. Join us to explore how multisensory experiences might affect the ways in which we create our real (and virtual) spaces.

Speakers

Linda Jacobson

Director of Marketing , HaptX

Jacquelyn Morie

Founder, Chief Scientist , All These Worlds, LLC

Tom Carter

CEO & Co-Founder , Ultraleap

Laura Kusumoto

Enterprise XR Program Manager , Creator

Kip Haynes

Sr. Creative Technologist , Lowe's

Description

Using VR in training and simulation is now more than a stopgap during the pandemic or a fad in the hype of the metaverse. Visionary Training Resources (VTR) and Tobii will share their experience of how VR and eye-tracking technologies convince major airlines to adopt this efficient and cost-effective pilot training approach. With Tobii eye tracking and scalable equipment of VR headsets, training and simulation are empowered by data insights for validation and evaluation. This will meet the needs of more strict and critical training and lead to a truly informed and adaptive approach. Other industries can also learn from this case and get their first movers' advantage.

Speakers

Johan Bouvin

Senior Director of Sales and Business Development , Tobii

Rick Parker

CTO , Visionary Training Resources

Description

iQ3Connect and LG NOVA (LG) will present key aspects of joint applications and services for enterprises in the Metaverse. With the goal to drive real-world business transformation, the presentation will discuss challenges and solutions that enable enterprises to create, deliver and consume complex XR applications at scale in the Enterprise Metaverse.

Speakers

Ali Merchant

CEO , iQ3Connect

Limor Schafman

Director, Strategy + Operations , LG Nova

Description

Pilot Results: What Happens when you give an under-resourced public school VR headsets and train them how to create their own customized “edu-tainment” based curriculum in VR

Speakers

Samantha Aguilar

Chief Design Officer , Exponential Destiny

Marcus Shingles

CEO , Exponential Destiny

Description

Few people believed that the internet would be preferred to television and that a subscription system would be preferred to a one-time purchase, but it happened. And that's because someone prepared for success in advance. Created their blue ocean. Set the sails in advance. Do you see what I mean?

Now, AR is already shining on the market, but an important event for the entire tech world looms on the horizon: the long-awaited release of AR glasses. Giants such as Apple and Samsung are planning their release as early as 2023, and with them, the Quest ecosystem from Meta is actively developing. Imagine that those long-awaited AR glasses are already in your hands. What will you do with them?

Most admit that they are more likely to just twirl the glasses in their hands, try them on a couple of times and then just put them away for a long time. That's because they don't have a user behavior pattern. So, no need to wait for the wind, grab the sail and set it now. After all, AR exists not only in rare expensive gadgets but also in your personal smartphone. If for some reason you think that AR is out of your way and that such behavioral patterns have nothing to do with you, then let's look at AR from the other side.

And to do this, let's discuss the following questions.

- What kind of content will we need tomorrow and how do we start applying it today? What technologies are needed to create it?

- Looking for effective use of AR for the tasks of clients, business? Learning to measure.

- New AR professions of the future

- Don't wait for mass production of AR glasses. How to teach clients and partners to work with AR?

- What can the community start doing today?

Speakers

Anna Belova

CEO & Founder , DEVAR

Description

Flow Founder & CEO Tristan Elizabeth Gribbin reveals insights from the field with corporations like PwC long-term. How emerging AR/VR/XR companies thrive by converting enterprise customers into long-term subscribers. Tristan engages the audience in a discussion on ways to make a splash in the market, how to get leadership to sign on, and ultimately, the value of developing lifetime partnerships.

Speakers

Tristan Gribbin

Founder & CEO , Flow

Description

When Pfizer was scaling up the vaccine production during the pandemic two pain points were identified. The production lines were difficult to access to train new employees and the storage of the product involved complex procedures that required additional guidance.

Join our session on how Pfizer PGS Digital Manufacturing Innovative Technology Team leveraged AR and VR technology to overcome these obstacles and bring the vaccine to the world at lightspeed.

Speakers

Georgios Chantziaras

Sr Associate , Pfizer

Nicholas Hockley

Manager, Smart Factory Technology , Pfizer

Ronan Kelly

Global Digital Transformation , Pfizer

Description

Join us for a deep dive into the VR/AR sector's core challenges, sourced directly from industry professionals. This session aims to arm attendees with actionable insights, strategies, and success stories to navigate these hurdles effectively. Discover the transformative power of community-driven knowledge-sharing and leave inspired to take on the challenges that lie ahead. This isn't just another talk; it's a guide to elevating your XR journey.

Speakers

Daniel Colaianni

Chief Executive , AIXR

Description

Enterprises face common challenges with XR, from overcoming the uncertainty of Metaverse hype to understanding how to start and scale XR implementation and the best products to get you there. Slalom and PIXO VR have partnered to help enterprises cut through the noise and confusion in the XR market. Come learn how we are combining the best XR strategists with the best XR platform and products, plus elite customer care all along the way, to help enterprises run successful XR programs.

Speakers

Sean Hurwitz

CEO, Founder , PIXO VR

Tamarah Usher

Senior Director, Slalom Strategy + Innovation , Slalom

Description

Today's utility and energy sector is being pushed towards change due to the disruptive power of progressive IT technologies. The increasing demand for electricity in developed and, even more, in developing countries with growing cost pressure is making our industry reconsider its ever static business model. With augmented and virtual realities, we are on the way to innovate and reshape our sector.

Speakers

Maissaa Rharrab

Head of XR CoE , Elia

Description

Headset-based AR/VR offers an immersive dive into these new digital worlds, but to many it still feels cumbersome and unfamiliar. As a result, mass adoption is still relatively slow.
3D Lightfield displays offer a naturally immersive, “window-like” 3D look into the Metaverse while leaving users’ faces unencumbered. They can be readily deployed on familiar terminals, from smartphones / tablets to laptops or automotive displays.
Better still, this method ensures compatibility with much of the existing digital content ecosystem, hence democratizing access to the Metaverse and potentially accelerating its deployment.
In this talk, I will review our efforts at Leia to commercialize Lightfield-based mobile devices and our take on how to steadily ramp consumer adoption of the Metaverse.

Speakers

David Fattal

CTO , Leia Inc

Description

Apparel, footwear and accessories brands around the world have been hard at work transitioning from 2D to 3D designs with programs like Clo, Browzwear, Keyshot, Modo and others. First this streamlined the design process, then enabled B2B sales without samples, and now we're seeing incredible, immersive customer experiences across eCommerce, social media, NFTs and game-engines (aka the metaverse). Hear from industry leader Safir Bellali, Senior Director/Advanced Digital Creation at VF Corp and Ashley Crowder, Co-Founder/CEO VNTANA on how brands have transformed their digital product creation process to streamline the 3D journey from design to sales and marketing and beyond.

Speakers

Ashley Crowder

CEO, Co-Founder , VNTANA

Safir Bellali

Sr Director, Advanced Digital Creation , VF Corporation

Description

In this panel discussion, we will talk to three XR champions and leaders who have led successful large-scale deployments at Wal-Mart, Axon, and the Veteran’s Health Administration. While we often are caught up in what the future of XR may be, many need to realize the power that XR is bringing to major organizations today.

You will hear how they are using XR, the results of using VR in their organization, the challenges they faced, and how they scaled their programs. The future is bright for XR, but it is already radically changing how we learn, work, and heal.

Speakers

Robert Murphy

Sr. Director, Virtual Reality , Axon

Jarrad Nagel

Senior Manager - Global Learning Innovations , Walmart

Caitlin Rawlins

Deputy Director, Clinical Tech Innovation , Veterans Affairs

David Burch

Sales Director , ArborXR

Description

This session will review some of the most exciting technological innovations that are being patented throughout the world in the AR / VR / MR space. Numerous examples of patented and patent-pending innovations covering both hardware and software inventions from the smallest companies to the largest companies (e.g., Apple, Microsoft, Google, Facebook) will be provided. Predictions of future patent infringement lawsuits will also be made.

Speakers

Jeff Rosedale

Partner , Baker & Hostetler, LLP

Description

The increasing popularity of XR applications is driving the media industry to explore the creation and delivery of new immersive experiences. A volumetric video consists of a sequence of frames, where each frame is a static 3D representation of a real-world object or scene capture at a different point in time.

However, such contents can consume significant bandwidth. Compression of volumetric video is required to obtain data rates and files sizes that are economically viable in the industry. Standardization is required to ensure interoperability. The Visual Volumetric Video-based Coding (V3C) standard defines a generic mechanism for coding volumetric video and can be used by applications targeting different types of volumetric content, such as point clouds, immersive video with depth or transparency of visual volumetric frames.

The Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) has specified two applications that utilize V3C: Video-based Point Cloud Compression (V-PCC), and MPEG Immersive Video (MIV). This presentation provides an overview of the generic concepts of these technologies associated with the MPEG V3C system part for an efficient volumetric video-based media streaming in applications such as telelearning and XR experiences.

Speakers

VALERIE ALLIE

Video Solutions Group Director , InterDigital

Description

In this talk we'll explore the technology stack required for creating generative XR experiences. We'll discuss the various components of the stack, including the XR platform, programming languages, libraries, and frameworks, and explain how they all work together to create immersive and interactive experiences. Our focus will be on selecting the right XR platform, programming language, libraries, and frameworks for your specific generative XR project. We'll also dive into implementing generative techniques such as procedural generation and artificial intelligence to create unique and engaging experiences. Additionally, we'll discuss the current limitations of generative AI in XR development and the potential benefits and challenges of using generative AI in XR. By the end of the talk, listeners will be equipped with the knowledge and tools to start exploring the possibilities of generative XR and be aware of the current limitations and future possibilities.

Speakers

Jasmine Roberts

Research Engineer , Microsoft Research

Description

Volumetric video technology captures full-body, dynamic human performance in four dimensions. An array of 100+ cameras point inward at a living entity (person, animal, group of people) and record their movement from every possible angle. Processed and compressed video data from each camera becomes a single 3D file – a digital twin of the exact performance that transpired on stage – for use on virtual platforms. Finished volcap assets are small enough to stream on mobile devices but deliver the visual quality detail of 100+ cameras, making them a go-to solution for bringing humans into the Metaverse.

The volumetric video market is expected to grow from $1.5B USD in 2021 to $4.9B USD by 2026 as holographic imaging becomes increasingly crucial for the development of compelling, human-centric immersive content and Metaverse creators strive to solve the “uncanny valley” problem.

The session dives into the latest and greatest applications of volcap in augmented reality across multiple sectors – including fashion, entertainment, AR marketing and branding, enterprise training, and more…

We’ll examine the ground-breaking potential this technology holds for augmented and mixed reality as well as some of the challenges that may face this burgeoning industry.

Speakers

Skylar Sweetman

General Manager , Metastage

Elisha Burrows

Stage Hand , Departure Lounge Inc.

Description

In this talk, Luis will provide a structured overview of the key delivery bottlenecks, what technology advancements are being made and some case examples of recent metaverse implementations spanning transportation, education and entertainment, in order to answer the question: “Are we there yet?!”

Speakers

Luis Oscar Ramirez

Founder and CEO , Mawari

Description

Are you staying ahead of the curve on the immense potential of VR and Eye Tracking? Join us for a presentation to explore the latest trends and success stories of how these cutting-edge technologies have transformed various industries. Discover how VR and eye tracking are revolutionizing areas such as brain health assessments and therapy, vision care, aviation training, and more with real-world examples and practical applications that deliver accurate and efficient solutions.

Speakers

Robert Malmström

Product Manager , Tobii

Amanda Bentley

Senior Director of Integration Sales Americas , Tobii

Description

Augmented reality applications hold immense potential to bring people to go outdoors and share experiences with each other. However, to create seamless mixed reality experiences, AR apps require our devices to display perception and comprehension of our environment. In this presentation, I focus on the technical approaches to provide AR apps with the ability to localize and identify other devices, which by extension enables players to enjoy multiplayer AR experiences in which they can interact with each other directly. Vizar Technologies proposes an image processing approach, in which light pulses are emitted in specific light signatures, to provide direct multiplayer AR in smartphones. Our approach is compared with other common approaches, including GNSS with gravimetric and geomagnetic sensors, facial recognition, and add-on devices. As outlook, a few examples of possible future multiplayer AR experiences are highlighted.

Speakers

Jonas Henriksson

CEO , LightClash AR

Description

If you love live performances but have felt frustrated by their virtualized formats, from jury-rigged social VR to not-actually-live live events in Fortnite and various streaming platforms, this is the workshop for you. Come see a future where anyone can customize a show in real time from their browser, then host it live for potentially hundreds of people in the same virtual space.

In this session, Alex Coulombe of Agile Lens provides a sneak peek at the platform his new company Heavenue is building to make putting on a live show in the metaverse easier than ever. Be among the first to see what it looks like to import assets, set up custom characters, establish environments (including time of day and weather), and cue anything from lights to sets to costumes. How do we attain hyper realism? How do we make experiences accessible across browsers and VR headsets? Is it hard or expensive to bring a live actor's performance into a virtual space? All this and more will be answered. Join us to explore the future of live virtual performance.

Speakers

Alex Coulombe

CEO , Heavenue / Agile Lens

Description

Realistic avatars are fundamental to VR experiences. Avatar SDK leads the way in creating lifelike avatars from selfies. In this discussion, we'll delve into the state of the art and the challenges associated with creating recognizable avatars. Topics will include avatar customization, the uncanny valley, and methods for measuring avatar likeness, as well as the implications of deep fakes.

Speakers

Victor Erukhimov

CEO , Itseez3D

Description

Join us to explore the exciting possibilities of the convergence of VR and eye-tracking technologies and discover how they can be harnessed to understand human conditions and develop groundbreaking solutions. Driving or working while impaired by drugs puts lives at risk. With the legalization of cannabis in many states, the need for reliable impairment detection technology has never been more critical. In this presentation, you will learn how Gaize is pushing the boundaries of innovation by using cutting-edge VR and Tobii eye-tracking technologies to develop a non-invasive, automated, and rapid impairment detection device that is significantly more accurate than even the best-trained humans.

Speakers

Johan Bouvin

Senior Director of Sales and Business Development , Tobii

Ken Fichtler

Founder & CEO , Gaize

Description

While AR and VR technologies focus on bringing everything virtual, there are a number of people bringing it back into the real world. This panel will bring together a dynamic, diverse group of trailblazers that create new experiences incorporating robotics and XR technology. There will be a discussion of hardware and software that enables technology, common challenges and how you can think about linking the real world with the virtual world. If you have ever wanted to found a startup, create entertainment on or off stage or develop useful robots you should come to this talk to better understand what it entails.

Speakers

Giulio Corradi

Fellow , AMD

Russell Nickerson

Partnerships Engagement , MassRobotics

James Tukpah

PhD Candidate Research Assistant , Northeastern University

Colin Gallacher

President & Co-Founder , Haply Robotics

Description

We are currently experiencing a shift from siloed applications and technologies towards new forms of realities. Realities that change human life through technology. Many of these technologies have been on the market for a considerable time. Now these technologies, industries, countries, and humans become deeply intertwined. We are living in a period of profound convergence with unprecedented possibilities. For the better and the worse.

While companies are seemingly fast-tracking humanity into their envisioned futures, the legal systems are struggling. Many people wonder: can the legal systems keep pace? We believe they can and we'll show you how.

Speakers

Anita Lamprecht

Ambassador , Liquid Legal Institute

Description

This fireside chat will explore the past, present and future of VR fitness, its problems and opportunities. We will discuss:

• How did VR fitness become a stable market with a strong following, high user retention and a fast-growing developer community?

• How do VR and VR fitness improve health and mobility, and how can they be used for injury recovery and rehabilitation?

• What are the new trends in VR hardware and how can developers and users benefit from them?

• What are the new opportunities in enterprise markets?

Speakers

Keith Leddington

Director of Partnerships , FitXR

Ivan Isakov

CTO , Valkyrie Industries

Description

No other topic took us by storm quite like the metaverse. Its ability to provide seamless, immersive digital experiences due to its always-on connectivity also offers substantial potential for industrial use. So how can we transfer this concept to the enterprise market? And how will AR/VR experiences become more scalable? Get insights in the enterprise perspective from Peter Verrillo (Enhatch) and Kurt Scheuringer (Lockheed Martin). Join Susanne Haspinger (Holo-Light) and Evan Helda (AWS) as they introduce a new cloud platform to create the Industrial Metaverse – enabling industrial AR/VR use cases that were not scalable or even possible before.

Speakers

Susanne Haspinger

Co-founder and COO , Holo-Light

Evan Helda

SR. Specialist Spatial Computing , Amazon Web Services

Peter Verillo

CEO , Enhatch

Description

The presentation "Scaling VR Simulation Production in the Oil & Gas Industry" explores the rapidly expanding application of virtual reality (VR) in the energy sector. Particular focus will be on Linde, a leading global industrial gases and engineering company, that has been at the forefront of utilising VR technology to enhance their training and operations.

This case study will explore how Linde has successfully scaled their VR simulation production, the challenges they've encountered, the solutions they've implemented, and the impacts on their operational efficiency and safety performance. We will examine the strategies Linde used in building their Virtual Academy, the key learnings from their journey, and how these insights could be applied across the Oil & Gas industry in the face of increasing operational complexity and safety challenges.

We will discuss the opportunities and challenges associated with the large-scale production of VR simulations and we will explore the current state of VR technology, its potential for creating safer and more effective training programs, and the barriers to its wide adoption. We'll also delve into the production of VR simulations, discussing scalability strategies, cost optimisation, and quality control, as well as highlighting successful case studies from the field.

Attendees can look forward to a comprehensive understanding of how to design, produce, and deploy VR simulations at scale, as well as insights on addressing the unique demands of the Oil & Gas industry.

This presentation is ideal for industry professionals, VR solution developers, and educators interested in leveraging cutting-edge technology for practical and high-impact applications in the energy sector.

Speakers

Jake Skoric

COO , Delta Reality

Simon Stör

Group Lead Product Management , Linde Engineering

Description

svarmony revolutionizes indoor navigation with aryve, the cutting-edge augmented reality platform that is transforming the way we explore and experience indoor spaces.

In this presentation, we will delve into the breakthrough technology behind the aryve and how VPS systems have a high potential for disrupting industries, improving user experiences, and generating new business opportunities.

Join us as we navigate the uncharted territory of AR indoor wayfinding and unveil the possibilities it offers.

Speakers

Sascha Kiener

Founder & Owner , svarmony Technologies Inc.

Description

Many businesses struggle with getting users on their SDK, platform, or product. Learn how you can grow your business by appealing to average consumers and working with the XR community. Create a win-win situation for XR businesses and users.

Speakers

Dinesh Punni

Founder and CEO , Immersive Insiders

Description

News organizations were one of the first to embrace 360VR content. Now Paramount’s CBS News Bay Area and CreatorUp have taken immersive storytelling back into the spotlight. In the last 5 months, five customized storytelling projects set engagement and viewership records as Scott Warren from Paramount and Dan Krolczyk from CreatorUp were able to merge teams to remove obstacles. Join the session for an opportunity to see the fifth season finale’ of stories that range from the snowcapped mountains of Tahoe to raging Pacific outside the Golden Gate Bridge. Learn more about how Insta360, HTC Vive and other partners helped along the way.

Speakers

Dan Krolczyk

Director of Global Partnerships , ELB Learning

Scott Warren

President & General Mgr of KPIX & KBCW & CBS News Bay Area Stream , Paramount

Description

Web browsing through XR enables users to navigate and interact with traditional web-based content as well as immersive Web XR experiences. This session will explore the technical challenges and design opportunities of creating a Web browser designed specifically for XR devices.

Join us as we discuss the building of Wolvic, a multiplatform and open source Web browser for XR. Attendees are encouraged to engage in the presentation, ask questions, and join the project of this web browsing project for XR.

Speakers

Juan José Sánchez Penas

Co-Owner, CEO , Igalia

Description

Storytelling IP is well-known for making transmedia journeys, from books to movies to comics to TV shows and even Instagram stories and AR activations. Now, the Metaverse provides yet another place for IP to shine. Here, fans can not just engage with the stories and characters they love, but own a piece of them.

The NFT landscape supports both top-down and bottom-up storytelling. We’ll bring our audience up to date on the current state of storytelling in the Metaverse and cite case studies of specific NFT projects, including our own, that shine a light on new ways to tell stories. Some NFTs evoke a story, have a backstory or inspire the viewer to create a new story. Our collections are unique in and of themselves and shine a light on a new frontier of storytelling in the Metaverse and a new business model: the world’s next Kickstarter.

Speakers

Eve Weston

CEO/Creator of Realities , Exelauno

Iris Ichishita

Filmmaker, Producer , Toekenz

Description

By replacing avatars with authentic humans, you can truly experience holographic collaboration. It enables deeper personal connections and trust building, specially for greater impact and engagement in employee training and onboarding. We discuss how a volumetric video cloud can help solving scalability and interoperability challenges of live volumetric video, for holograms are only as powerful as their flexibility and accessibility to be consumed on your PC, smartphone, or XR device. Real people, virtually anywhere.

Speakers

Javier Bello Ruiz

CXO & Co-Founder , IMVERSE

Brent Milliken

CEO , IMVERSE

Description

By 2030, the global esports industry is expected to reach over $4.7 billion. While only a fraction of that is VR esports, the fact is that twenty years ago no one could've anticipated the value, appeal, or evolution of traditional esports. Now it's exciting to anticipate the future of competitive VR, which beautifully combines technology and physicality for sport.

Join this group of expert panelists as they discuss how players, community moderators, content creators, event organizers, and others play an essential role in the development of VR esports and the communities overall.

Speakers

Amy Stormant

Content Creator | Reporter , VR Community Builders

Tabby Gibbs

Manager of League Community and Broadcasting Manager , Virtualities

Dewey Blankenship

Founder , VR Party League

Ace Eddleman

Author & Board Member , International VR League

Christopher Vezina

Founder , VR ESPORTS LEAGUE

Description

Do you want to be a pioneer in the Metaverse? Do you want to learn the fundamental principles to create a successful Metaverse strategy that ensures your company stays competitive and achieves maximum customer engagement? By attending this presentation from thought leaders Barton Goldenberg and Tim Bajarin, you will learn an 8-step methodology for doing business in the Metaverse.

Goldenberg and Bajarin will share Metaverse case study videos as well as technical and business ‘action items’ you can immediately apply to ensure your company prospers doing business in the Metaverse. This is one presentation you will not want to miss!

Speakers

Barton Goldenberg

President , ISM Inc.

Tim Bajarin

President , Creative Strategies

Description

Creating a new reality with Snapdragon Powered Devices: Join Said Bakadir, Sr Director of XR Product Management at Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. as he leads a lively discussion with XR OEMs about the challenges they face and the successes they have achieved in XR.

Speakers

Yi Xu

Director of XR Technology , OPPO

Said Bakadir

Sr. Director, Product Management , Qualcomm

Brian Hamilton

VP, Sales and Marketing , DigiLens

Vishal Shah

General Manager, XR & Metaverse , Lenovo

Description

Join us for a thought-provoking panel discussion on the impact of extended reality (XR) on the fashion industry and its implications for brands and user engagement. Our panel of experts will delve into the ways in which XR technology is changing the fashion landscape and how it is being used to enhance the shopping experience for consumers. We will also explore the potential for XR to increase sustainability in the industry by reducing the need for physical products, as well as its impact on supply chain management and production processes. Don't miss this opportunity to gain insights and understanding of the future of fashion in the XR era.

Speakers

David Robustelli

Creative Technologist , Beyond

Skye Featherstone

Head of AR Enterprise Product Strategy , Snap, Inc.

Celine Tricart

President, Co-Founder , Coven

Nelly Mensah

VP of Digital Innovation , LVMH

Description

The landscape around us is changing - VPS solutions open possibilities for location-based experiences for tourists, shoppers, sport event visitors - everyone who is out and about. How to tackle that challenge and make those experiences engaging - Juha Lystilä and Pablo Colapinto will discuss this in their presentation.

Speakers

Pablo Colapinto

Head of Immersive , Nexus Studios

Juha Lystila

VP, Sales, Americas , Immersal

Description

The ability to effectively and efficiently interact with and understand indoor spaces creates opportunities and significantly benefits industries that rely on indoor navigation, such as retail, hospitality and healthcare. Aryve is an advanced solution from svarmony that provides users with an innovative approach to the challenges of indoor navigation. Unlike traditional navigation methods such as GPS, aryve integrates state-of-the-art Visual Positioning Systems (VPS) that enable precise indoor positioning and orientation.

In his presentation, Sascha Kiener, CEO of svarmony, will go into detail about the critical technology behind aryve and the opportunities it creates to bring about change in various industries. By seamlessly connecting the physical and digital worlds, aryve offers a new “navigation experience.” From assisting visitors in large shopping malls to improving patient navigation in complex hospital structures, the tool demonstrates a wide range of applications.

As adoption of the technology increases, companies have the opportunity to differentiate themselves from their competitors by providing AR in-vehicle navigation. In addition, new revenue streams can emerge through partnerships, data monetization and personalized advertising.

The presentation highlights the potential of aryve and what benefits it provides to those who adopt the technology. Through the use of VPS systems and augmented reality, indoor navigation is on the verge of a significant redesign that promises improved user experiences and new business opportunities across various industries.

Speakers

Sascha Kiener

Founder & Owner , svarmony Technologies Inc.