Latest news with #AWE2025
Associated Press
18 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
AUGMENTED WORLD EXPO REVEALS 2025 AUGGIE AWARD WINNERS, BEST IN SHOW AND XR LEGENDS
AWE Celebrates Innovation and Legacy in an Unforgettable Milestone for the XR Industry LONG BEACH, Calif., June 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Augmented World Expo USA 2025 is a wrap! The world's largest event for XR and spatial computing concluded today with the announcement of BEST IN SHOW winners: Best in Show – Snap Inc. Best in Show Playground – Anywhere Bungee VR Best in Show Gaming Hub – TRIP THE LIGHT by Dark Arts Software The winners for the Virtual World Society Nextant Prizes, presented by Tom Furness and Alvin Graylin, are: Rising Star Prize – Danny Pimentel Legacy Prize – Jaron Lanier The XR industry is also celebrating a new lineup of champions. The Auggie Awards have been the most recognized XR and spatial computing industry awards in the world since 2010. Now in their 16th year, the Auggies continue to showcase the best of the best. 20 of the world's most innovative and game-changing developers, brands and creators were recognized with Auggie Awards. See the full list below. In addition,10 pioneers of XR were celebrated by the 2025 XR Hall of Fame, recognizing their lasting contributions to the field. The full list of inductees can be viewed here. AWE USA 2025 was packed with exciting news from exhibitors including Snap, Qualcomm, Niantic Spatial, XREAL, Lenovo and more. See highlights of announcements from the show — here. The Auggie Award winners are….. Best Art or Film – Non-Player Character Musical by Brendan Bradley: The first live, interactive VR musical, debuting with 24 shows at the 2024 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Video here. Best Campaign – OREO X PAC-MAN SUPERMARCADE by ARKx | Form & Fun |Saatchi & Saatchi Germany: AR shopping experience turning supermarket aisles into a Pac-Man maze, combining digital fun with physical retail via WebAR. Video here. Best Climate Change Solution – Burn Zone: Immersive Truths from California's Wildfires by Lucid Reality Labs: VR experience immersing viewers in the Los Angeles wildfires, fostering empathy and action through an exploration of environmental devastation and climate adaptation. Video here. Best Collaboration Tool – Campfire: A platform for sharing 3D models in life-size spatial environments, enabling real-time collaboration for faster feedback, fewer errors, and quicker product delivery. Video here. Best Consumer App – Pencil! by 4th Wall Breakers: AR-powered drawing app that blends real paper and pencils with mixed-reality lessons, making learning drawing skills fun and easy for all levels. Video here. Best Content Creator(s) – Dilmer Valecillos XR YouTube Channel by Learn XR LLC: Resource for XR developers, offering tutorials and deep dives into AR/VR tools, simplifying complex tech into practical content that empowers a global community and highlights the latest innovations. Video here. Best Creator & Authoring Tool – Niantic Studio: 8th Wall's web-based visual editor lets anyone build and deploy immersive AR/XR experiences with real-time editing, drag-and-drop tools, and advanced features—no coding or app needed. Video here. Best Developer Tool – Lens Studio by Snap Inc: Free AR authoring platform used by 375,000+ creators to design and deploy custom AR experiences across Snapchat, websites, apps, and Spectacles, featuring tools like Ray Tracing, Snap ML, and Lens Cloud. Video here. Best Education & Training Solution – XR Guru Healthcare Pathways Training by XR Guru: AI-powered VR training platform offering immersive, language-supported healthcare courses for CNA, LPN, and nursing licensure, featuring critical thinking exercises and patient simulations. Video here. Best Enterprise Solution – Cactus by Auki Labs - Spatial AI for Retail by Auki Labs: A spatial AI solution that optimizes shelf space, workforce management, and operations, providing real-time insights and integrating with robots and AI to revolutionize retail. Video here. Best Game or Toy – Spatial Ops by Resolution Games: A groundbreaking multiplayer shooter that turns real-world spaces into dynamic battlefields, blending physical and digital realities with customizable arenas and immersive game modes like Free-for-All and Capture the Flag. Video here. Best Headworn Device – XREAL One Series by XREAL: Pioneering cinematic AR glasses with next-gen 3DoF spatial computing, Bose sound, and an optional 6DoF camera, setting a new standard in AR with exceptional visual and audio performance. Video here. Best Healthcare & Wellness Solution – Fundamental Surgery by FundamentalVR: Multimodal spatial computing platform transforming vision care and surgical training with immersive simulations and real-time multi-user capabilities to train clinicians in sight-restoring procedures, improving global healthcare outcomes. Video here. Best Indie Creator(s) – Ferryman Collective: VR theatre company redefining live performance with award-winning productions like The Severance Theory and Gumball Dreams, earning accolades at festivals like Tribeca, SXSW, and Venice. Video here. Best Interaction Product – Omni One by Virtuix Inc: Immersive entertainment system combining a specialized treadmill, standalone VR headset, and game store access, with wireless SteamVR connection for an expanded gaming experience. Video here. Best Location-Based Entertainment – AR in Google Maps for Paris Olympics by Rock Paper Reality & Google: AR experience embedding 3D models of Paris landmarks into Google Maps, offering immersive, geospatial explorations via Google Lens and Street View, revolutionizing location-based AR. Video here. Best Societal Impact – Sign Language Translator by Frame Sixty, LLC: Real-time sign language translation app for Apple Vision Pro that instantly converts sign language into speech and text, enabling seamless communication between Deaf and hearing individuals. Video here. Best Use of AI – Medical AI Agent by Lucid Reality Labs: AI-driven training solution featuring a digital twin of Dr. Patrick Schoettker, offering real-time expert feedback and immersive XR simulations to enhance healthcare education and reduce errors. Video here. Best Web3 Implementation – The Posemesh by Auki Labs by Auki Labs: A decentralized machine perception network using Auki Network and Posemesh to enable privacy-preserving spatial computing, powering collaborative mapping for XR and robotics. Video here. Start Up to Watch – Verse Immersive by Enklu MEDIA CONTACT: [email protected] View original content: SOURCE AWE (Augmented World Expo)
Tom's Guide
a day ago
- Tom's Guide
Best of AWE 2025: The top 7 XR gadgets that caught our eye
Augmented World Expo (AWE) is a show focused on the world of virtual reality headsets and smart glasses, and how those devices are changing the future. The 2025 edition was a leap forward from previous years with a massive presence from well-known tech companies like Qualcomm, Sony, and Meta. Smart glasses are getting better and better, and headsets like the Meta Quest 3 are receiving more ways to play and work. And we haven't even mentioned the various wearables that can connect with your phone or these devices. Much of the show is focused on the future of headsets and glasses, but there were a number of products that are coming soon or are available now. We were able to go hands-and face-on with several products. Here's our picks for the best of AWE 2025 that you need to know about. Yes, these are the AR glasses that Viture has been teasing for a while now. While I can't tell you much about my hands-on time until they are announced, the fact that I've immediately given them the "best of show" trophy is hopefully enough of a green flag of what you'll get here. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. And what you do get is the best screen I've ever seen with a massive 60-degree field of view — all with that same great color production that Viture is known for. On top of that, with such a huge field of view, the glasses don't look or feel significantly larger to pull it off, and there's zero fringing around the outer edges of the display. Put simply, if you've been waiting for the best external display for your eyes on long journeys, I recommend you wait for these. Snapchat had a massive presence at AWE 2025 with multiple demos of its current Snap Spectacles, including AI-enabled object recognition and linked glasses for multi-person experiences. The biggest news was that its rebranded Specs will launch in 2026. Developers have had access to the prototype versions of the new smart glasses since late 2024, with a ton of expected "Lenses" or apps already in development. Snap CEO Evan Spiegel announced that the new glasses would be lighter and a "much smaller form factor" than the current Spectacles and the dev kits that we've seen. AWE 2025 was filled with VR accessories that ranged from haptic gloves to giant mech-suit-esque apparati. Unfortunately, many were either prototypes, meant for businesses, or too big for most people to feasibly use in their homes (looking at you, MEK). bHaptics showed off its TactSuit, a series of wearable VR accessories that add haptic feedback to your VR gaming. And we got to try some, including a vest, gloves, and sleeves. The accessories work with the Meta Quest 3 headset and were a lot of fun, even during simple tech demos. They're a bit spendy, but if you're invested in VR gaming, they are worth the cost. Controlling AR content on glasses has been a bit of a minefield. Either you've got to use a secondary device like a wand (like the Xreal Beam Pro), or it's a whole hand-tracking situation that doesn't really work without more raw computation. That's where the KiWear Smart Ring comes in — accurately capturing pinch and hand movements to a degree that it all feels like spatial computing without the need for an Apple Vision Pro on your face. Whether it's pinching to select, swirling your finger around to change the volume, or turning your hand palm-up for additional interactions, it's all here with this ring. It could possibly bring on a new wave of controlling AR content. We all know that AI goes hand-in-hand with smart glasses to deliver an immeasurably better experience — take a look at the Ray-Ban Metas for example. But it can all be a bit impersonal. How do you make that AI more personalized to you? A lot of sensors, and that's what Emteq is doing. Simply put, this company has delivered a fitness and wellness tracker better than any smart watch or smart ring ever could be. With nine optical sensors, it's able to measure your facial muscles to a near-microscopic level. This has uses in being able to create an avatar for talking in video calls, but the real immediate benefit I saw is in healthcare. Not only can you use the cameras to take a picture of your food and use ChatGPT to give you a caloric breakdown of what you're about to eat, but you can also get a reading on whether you're chewing too fast, which may cause digestion problems. And then the subconscious muscle twitches in your face can give it a read on your emotional well-being too. This is true personalized AI, and a look at what smart glasses could be as real assistants. The Wizpr ring caught us by surprise as we wandered the AWE 2025 show floor. It's an AI-enabled smart ring that features a microphone you can use to speak with AI. We tested it, and you can just about whisper, as the name implies, into the ring to give it commands or prompts. On the loud show floor, we were able to ask questions like, "What's the weather like?" or "How far away is the nearest Starbucks?" and the interface appeared to hear and understand the prompts. It can also be used to control some smart home devices like lights or media in your AirPods. Snapdragon AR1+ is a turbo-boosted version of what you see in the Ray-Ban Metas, but it's so much more than that. You see, one of the common obstacles with AI in smart glasses is the time taken to receive a response from the cloud, or latency. But this is able to run a 1-billion parameter model entirely locally, which is great for both privacy and speed. On top of that, there are improvements to camera quality, display quality, and energy efficiency. This chip puts Qualcomm on a path towards smart glasses that cut the cord to any phone or additional computing puck, and sets them towards a future where your smart glasses could replace what you may be reading this on right now.
GSM Arena
2 days ago
- GSM Arena
Samsung showcases a VR headset screen with 20,000 nits brightness along with other display tech
As Samsung is preparing to launch its first mixed-reality headset, dubbed Project Moohan, the Korean tech giant showcased a cutting-edge OLEDoS panel for such headsets, capable of reaching 20,000 nits of brightness. OLEDoS panels are the same as standard OLED screens, but instead of using a glass or plastic substrate for the backplane, they use silicon, which allows higher brightness, resolution and pixel density. It's mostly used on small screens, and Samsung paired it with a Micro Lens Array to enhance brightness and viewing angles further. However, we don't know if Samsung will use that 1.3-inch panel for its XR headset, but it might end up using its flagship OLEDoS panel with 5,000 ppi and 15,000 nits peak brightness, and 120Hz variable refresh rate. It was showcased last month. During the Augmented World Expo (AWE) 2025 in the US, the company revealed several other cutting-edge displays - White OLEDoS panel, two QD-OLED gaming monitors, a Flexible Gaming OLED, a 12.4-inch rollable and foldable panel, a multi-foldable OLED and a micro-LED stretchable display. Source
Gizmodo
3 days ago
- Gizmodo
Snap Says Its ‘Lightweight' AR Glasses Are Probably, Definitely, For Sure, Arriving Next Year
AR glasses are all the rage, and Snap doesn't want to be left out of the party. Between Meta and its Ray-Ban glasses, Xreal and its partnership with Google, and a rumored Samsung entrant that could arrive any day now, the smart glasses field is hot right now. No matter how crowded the field is getting, though, there's still one thing no one has yet to offer: augmented reality glasses with screens and all in a lightweight form factor that's similar to regular glasses. According to Snap, however, that AR unicorn is on its way. At Augmented World Exhibition (AWE) 2025, an annual expo for all things AR/XR, Snap said its next-gen spectacles, which are both 'lightweight' and 'immersive,' will be launching next year. The details are still scant on pretty much everything, but based on its description of next year's Specs, the company behind Snapchat seems to think it's cracked the code. 'We believe the time is right for a revolution in computing that naturally integrates our digital experiences with the physical world, and we can't wait to publicly launch our new Specs next year,' said Snap CEO Evan Spiegel in a statement. 'We couldn't be more excited about the extraordinary progress in artificial intelligence and augmented reality that is enabling new, human-centered computing experiences. We believe Specs are the most advanced personal computer in the world, and we can't wait for you to see for yourself.' There are some other equally vague hints at what we can expect out of next year's Specs, including mentions of AI, to no one's surprise, and applications with gaming, streaming, web browsing, and *sigh* work. That tells us a little bit about what we can expect, but also kind of nothing. One thing is for sure, though, and that's that Snap and Spiegel have been working towards making the definitive, groundbreaking pair of AR glasses for quite a while now. In 2019, Spiegel said smart glasses are still 10 years from mass adoption, and if my math is correct, it's 2025 and not 2029, so these upcoming Specs may just be a precursor still. Snap definitely has some work cut out for itself before it can call its Specs 'lightweight.' Current versions look more like a Halloween costume than something you'd want to wear to the park. Whatever Snap ends up releasing, it's going to have some competitors. Google just recently unveiled a partnership with AR glasses company Xreal that combines the company's Android XR operating system with Xreal's hardware. That's still in development at the moment, but it's clear that Google is actively taking strides towards throwing its hat into the AR glasses world in earnest. Then there's Meta. While the Ray-Ban smart glasses are just a glimmer of what smart glasses can be, Meta reportedly has plans to inch towards a pair of Ray-Bans that feels more futuristic, which would include the use of an actual display inside the lens for navigation, notifications, and more. That's not even counting Meta's Project Orion glasses, which combine elements of VR headsets like real compute power with the smaller form factor of glasses. Neither of those is a consumer product, but a lot can happen in a few years. For now, Snap will take a similar route to what we've seen already on the smart glasses front. It announced at AWE that Snap OS, the operating system that powers its Specs, will integrate both Google's Gemini AI and OpenAI's ChatGPT to offer 'multimodal AI-powered' experiences. That should look similar to what we've seen with Meta's AI integration that lets you use on-device cameras to take in your surroundings and offer feedback. For example, looking at a pair of shoes and saying, 'WHAT ARE THOSE?' and having your glasses (hopefully) tell you what you're looking at. I hope for everyone's sake that whatever the integration is, it works better than Meta AI—an AI experience that I've found to be finicky at best. Either way, by Spiegel's own words, Snap is still a player in the AR glasses game, and next year may be the year we find out how much of a competitor it really is. As someone who's pretty excited about the AR glasses space, I'm hoping that it actually delivers on its vision before it gets swallowed by competition.
Forbes
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Curtain Raiser: AWE 2025 Brings XR Into The Mainstream
The room was packed for Ori Inbar's keynote. Augmented World Expo (AWE) returns to Long Beach from June 10 to 12, 2025, with its most expansive and ambitious edition to date. Now in its 16th year, the XR industry's flagship conference will host over 5,000 attendees, 250 exhibitors, and a speaker lineup that reads like a who's who of immersive tech. As the spatial computing and AI worlds collide, AWE 2025 promises to be a milestone event in the evolution of real-world XR adoption. Ori Inbar, AWE co-founder and CEO, celebrates his 15th annual keynote on stage at AWE 2024. This year's theme: XR is going mainstream. 'The hardware is good enough, the tools are mature, and AI has lowered the barrier to entry,' AWE co-founder Ori Inbar said during a recent interview on the AI/XR Podcast. 'There's no excuse now. It's a call to builders to create content for every person on this planet.' Collage of people on the Expo floor. AWE 2025 reflects that shift with expanded programming across the board. For the first time, both the conference and expo floor will run for a full three days, preceded by hackathons and a welcome party. Meta, Snap, Niantic, Google, Qualcomm, and XREAL are all sending top executives. Evan Spiegel (Snap), Nolan Bushnell (Atari), and Palmer Luckey (Anduril) headline a packed keynote slate. Shots from AWE Expo 2021. The show will spotlight three subcommunities shaping the future of XR. The new 'Builder's Nexus' showcases top teams from this year's global hackathons, many of whom are using generative AI tools to build spatial experiences. A dedicated 'Gaming Hub' will feature trailers and live demos from 10 VR studios, plus appearances by top content creators like Nacy, Nathie, and SadlyItsBradley. Enterprise XR, which now represents 71% of the market, will be served by a bespoke VIP program tailored to verticals such as healthcare, manufacturing, retail, and defense. 'We used to ask what the killer app for XR would be,' said Inbar. 'Now we realize it's AI itself—and vice versa. XR is the killer interface for AI.' Montage of attendees experiencing XR at AWE 2024. The synergy is most visible on the show floor, where nearly every exhibitor will feature some AI integration. Over 20 eyewear companies will be demoing headsets, glasses, and AI assistants. Snap's next-generation Spectacles will be out in force, worn by hundreds of developers. Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses, which sold over 500,000 units in Q1 alone, signal a tipping point for mainstream wearable adoption. And as always, AWE's Playground will serve as the festival's beating heart. Larger-than-life installations and interactive demos, including an expanded version of Brett Bushnell's 'Dream Park,' will draw crowds eager to experience the next frontier of computing. Trying out the HoloLens at AWE 2017. For newcomers and veterans alike, AWE remains the must-attend event for anyone working at the intersection of immersive media, AI, and real-world application. 'You get a master's degree in XR in three days,' said AR Insider's Mike Boland . 'There's nothing else like it.' AWE 2025 may not mark the beginning of the XR era—but it might be remembered as the year it stopped being a niche. Here is a quick preview of some brands and experiences at the show this year. Niantic founder and CEO John Hanke. Niantic Spatial, a newly created company spun out from Niantic Labs, is making a significant debut, with news of three important new partnerships, an invite-only geospatial AI agent and outdoor VPS demo. At its lounge area Niantic Spatial will offer 12 cutting-edge demos highlighting enterprise use cases for spatial technology in warehousing, spatial planning, and immersive entertainment. Brian McClendon will also be delivering a keynote. At Qualcomm's booth, attendees can check out MR & AR demos spanning various sectors, including entertainment, education, fitness and more. In addition, Ziad Asghar, SVP & GM of XR at Qualcomm will present a keynote titled, Accelerating the Spatial Computing Revolution for Developers and Enterprise. He'll showcase how Qualcomm is powering the AI smart glass revolution and driving the technology necessary for AI glasses to be a stand-alone product with processing done all on-device, and he'll highlight and demonstrate its technology leadership across the spectrum of spatial computing, enabling the experiences accessible today and building future proof solutions for the future. Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Snap Inc Evan Spiegel (R) and France's Secretary of State ... More for AI and Digital Technology Clara Chappaz (L) wear the Spectacle Augmented Reality glasses during the inauguration of the group's French headquarters in Paris on May 19, 2025. (Photo by JOEL SAGET / AFP) (Photo by JOEL SAGET/AFP via Getty Images) AWE attendees are invited to explore the latest Snap Spectacles activations on the second floor of Long Beach Convention Center, available throughout the event. Snap CEO and Co-Founder Evan Spiegel will take to the Main Stage on Day 1 with exciting new announcements about Snap's AR developer platform, and there will be other Snap talks throughout the show. Xreal founder and CEO speaking at Augmented World Expo in Santa Clara, CA, June 2023. XREAL will be showing its new smart glasses—Project Aura—designed specifically for the Android XR platform, for the first time anywhere. It will also be demoing the ultra-popular XREAL One Series AR glasses with spatial computing capabilities. Also available for demo will be the XREAL EYE, a modular camera attachment for the One Series. Sony XYN (/zin/) will unveil its latest immersive technology. Attendees will get an exclusive first look at its newest innovations designed to redefine the boundaries of XR experiences. From cutting-edge hardware including a glasses-free 3D display, motion capture system and XR headsets to groundbreaking software solutions such as Motion Studio and Spatial Capture, Sony XYN will showcase transformative tools that enable the future of spatial computing and immersive content creation. Auki Labs will showcase real-world solutions in the AR/AI and robotics space. Experience seamless AR navigation in the AWE venue by simply scanning a QR code—no app, no account setup, just magic. Used by retail chains in Europe and NA, Cactus enhances spatial reasoning for AI, humans, and robots, creating spatial tasks, analyzing location-based data, and facilitating robot deployments and interactions - bringing retail into the new world. Cellid's CEO Satoshi Shiraga will preview how Cellid's latest waveguide and lens breakthroughs are helping push AR glasses toward truly wearable, consumer-grade form factors. It will showcase its ultra-thin, lightweight waveguide that improves visual clarity across diverse environments, reducing eye strain and enhancing long-term wearability, as well as next-Gen Precision Fit Lenses with enhanced resolution, compactness, and design flexibility for future AR glasses — optimized for all-day comfort and slimmer profiles. Cellid will also preview a collaboration with an AR glasses manufacturer and a next-gen headset prototype using Cellid's optics.
