AWE XR 2024 Museum Recap

              AWE XR 2024 Museum Recap

The 15th Augmented World Expo (AWE) USA celebrated a breakthrough year at its Long Beach, CA location! AWE is the world's #1 spatial computing event series for the AR & VR (XR) industry where you can try hundreds of the latest demos, learn from talks by top leaders, and network with peers.‍

This year, the 3-day event included:

• 5000 attendees
• 575 Speakers
• 300 Exhibitors
• 101 Pioneers inducted to the XR Hall of Fame
• 23 Auggie Awards Winners

Read on for more info and daily recaps of the epic event!  

Julian Reyes is honored to have participated for the second year in a row as presenter and sold out XR Mixer DJ, hosted by XR Guild and Virtual World Society. 

The XR Guild is made of professionals working in Spatial Computing (including XR, AI and the Metaverse) who are dedicated to building products with the most ethical outcomes. We are committed to the idea that ethics lives in all of us -- designers, programmers, PMs, and CEOs.

Dr. Tom Furness is known as the Grandfather of Virtual Reality and has spent nearly six decades implementing emerging technologies for the betterment of all. Tom founded the Virtual World Society to inspire and harness human imagination to build a better world.

Julian was also part of a panel on Creative Frontiers: Navigating the Artistic Landscape in the Age of AI. Fellow panelists included Craig Allen of NewCo, Evo Heyning of Realitycraft, Rachel Joy Victor of FBRC.ai, and Erin Reilly of the University of Texas at Austin.

View the panel presentation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7J1hQtDtpM

Day 1 Recap

‍The Opening Keynote was by Ori Inbar, CEO and Co-Founder of AWE and Super Ventures, who welcomed a jam-packed room full of attendees to this special anniversary year in his keynote speech. Ori emphasized the synergy between AI and XR, and encouraged the audience to “Stop worrying” and instead learn to love AI, stating “We work really well together.” He did add a cautionary note, however, stating “If we make sure we focus our efforts on combining AI and XR, it can keep humans in control, and will keep us human.”

Walking onto the Main Stage right after AWE’s CEO was Said Bakadir, Sr. Director, Product Management at Qualcomm, for his Creating the Immersive Future talk. The company of course has a long history with AWE, going back many years to the very early days of the conference.

After Qualcomm’s talk, Bobby Murphy, Snap’s CTO and Co-Founder took to the stage to present on Advancing Snap AR Through Generative AI. He was joined by Social AR Developer, Influencer and Designer Paige Piskin, and Mike Boland, AR Insider’s Chief Analyst.

In Po Gets A New Platform: How Studios Like Universal Pictures, Roblox, Universal Pictures, Sawhorse and Variety came together to discuss their brand IP collaboration for Kung Fu Panda 4 in the social gaming platform - The Kung Fu Panda 4 Obby on Roadblocks. The panel's collaboration to make the most of branded IP stood out. The group noted how spatial activations in Roblox reign-in existing fans and help filmmakers reach new audiences with gaming.

‍Day 2 Recap

Kicking things off on the Main Stage this morning was Brian Bam McClendon and Erik Murphy-Chutorian from Niantic. In Spatial Computing Needs a New Map, they explored how Niantic is setting the foundation for immersive real-world experiences by providing the necessary services and creation tools to make the real world “spatial.” McClendon demonstrated how Niantic's tools can now offer symmetrical shared experiences, where two users can simultaneously experience a shared spatial experience at the same time, from either an AR or VR device. He also reminded the audience of the company's news from yesterday that its new Niantic Studio visual interface is now available for free.

The history talk We Need a Super Cockpit for the Mind followed. On the Main Stage, XR Hall of Famer, Founder & Chairman of the Virtual World Society, and the Grandfather of VR himself, Tom Furness provided an update on the work of the Virtual World Society, and recounted some of his history in developing the Super Cockpit for the USAF in the 70s-80s.

AWE also proudly celebrated the 4th annual XR Women Award winners who were announced at the Expo Stage. The 2024 winners included: Sonya Haskins, AWE Head of Program - Impact, Dr. Muhsinah Morris, Morehouse College - Trailblazer, Amy Hedrick, Cleanbox - Innovation.

Last but not least, the 15th anniversary of AWE marked a record year for the Auggie Awards (AKA "The Auggies") – AWE's long-standing XR industry awards. They received the highest ever number of nominations, and a new record number of finalists were also selected this year. Plus, with the addition of four brand new categories, they can proudly announce that the 2024 Auggies include the most winners ever too! To see the full list of Auggie winners, go to: https://www.awexr.com/blog/AWE-USA-2024-Auggies-Winners

‍Day 3 Recap 

On the Healthcare & Wellness stage “Can Virtual Reality Transform the Prison System?” was the hypothetical question asked by Creative Acts, an art therapy organization that works with people who are imprisoned in the California Correctional System. The answer is yes, using VR to help incarcerated people imagine a world beyond the prison walls is making prisons safer, getting people out of solitary confinement, and returning people to their communities with the skills they need to stay free! 

On the Creator stage, during the talk “Beyond Our Bodies: AI & XR’s Role In Transforming Identity,” Cameron Kostopoulos discussed the inspiration and process behind creating their award winning VR experience Body of Mine. The project gently introduces ideas of gender identity and body dysmorphia in a safe, empowering, and empathy building environment. 

Also on the Creator stage and wrapping things up, The Bad*ss Girls in XR were back at AWE once again, with their inspiring session “How Gen Z Communities Design Sustainability Business Models in Web3.” This dynamic group, composed of four teenage innovators—all aged 18 or younger—shared insights from their groundbreaking projects with companies like GE and Meta. Their work not only showcases their technical prowess but also their commitment to sustainable business practices in the evolving landscape of Web3.

Finally, the last talk for today was once again on the Main Stage, with AWE and Super Ventures Co-founder Ori Inbar closing out proceedings for the event. 

First, a few lucky prize winners were handed out some cool tech, with giveaways from Pico, Looking Glass Factory, and bHaptics gifted to three lucky people. Next came the Best in Show awards, a bit of a shorter ceremony compared to yesterday’s full Auggie Awards ceremony. So, with the awards handed out, that was it for another year of AWE USA.

Closing with a note of appreciation: “I was delighted and honored to be invited to speak at the panel, Creative Frontiers: Navigating the Artistic Landscape in the Age of AI, alongside amazing colleagues. AWE inspires the future visionaries of our XR community and I’m grateful for their contributions and production,” says Julian Reyes.

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