XR AI Spotlight

In this episode, Mindy Lee from XGRIDS discusses the innovative PortalCam, a spatial camera that combines SLAM technology with Gaussian splatting for fast, high-quality 3D capture. The conversation explores practical workflows and adoption across industries including construction, real estate, filmmaking, robotics simulation, and XR. They also discuss pricing changes, interoperability with tools like Unreal and NVIDIA Isaac Sim, and the push toward open spatial data formats.Subscribe to XR AI Spotlight weekly newsletter 👉 https://xraispotlight.substack.com/***CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST⁠💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🔗 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠ ***CONNECT WITH ME🐤⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X (Twitter)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🔗⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Link-in Bio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  ***PAST EPISODES🎙️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Show Website⁠⁠⁠⁠🟢 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🍎⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcast

Dr. Ryan Moore, pediatric cardiologist and Chief Emerging Technologies Officer who leads in‑house AR/VR, robotics, and AI teams. He describes building a Unity/Unreal gaming lab inside a hospital. He discusses VR surgical planning that creates patient‑specific digital twins from CT/MRI. He covers adding longitudinal models, real‑time blood‑flow simulation, and agentic AI to support surgical decision making.

Today’s guest is Max Van Leeuwen, he is a digital creator known for his innovative work in augmented reality and more specifically Lens Studio. We discuss Max's creative journey, the importance of storytelling in AR projects, and the technical challenges faced when developing for Spectacles. The conversation also explores hand tracking, the role of mobile devices in AR experiences, and how to get started with Lens Studio. Max shares insights on integrating AI into AR and emphasises the need for developers to engage with the platform to drive future innovation. Special thanks to PopulAR for “nudging” Max under the spotlight. PopulAR is a strategic consulting company focusing on the adoption of Virtual World technologies through content-focused lenses and empowering industry authors.Subscribe to XR AI Spotlight weekly newsletter 👉 https://xraispotlight.substack.com/***CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST⁠💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🔗 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ ***CONNECT WITH ME🐤⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X (Twitter)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🔗⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Link-in Bio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  ***PAST EPISODES🎙️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Show Website⁠⁠⁠⁠🟢 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🍎⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcast

In this conversation, Andy Baker, lead developer at OpenBrush, and Sutu, a renowned digital artist, discuss the evolution of OpenBrush, a powerful VR creative tool. They explore its features, the experiences of artists using it, and the collaborative workflows it enables. The discussion also covers the importance of publishing and sharing creations, the future of VR as a creative medium, and the potential for community engagement. The guests emphasise the accessibility of VR and the transformative power of creating in 3D.Subscribe to XR AI Spotlight weekly newsletter 👉 https://xraispotlight.substack.com/***CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST⁠💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Andy💼 Linkedin Sutu⁠🔗 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠ ***CONNECT WITH ME🐤⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X (Twitter)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🔗⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Link-in Bio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  ***PAST EPISODES🎙️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Show Website⁠⁠⁠⁠🟢 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🍎⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcast

James C. Kane is a Webby-winning developer and emerging tech artist pushing the boundaries of what #WebXR can do. We unpack how he builds narrative-first immersive experiences that grab attention in the first seconds, from establishing shots and pacing, to sound design, voice acting, and careful onboarding. James breaks down how he chooses between engines like Wonderland, PlayCanvas, and SparkJS and how he built and published his #GaussianSplatting based web game called “The Shadow of the Czar”. We also go deep on distribution, why discovery is still the hardest part of web games, and how sponsorships, platform relationships, and niche audiences shape what gets made.Subscribe to XR AI Spotlight weekly newsletter 👉 https://xraispotlight.substack.com/***CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST⁠💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🔗 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠ ***CONNECT WITH ME🐤⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X (Twitter)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🔗⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Link-in Bio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  ***PAST EPISODES🎙️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Show Website⁠⁠⁠⁠🟢 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🍎⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcast

Giorgio Ballestin, Technical Product Manager and XR specialist at MARIN, oversees XR and digital‑twin simulation for maritime research. He discusses MARIN’s move from large CAVE and motion‑platform bridges to hybrid VR setups. Topics include VR adoption hurdles like cybersickness and interaction design, how hydrodynamics models pair with Unreal visualization, multi‑user hybrid tests, and preference for tracked physical props over camera MR.

Alexander Grishanin, CTO of Cascadeur and veteran technical lead in game and animation tools. He explains Cascadeur’s AI vs machine learning, how their transformer-based in-betweening works, and why it’s considered generative. Learn about mixing neural generation with post-processing, local execution and privacy, recommended generate-then-refine workflows, and the roadmap for layers and facial animation.

Asim Ahmed, Head of Product Marketing at Niantic Spatial and multi-award-winning developer behind Pokémon GO and Peridot, discusses building large geospatial models. He breaks down reconstruction, localization and semantic understanding. He covers applications from entertainment to robotics, partnerships with major platforms, and embodied AI companions like Project Jade.

Thomas Flynn, a digital heritage specialist who led cultural heritage initiatives at Sketchfab and worked with UNESCO and Oxford, discusses Gaussian splatting and its role among scanning tools. He covers when splats fit into workflows, web publishing and interoperability, storage and layered archiving, 3D printing for outreach, VR use cases, and the challenges of mass capture and metadata.

Explore the fascinating world of social VR, where avatars aren't just characters, but reflections of identity. Discover why many male users choose feminine avatars and the rise of semi-humanoid styles. Mila reveals the vibrant economies within these platforms, from tipping performers to spending thousands on gear. Dive into unique practices like virtual co-sleeping and how design shapes user interactions. Cultural nuances and the influence of anime aesthetics add depth to the experience, all while discussing the implications of AI in this evolving landscape.