XR Technology Takes on Climate Change: 11 Finalists to Compete in $100,000 XR Prize Challenge at AWE Conference
As immersive technologies continue to evolve, innovators are tapping into their potential to fight climate change. AWE, the world’s longest-running AR/VR conference, will be hosting its annual event in Santa Clara, California. The event will provide over 300 exhibitors worldwide with the opportunity to showcase their groundbreaking XR technology. Among them, 11 teams have been selected as finalists for the $100,000 XR Prize Challenge, a global competition designed to raise awareness of climate change through AR and VR technology, according to an official release.
The finalists offer a diverse slate of XR experiences. For example, The Sea is Coming! lets players experience making decisions that could make the difference between saving or destroying a coastal town. In Between Two Worlds, users can project virtual art of extinct animals over the real world. The finalists have developed other innovative entries, as well; below is the full list:
- Between Two Worlds: An AR app that invites viewers to experience wildlife art as they’ve never seen before.
- Figmin XR: A versatile AR app that can create, collect, and play with immersive digital objects, promoting sustainability.
- The Immersion Project: A scientific research project and traveling educational art exhibition incorporating AR, offering a solution to protect deep-sea corals and mitigate climate change.
- inCitu: Augmented-Reality-powered City Development: Brings future cities to life through AR to encourage collaboration around the process of urban change.
- Lowjacking: Digitally exposing the environmental impact of polluting brand advertisements, redesigning them to promote environmentally friendly alternatives.
- Mangrove City inCitu: Augmented-Reality-powered City Development: A VR experience exploring the critical role of mangrove forests in coastal communities and climate change mitigation.
- Ocellus XR: Visualizing Climate Risk, Vulnerability and Equity in NYC: Visualizes climate risk, vulnerability, and equity in New York City.
- Origen XR: An immersive story-world experience connecting all living beings on earth with nature.
- Qikiqtaruk – Experiencing the Arctic under threat: A tundra-thawing VR experience with an arctic scientist and Inuvialuit park ranger as guides.
- The Sea is Coming!: A coastal town VR experience allowing players to prepare for and face the impacts of climate change.
- Waste Warrior: A location-based trash-sorting game to educate the public on recycling programs.
“We are very proud of the 11 teams who have gained the respect of our expert judges,” said Ori Inbar, AWE Co-founder in an official statement. “Their combined impact on climate change is worthy of attention and demonstrates that XR is indeed an important – if not vital – tool in this fight for the future of planet Earth.”
The finalists will showcase their respective projects at AWE on May 30th, 2023, with the winners announced the following day at the Auggie Awards. For more information, visit the AWE website.
XR Technology and Climate Change
XR technology provides a unique approach to raise awareness on climate change and promote positive action. It immerses the user in a simulated environment, making it easier for them to comprehend the issues and challenges that the world now faces. Innovators are harnessing the power of XR technology to not only increase awareness but to encourage participation in individual and community solutions to climate change.
The XR Prize Challenge is an initiative designed to promote eco-friendly applications of XR technology. This initiative offers a platform for innovators to showcase their solutions and make them accessible to a broad audience. By providing $100,000 in funding, it has encouraged a diverse set of XR technology solutions to raise awareness of climate change challenges and how to mitigate them.
AWE Conference: A Crucial Platform for XR Innovations
AWE—Augmented World Expo, is the longest-running AR/VR conference globally and attracts experts and innovators from all over the world. The conference provides a venue for immersive technology developers to showcase their solutions and products. It has consistently galvanized the XR industry, providing investors and customers with the opportunity to discover the latest innovative technologies and applications.
It’s no wonder that the finalists of the XR Prize Challenge are seeking to leverage this platform to showcase their innovative solutions. It provides them with a captive audience, media attention, and other benefits that could help them raise awareness of their product, make them accessible to a large audience, and even gain funding. This platform is crucial for other XR innovations since it enables innovators and developers to network, share ideas, and recognize industry trends.
Climate Change and Our Future
Climate change is an urgent global issue. As individuals, we must recognize our responsibility to contribute to solutions to protect our planet. XR technology is an emerging solution that could help individuals and communities better understand the impact that climate change has and help them take action towards solutions.
As we praise the 11 finalists of the XR Prize Challenge, it’s worth noting that we must continue developing innovative solutions to better understand and combat climate change. AWE and the XR Prize Challenge are among the many initiatives underway, and as innovators, we should continue developing similar initiatives that will make it much easier to advance the solutions that we need.
Editor Notes
As an avid VR gamer, I think that the XR Prize Challenge is an incredible initiative that brings together both innovation and social responsibility. The challenge represents a milestone in the development of eco-friendly applications of XR technology. I believe it sets the pace for the upcoming innovations in immersive technologies that will aim to solve significant global issues. Visit VR Game News for the latest updates on XR innovations and to discover the role that VR plays in promoting eco-friendly solutions.
