Abstract: In this talk, we look at the future of Extended Reality (XR). How can XR evolve from a mostly (audio)visual medium to one capable of simulating reality? One of the ambitions that has driven our research is the desire to not just see VR as a window on another reality, but to be able to experience it as we do our "real" reality. To move closer to this goal, I have used the lens of "immersive speculation", a way to use XR to speculate about future "intelligent" realities.Through examples from my research group on the use of speculative approaches applied to digital twins, virtual field studies and virtual characters, we highlight how unseen or rarely considered aspects of a VR experience can change the behaviour of users immersed in it. We will look together at how you can incorporate these ideas in your own research or practice, what new challenges are yet to be solved, and what new opportunities this provides for intelligent applications of XR.

Bio: Adalberto Simeone is an Associate Professor at the Department of Computer Science of the KU Leuven in Belgium, where he leads the Artificial Realities and Interactive Ambients research group (ARIA). Previously, he was a Senior Lecturer at the University of Portsmouth, UK and a MSCA post-doctoral researcher at Lancaster University, UK. He obtained his PhD at the University of Bari in Italy. His current research focuses on the fundamental challenges of how users interact in and experience immersive environments, from Cross-Reality (interactions that bridge different points of the Reality-Virtuality continuum) to Virtual User Studies (how we can use VR as a platform to stage user studies). His research group explores pioneering themes such as the design of interaction in Metaverse spaces and on socially-behaving virtual characters. In his free time, he directs an independent game developing studio, which received funding support from the Flemish Media Agency.