2nd International Workshop on eXtended Reality and Artificial Intelligence for Serious and Critical Applications (XRAI-SCA)

2:00 PM, October 6, 2026 | Sezione 4 @ ISMAR 2026 (Bari, Italy)

Overview

The 2nd International Workshop on eXtended Reality and Artificial Intelligence for Serious and Critical Applications (XRAI-SCA) aims to bring together interdisciplinary researchers, practitioners, and industry experts to explore the intersection of XR and AI in domains where safety, ethics, decision-making, and human performance are paramount. As XR and AI technologies rapidly evolve and are increasingly deployed in mission-critical settings—such as healthcare, defense, emergency response, and industrial operations—there is a growing need to ensure these systems are robust, explainable, and human-centered.

XRAI-SCA offers a unique venue for presenting empirical research, conceptual frameworks, system design, and application case studies focused on high-stakes environments. The workshop invites diverse perspectives from AR/VR/XR, AI, human-computer interaction (HCI), cognitive science, and domain-specific fields to collaboratively address pressing research questions:

How can AI enhance XR-based decision support?
How do we design for user trust, cognitive load, and explainability in critical contexts?
What evaluation strategies best capture system reliability and user performance in XR?

The workshop will feature keynote presentation(s), research paper session(s), and a group discussion, encouraging both academic and applied contributions. By engaging the ISMAR community, XRAI-SCA fosters timely and impactful conversations that help shape the future of responsible innovation in XR and AI for serious applications.

Join Us!

Zoom: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84359139945?pwd=kjHNwo2c71lch6EF4sMeI6CHF4aYH4.1

Workshop Program

Overview (Local Time in Bari, Italy)

[02:00pm–02:10pm] Greetings and Opening Remarks
[02:10pm–02:40pm] Keynote: John Liu (The Human Side of Smart Manufacturing)
[02:40pm–03:25pm] Paper Session I (Human-Centered XR & AI: 6 Paper Presentations)
[03:25pm–04:15pm] Bio Break
[04:15pm–05:05pm] Paper Session II (Safety-Critical XR & AI: 7 Paper Presentations)
[05:05pm–05:55pm] Panel Discussion (Mayra Barrera Machuca): Industry and Inter-country Collaboration
[05:55pm–06:00pm] Closing Remarks and Group Photo

[02:00pm–02:10pm] Greetings and Opening Remarks

[02:10pm–02:40pm] Keynote

John Liu
(Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

https://leapgroup.mit.edu/

The Human Side of Smart Manufacturing

Abstract:

Manufacturing firms face growing pressure from technological change, workforce shortages, supply-chain volatility, and the loss of expert knowledge. At the same time, the rigidity of many factory-floor technologies limits manufacturers’ ability to adapt to rapidly changing demands. Addressing these challenges requires intelligent systems that capture, augment, and scale human expertise rather than simply automate tasks. In this talk, I explore emerging opportunities and challenges in human-AI and human-machine interaction for manufacturing. Drawing on recent research, I discuss the design of extended reality environments, teleoperation systems, and human-AI teaming approaches that support workforce training, expertise capture, and work augmentation. These technologies enable new ways to transfer skills, provide context-aware guidance, and extend human capabilities across distributed and increasingly automated production environments. I conclude by outlining challenges and opportunities for AI and XR systems to advance human-centered manufacturing systems.

Bio:

Dr. John Liu is a Principal Research Scientist in MIT’s Mechanical Engineering department. He serves as the Director for Education and Workforce Development for MIT’s new campus-wide Initiative for New Manufacturing (INM). He was the Director of the Principles of Manufacturing MicroMasters program, an online certificate program that has now enrolled over 200,000 learners across the globe. His research has received recognition from ASEE, ACM CHI, and IEEE DEMOCon. He is the recipient of the 2026 ASEE Manufacturing Division Outstanding Junior Faculty Award and the MIT IS&T Infinite Mile Award. He currently serves as an executive guest editor for Manufacturing Letters. Dr. Liu earned his B.S. in Applied Physics from Caltech and S.M. and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from MIT, under an MIT-SUTD fellowship and NSF Graduate Research Fellowship.

[02:40pm–03:25pm] Paper Session I (Human-Centered XR & AI)

- Extended Reality and Artificial Intelligence for Multimodal Robot Assistance in Bedside Nursing
  Jens Grubert (Coburg University of Applied Sciences and Arts)*; Veit Müller (Coburg University of Applied Sciences and Arts); Norber Elkmann (Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation); Patrick Jahn (University Medicine Halle)
- Bridging the Distance: A Culturally Situated VR Experience for Inuit Women Relocating for Maternal Care
  Ahmad Fouad (Univerity of Calgary)*; Tafreed Ahmad (University of Calgary); Hyeongil Nam (Hanyang University ERICA); Mary Ann Forbes (University of Calgary); Judy Clark (Arctic Wellness); Gail Baikie (Dalhousie University); Patricia Johnston (University of Calgary); Kangsoo Kim (University of Calgary)
- Towards Addressing Bias and Ambiguity in the Elicitation of Natural Language Voice Commands
  Brody Wells (University of Calgary)*; Nanjia Wang (University of Calgary); Saadman Rahman (University of Calgary); Frank Maurer (University of Calgary)
- Cross Reality City Water Pipeline Monitoring and On-site Support System
  Isabella Hugo (University of Calgary)*; Nanjia Wang (University of Calgary); Gabriel Campanile (Federal University of S˜ao Paulo); Frank Maurer (University of Calgary)
- AI Guide Representation as a Design Variable for Resuscitation Team-Leader Training in Virtual Reality: A Work-in-Progress
  Myungjun Lee (University of Calgary)*; Hyeongil Nam (Hanyang University ERICA / University of Calgary); Jennifer Davidson (Alberta Children's Hospital / University of Calgary); Yiqun Lin (Alberta Children's Hospital / University of Calgary); Adam Cheng (Alberta Children's Hospital / University of Calgary); Kangsoo Kim (University of Calgary)
- Context Congruent Design of AI-Driven Embodied Conversational Agents for Critical XR Decision Support
  Roberto D'Amore (Polytechnic University of Bari); Enricoandrea Laviola (Polytechnic University of Bari)*; Alessandro Evangelista (Polytechnic University of Bari); Antonio Emmanuele Uva (Polytechnic University of Bari)

[03:25pm–04:15pm] Bio Break

[04:15pm–05:05pm] Paper Session II (Safety-Critical XR & AI )
- From MOOCs to Virtual Reality: Porting Learning Behavior-oriented Knowledge Tracing to Immersive Industrial Training
  Christian Gabbianelli (Massachusetts Institute of Technology); Slawomir Tadeja (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)*; John Liu (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
- AVAGENTs for Tacit Knowledge Transfer in Safe Hydrogen Pipeline Engineering with XR and AI-Enhanced Digital Twins
  Hyeongil Nam (University of Calgary)*; Muskan Sarvesh (University of Calgary); Taeyeon Kim (University of Calgary); Kangsoo Kim (University of Calgary)
- XR and AI for Sustainable Building Renovation: An Integrated Measure–Model–Make Approach
  Gottfried Hofmann (Coburg University of Applied Sciences and Arts); Albert Brandt (Coburg University of Applied Sciences and Arts); Daniel Ocks (Coburg University of Applied Sciences and Arts); Pascal Orovec (Coburg University of Applied Sciences and Arts); Simon Trost (Coburg University of Applied Sciences and Arts); Lilli Schmidt (Coburg University of Applied Sciences and Arts); Alexandra Troi (Coburg University of Applied Sciences and Arts); Jens Grubert (Coburg University of Applied Sciences and Arts)*
- Interactive 3D Visualization of High-Density VR Navigation Data
  Jialin Zhang (University of Calgary)*; Faramarz Famil Samavati (University of Calgary); Mayra Barrera Machuca (University of Calgary)
- DroneSight: A VR Simulator for Situational Awareness in BVLOS Drone Flying
  Amaan Ranapurwala (University of Calgary)*; Joseph Malloch (Dalhousie University); Derek Reilly (Dalhousie University); Mayra Barrera Machuca (University of Calgary)
- A Real-time VLM Framework for Hazard Inference in Home Environment for Mixed Reality Systems
  Jalal Uddin (Kennesaw State University)*; Melissa Osborne (Kennesaw State University); Allison Garefino (Kennesaw State University); Lei Zhang (Kennesaw State University); Yu Zhao (Kennesaw State University)
- From 2D Analytics to an XR and AI-Enabled Digital Twin of Hydrogen Pipeline Systems: Progress in the SHAPE Project
  Muskan Sarvesh (University of Calgary)*; Nanjia Wang (University of Calgary); Saadman Rahman (University of Calgary); Brody Wells (University of Calgary); Taeyeon Kim (University of Calgary); Sina Rezvani (University of Calgary); Aaditya Ramesh (University of Calgary); Robert Brennan (University of Calgary); Ron Hugo (University of Calgary); Frank Maurer (University of Calgary); Kangsoo Kim (University of Calgary)

[05:05pm–05:55pm] Panel Discussion: Industry and Inter-country Collaboration

Abstract:

This panel will discuss ways to initiate collaborations among academia, industry, and international researchers at the intersection of XR and AI. It will also discuss ways for students to do research internships outside their countries. Particular attention will be given to mechanisms for developing transnational research partnerships and translating academic knowledge into broader societal and industrial impact, including funding opportunities such as MITACS Globalink, Horizon Europe, and others.

Moderator

Mayra Barrera Machuca
(Department of Computer Science, University of Calgary)

https://vertexlab.ca/

Panelists

Frank Maurer
(Department of Computer Science, University of Calgary)

https://seriousxr.ca/

Anil Ufuk Batmaz
(Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering, Concordia University)

https://users.encs.concordia.ca/~abatmaz/

Guillaume Moreau
(Department of Computer Science, IMT Atlantique)

https://guillaumemoreau.github.io/

[05:55pm–06:00pm] Closing Remarks and Group Photo

Presentation Guideline

General Guideline

Each accepted paper will be allocated 7 minutes (5 minutes for presentation, and 2 minutes for a brief Q&A).
Please use the official ISMAR 2026 PowerPoint Template (https://www.ieeeismar.net/2026/resources/Presentation_Template_ISMAR_2026.pptx) for your slides.

Virtual Presentation Guideline

Virtual presenters are expected to deliver their presentations live via Zoom (The Zoom link will be available on the workshop website on September 30, 2026).
Please join the session in real time according to the workshop schedule in Bari, Italy local time (CEST).
To prepare for potential technical or internet connectivity issues, all virtual presenters are also required to submit a 5-minute pre-recorded presentation video as a backup.
- Please upload the recorded video to a cloud storage service (e.g., Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, or another web-based storage service) and share an accessible link with xrai.workshop@gmail.com.
- Please submit the recorded video link by September 30, 2026, Anywhere on Earth (AoE).