The lens through which ITW 2026 explores the future of immersive technology
2026 Innovation Pillars Inspiring Tomorrow's World
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We’re looking for founders, researchers, artists and innovators shaping the next wave of immersive technology. Speak at ITW 2026 and help define how creativity, business and society will coexist in the age of virtual humans, digital twins and intelligent systems. Join the Conversation!
Read moreAt the heart of ITW 2026 lie 6 Innovation Pillars — technological domains shaping our shared future.
Each pillar explores how immersive technologies expand human potential, connect communities, and drive progress across Europe’s digital landscape.
1 AI & Virtual Humans
Redefining collaboration.
Human–AI collaboration is transforming creativity, communication, and work. From digital assistants and avatars to generative agents, virtual humans are becoming teammates, storytellers, and guides. This pillar explores how organisations integrate human-like AI into products and services — ethically, securely, and at scale — and how Europe can lead in building trustworthy, human-centred AI systems.
2 Digital Twins & Simulation
Building tomorrow, today.
Factories, logistics networks, ports, and energy systems are going virtual. Through simulation and digital twins, organisations can design, predict, and improve the real world before it’s built. This pillar highlights how immersive simulation drives safety, efficiency, and sustainability — and how the industrial metaverse strengthens Europe’s digital sovereignty and industrial leadership.
3 Spatial Computing & XR
Beyond screens.
Augmented, virtual, and mixed reality are becoming the foundation of a new spatial internet — where interaction happens in 3D and information lives all around us. This pillar showcases the latest tools and creative applications that are transforming how we work, learn, and play — from design and training to live performance and entertainment.
4 Immersive Media & Experience Design
Where stories come alive.
Technology is reshaping storytelling. From interactive museums to spatial cinema and AI-driven narratives, creators are building new cultural and emotional realities. This pillar celebrates the convergence of art, design, and innovation — where imagination takes form, and audiences become participants.
5 Hardware & Enabling Technologies
The invisible revolution.
Behind every immersive experience lies a world of micro-optics, haptics, sensors, and spatial audio. This pillar focuses on the technologies powering immersion — the advances in hardware, connectivity, and computing that make the metaverse tangible and accessible.
6 Ethics & Digital Sovereignty
Technology we can trust.
Innovation must reflect human values. This pillar explores how Europe builds a trusted immersive future — through frameworks for responsibility, accessibility, security, and inclusion. It’s where ethics meets innovation, ensuring that progress keeps people — the beating heart — at its centre.
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Together we shape the future
Meta
PICO
HTC Vive
TNO
Sopra Steria
Niantic
Rotterdam Partners
