ViWAS Kick-Off Meeting

A new ambitious European initiative, the Virtual Worlds Academy of Skills (ViWAS), has been unveiled under the Digital Europe Programme, aiming to position Europe at the forefront of Web 4.0 and immersive technologies. Coordinated by Professor Fotis Liarokapis, CYENS Centre of Excellence, the project brings together a large, multidisciplinary consortium spanning over 16 countries to tackle one of Europe’s most pressing challenges: the growing shortage of advanced digital skills in virtual worlds and extended reality (XR). Through innovative, simulation-based learning environments and immersive digital twins, ViWAS will enable users to gain hands-on experience in safe, scalable, and cost-effective settings.

ViWAS will establish a pan-European training ecosystem designed to equip learners, professionals, and institutions with cutting-edge competencies in XR, artificial intelligence, and virtual environments. The ViWAS project started on the 1^st of May and the kick-off meeting took place in Paris, France between 26-27 May 2026. The Academy will function as an open, interoperable ecosystem, connecting universities, vocational training providers, industry, SMEs, and public institutions. Leveraging AI-driven personalization and advanced XR platforms, ViWAS will deliver tailored learning experiences, foster cross-sector collaboration, and support workforce upskilling and reskilling at scale.

More information:

https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/projects-details/43152860/101298981/DIGITAL?order=DESC&pageNumber=1&pageSize=100&sortBy=es_SortDate&keywords=101298981

AI Sonar Hand Tracking

Researchers have developed a system called WatchHand that turns ordinary smartwatches into real-time hand-tracking devices using AI-powered sonar. Instead of relying on cameras or extra sensors, the smartwatch emits inaudible sound waves through its speaker; these waves bounce off the user’s hand and are captured by the microphone. A machine-learning model processes the returning echo profile to reconstruct the hand’s position and finger movements in 3D, in real time, all directly on the device.

This approach is significant because it works on off-the-shelf smartwatches without additional hardware, making it scalable and practical for everyday use. Tests with participants showed it can reliably track gestures like finger movements and wrist rotations, enabling applications such as gesture-based control of computers, AR/VR interaction, and assistive technologies. The system also preserves privacy by processing data locally, though it still has limitations, such as reduced accuracy while the user is moving and current compatibility mainly with Android devices.

More information:

https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/ai-smartwatch-hand-tracking-sonar-watchhand

XR4ED Invited Talk at UnitedXR Europe 2025

On the 8^th of December 2025, I presented at UnitedXR Europe in Brussels an overview and results of the XR4ED EU Project. XR4ED focuses on fostering innovation in education through extended reality (XR) technologies. The project created a sustainable, centralised platform where educators, developers, and learners can access XR tools, applications, and resources tailored for learning and training purposes. By uniting the EdTech and XR communities across multiple EU member states, XR4ED overcomes fragmentation in the digital education technology ecosystem and supports the development and market readiness of immersive educational solutions that go beyond traditional teaching methods.

Throughout the presentation, project results are highlighted, including efforts to create an open marketplace for XR content, support for start-ups and SMEs via open calls and grants, and building links with related initiatives to strengthen Europe’s leadership in XR for education. The XR4ED platform is designed to enable personalised, innovative, and inclusive learning experiences, facilitating hands-on engagement and skills-based teaching. XR4ED also considers ethical, privacy, and inclusivity standards as part of its ecosystem, while encouraging adoption of immersive tools across schools, universities, industry training, and research communities.

More information:

https://youtu.be/tAi76BlXWis

Interactive Media for Cultural Heritage

Recently, the latest edited book I co-authored with colleagues from CYENS – Centre of Excellence and the University of Cyprus was published by Springer Series on Cultural Computing. The book is entitled ‘Interactive Media for Cultural Heritage’ and presents the full range of interactive media technologies and their applications in Digital Cultural Heritage. It offers a forum for interaction and collaboration among the interactive media and cultural heritage research communities.

The aim of this book is to provide a point of reference for the latest advancements in the different fields of interactive media applied in Digital Cultural Heritage research, ranging from visual data acquisition, classification, analysis and synthesis, 3D modelling and reconstruction, to new forms of interactive media presentation, visualization and immersive experience provision via extended reality, collaborative spaces, serious games and digital storytelling.

More information:

https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-61018-9

MTI 2024 Article

Recently, I co-authored an open-access journal paper that was published at Multimodal Technologies and Interaction, sponsored by the MDPI. The paper is entitled “Extended Reality Educational System with Virtual Teacher Interaction for Enhanced Learning”. The paper introduces an interactive XR intelligent assistant featuring a virtual teacher that interacts dynamically with PowerPoint presentations using OpenAI’s ChatGPT API.

It incorporates multilingual speech-to-text and text-to-speech capabilities, custom lip-syncing solutions, eye gaze, head rotation and gestures. Panoramic images can be used as a sky box giving the illusion that the AI assistant is located at another location. Findings from three pilots indicate that the proposed technology has a lot of potential to be used as an additional tool for enhancing the learning process.

More information:

https://www.mdpi.com/2414-4088/8/9/83

Brain Controled Amazon Alexa

Synchron is developing a BCI that decodes brain signals to allow people with paralysis the ability to control digital devices with their thoughts alone. Recently, the company announced that its BCI can now be used with Alexa without the need for voice or physical interaction with a touchscreen. Synchron is one of several companies, including Elon Musk’s Neuralink, aiming to commercialize BCIs.

Researchers have been studying these interfaces for decades, mostly in university labs, but no company has received regulatory approval to sell one. Synchron has implanted its BCI in six people in the US and four in Australia as part of early-stage studies and is gearing up to begin a larger trial with more participants. Synchron has also connected the BCI to OpenAI’s ChatGPT and the Apple Vision Pro, a mixed-reality headset.

More information:

https://www.wired.com/story/synchron-amazon-alexa-brain-computer-interface-bci/

Apple Vision Pro’s Eye Tracking Sees What People Type

A group of six computer scientists are revealed a new attack against Apple’s Vision Pro mixed reality headset where exposed eye-tracking data allowed them to decipher what people entered on the device’s virtual keyboard. The attack allowed the researchers to successfully reconstruct passwords, PINs, and messages people typed with their eyes.

Researchers did not gain access to Apple’s headset to see what they were viewing. Instead, they worked out what people were typing by remotely analyzing the eye movements of a virtual avatar created by the Vision Pro. This avatar can be used in Zoom calls, Teams, Slack, Reddit, Tinder, Twitter, Skype, and FaceTime.

More information:

https://www.wired.com/story/apple-vision-pro-persona-eye-tracking-spy-typing/