XR AI Spotlight

Hosted by Gabriele Romagnoli

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115

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Jun 2026

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About the show

XR AI Spotlight gives the stage to founders and makers at the intersection between XR and AI. You will learn what happens when technology and creativity collide, how AI apps and XR tools are built and brought to market, the personal stories and workflows of leaders and creatives pushing the boundaries of what these 2 technologies can offer and the opportunities they unlock.

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June 10, 202644 min

Designing XR for Long-Term Distribution and Impact

Mike Golembewski is an interactive designer, researcher, and writer running MWG Design & Research, an independent consultancy focused on immersive media, artistic practice, and emerging technology. In this episode, Mike breaks down the structural challenges facing cultural XR, the category of immersive work that functions more like theatre or documentary than gaming. We cover why festival-premiered XR experiences rarely survive beyond their premiere, why platform stores like Meta and Steam are fundamentally misaligned with this type of work, and what creators can do from day one to design for longevity. Mike also highlights real examples and explains why thinking about the long tail before writing a single line of code is the only approach that actually works.Subscribe to XR AI Spotlight weekly newsletter 👉 https://xraispotlight.substack.com/***CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST⁠💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🔗 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠ ***CONNECT WITH ME🐤⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X (Twitter)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🔗⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Link-in Bio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ***PAST EPISODES🎙️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Show Website⁠⁠⁠⁠🟢 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🍎⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcast

June 3, 202645 min

Can a 360 Drone beat Insta360 for Gaussian Splatting?

Andrey Shelomentsev is the co-founder of Splatica, a London-based physical AI infrastructure startup building consumer-grade 3D reality capture pipelines. In this episode, we get into the real trade-offs between capture tools, how Splatica's one-click cloud pipeline turns a casual walk-around with an Insta360 into a navigable 3D Gaussian Splat scene overnight and what we need to turn photorealistic Gaussian Splats into a synthetic training ground for robots.Subscribe to XR AI Spotlight weekly newsletter 👉 https://xraispotlight.substack.com/***CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST⁠💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🔗 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠ ***CONNECT WITH ME🐤⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X (Twitter)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🔗⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Link-in Bio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ***PAST EPISODES🎙️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Show Website⁠⁠⁠⁠🟢 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🍎⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcast

May 27, 202650 min

Gaussian Splats Workflow for Unity and AR

In this episode, Ruben Frosali, founder of TRIDOT and Head of Cinematics at JADU AR, unpacks how he builds interactive Gaussian Splat experiences across Unity, AI generation tools, and mobile AR. Drawing on two decades of work across film, music videos, volumetric capture, shaders, and real time graphics, Ruben explains how 3DGS can be used in production workflows. He also shares how tools like World Labs and Sharp change the speed and flexibility of 3D world creation, where web workflows may outpace closed engines, and why optimization for phones matters as much as file compression.Subscribe to XR AI Spotlight weekly newsletter 👉 https://xraispotlight.substack.com/***CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST⁠💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🔗 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠ 🐤⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X (Twitter)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠***CONNECT WITH ME🐤⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X (Twitter)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🔗⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Link-in Bio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ***PAST EPISODES🎙️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Show Website⁠⁠⁠⁠🟢 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🍎⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcast

May 20, 202642 min

Relighting Gaussian Splats Is Now Possible

Fernando Rivas-Manzaneque is the CEO and co-founder of Volinga AI, a spin-off born from early research into 3D Gaussian Splatting for professional film and virtual production. In this episode, Fernando walks through what Volinga actually does: from its Unreal Engine plugin, which brings relighting, depth of field, reflections, and proxy mesh-based materials to Gaussian Splats, to the newly released Volinga Suite, a full end-to-end pipeline built on top of LightField Studio with HDR and ACES support for Hollywood-grade workflows. We cover real production use cases, including a digital replica of Auschwitz-Birkenau and a Paramount+ TV show that replaced a dangerous location shoot with a VP set. Fernando also breaks down the difference between additive and mesh-based lighting, the EnVol file format, and where 4D Gaussian Splatting and generative splat creation are heading in 2026.Subscribe to XR AI Spotlight weekly newsletter 👉 https://xraispotlight.substack.com/***CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST⁠💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🔗 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠ ***CONNECT WITH ME🐤⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X (Twitter)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🔗⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Link-in Bio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ***PAST EPISODES🎙️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Show Website⁠⁠⁠⁠🟢 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🍎⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcast

May 13, 202651 min

The Best in 3D GenAI right now

Explore the latest in 3D Generative AI tools, workflows, and industry implications with Gabriele, Stefan, and Philipp. Discover top models, segmentation techniques, Gaussian splatting, and future trends shaping 3D AI.Subscribe to XR AI Spotlight weekly newsletter 👉 https://xraispotlight.substack.com/***CONNECT WITH OUR GUESTS⁠🔗 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Stefan YouTube:⁠⁠⁠ @stefan_ai_3d ⁠🔗 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Philipp YouTube: @PixelArtistry_ ***CONNECT WITH ME🐤⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X (Twitter)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🔗⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Link-in Bio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ***PAST EPISODES🎙️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Show Website⁠⁠⁠⁠🟢 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🍎⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcast

April 29, 202644 min

How to Bring Your CAD Data to XR

In this episode, Christian Stein, co-founder and CEO of Threedy GmbH, explains why CAD data remains so difficult to use outside engineering, even inside companies like Mercedes-Benz and BMW. Spun out of the Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics Research, Threedy has spent years helping enterprise teams make massive industrial 3D data usable across web, tablets, and XR. He also shares where headset deployments still struggle, why tablets remain more practical in many enterprise settings, and how AI could become the orchestration layer that connects 3D data and business systems across industrial workflows.Subscribe to XR AI Spotlight weekly newsletter 👉 https://xraispotlight.substack.com/***CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST⁠💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🔗 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠ ***CONNECT WITH ME🐤⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X (Twitter)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🔗⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Link-in Bio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ***PAST EPISODES🎙️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Show Website⁠⁠⁠⁠🟢 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🍎⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcast

April 22, 202640 min

How to Build AI Lenses on Spectacles

In this episode, we speak with Inna Horobchuk, an architect and creative technologist exploring spatial AR through Snap Spectacles. She shares how her background in architecture informs her approach to designing digital layers in real environments, focusing on context-aware and utility-driven experiences. Inna explains why solving small, practical problems can be more impactful than building complex demos, and how constraints like field of view and battery life shape design decisions.Subscribe to XR AI Spotlight weekly newsletter 👉 https://xraispotlight.substack.com/***CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST⁠💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🔗 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠ ***CONNECT WITH ME🐤⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X (Twitter)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🔗⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Link-in Bio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ***PAST EPISODES🎙️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Show Website⁠⁠⁠⁠🟢 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🍎⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcast

April 15, 202641 min

How VR Games Get Found Now

Shane Harris, founder and CEO of SideQuest and Tetiana from the popular YouTube channel Discover Tatiana join us to take a look at how VR discovery has changed from the early Quest era to today’s far more crowded market. They break down how SideQuest now works across Meta, SteamVR, sideloaded content, web, desktop, mobile, and in-headset browsing, and why aggregation, curation, reviews, and community engagement matter more than ever. The conversation also explores what developers can actually do to improve their odds, and how the Steam Frame is meant to energize the XR market.Subscribe to XR AI Spotlight weekly newsletter 👉 https://xraispotlight.substack.com/***CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST⁠💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🔗 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠ ***CONNECT WITH ME🐤⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X (Twitter)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🔗⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Link-in Bio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ***PAST EPISODES🎙️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Show Website⁠⁠⁠⁠🟢 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🍎⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcast

April 9, 202645 min

Solaya: the 3DGS App for Ecommerce

Mariem Farhat, co-founder and CEO of Solaya, joins us to break down how smartphone-based 3D Gaussian Splatting can make high-fidelity product capture usable for retail and e-commerce. Drawing on her background at the intersection of business, luxury, and deep tech, Mariem explains how Solaya is building guided capture, compression, web delivery, mesh conversion, and post-processing tools around a single scan.Subscribe to XR AI Spotlight weekly newsletter 👉 https://xraispotlight.substack.com/***CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST⁠💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🔗 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠ ***CONNECT WITH ME🐤⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X (Twitter)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🔗⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Link-in Bio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ***PAST EPISODES🎙️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Show Website⁠⁠⁠⁠🟢 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🍎⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcast

April 1, 202640 min

All you need to know about the Portal Cam

In this episode, Mindy Lee from XGRIDS discusses the innovative PortalCam, a spatial camera that combines SLAM technology with Gaussian splatting for fast, high-quality 3D capture. The conversation explores practical workflows and adoption across industries including construction, real estate, filmmaking, robotics simulation, and XR. They also discuss pricing changes, interoperability with tools like Unreal and NVIDIA Isaac Sim, and the push toward open spatial data formats.Subscribe to XR AI Spotlight weekly newsletter 👉 https://xraispotlight.substack.com/***CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST⁠💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🔗 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠ ***CONNECT WITH ME🐤⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X (Twitter)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🔗⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Link-in Bio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ***PAST EPISODES🎙️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Show Website⁠⁠⁠⁠🟢 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🍎⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcast