On September 10th, we were delighted to kick off our Meetups for the new academic year by welcoming Jeremy Dalton to present his AI-powered and community-driven intelligence platform, XRHQ. Soon to be announced via press release, XRHQ tracks real-world deployments of immersive technologies globally and, in doing so, illustrates their success, benefits, and value. Through this platform, Jeremy aims to build confidence and rebuild trust in XR technologies.
ABOUT OUR SPEAKER
Jeremy Dalton is the founder of XRHQ, the spatial computing intelligence platform tracking real-world XR deployments globally. He previously established and led PwC’s global immersive technologies practice, delivering projects across 50 countries for clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to startups and government entities. He is the author of Reality Check: How VR and AR Can Supercharge Your Business (2025).
Overcoming obstacles with the XR education mission
As a result of the negative press which has dominated coverage of certain aspects of immersive technologies in recent years, XR has been left, to some extent, undervalued. Jeremy explains that the hype and subsequent downturn of the metaverse era, amplified by negative press coverage, have distracted the public from the real message: how valuable XR is across every industry and every country globally. As he says, “one company’s vision doesn’t determine the future of XR”. Other obstacles too, such as costs, content, and user experience play a fundamental role when companies and organisations consider adopting XR technology. But the most significant factor of all for Jeremy is education, in other words, understanding the technology and its value.
“One company’s vision doesn’t determine the future of XR.”
It was for this reason that Jeremy began his education mission. He identifies four blockers to adoption (CECE):
- Cost
- Eduaction
- Content
- (User) Experience
He sees education as the starting point: before organisations investigate, pilot and eventually scale XR, key stakeholders first need to understand its value. How do you do this? First-hand experience is a highly effective way of educating people. Unfortunately, however, it is not always an option. With this in mind, Jeremy has looked at different ways to shape his education mission. He wrote Reality Check, now in its second edition, about how companies can use XR to improve their business. But when innovative projects and new possibilities are appearing at a fantastic rate, there is only so much a book can cover. The solution? Continuing his mission in a real-time fashion and creating the XRHQ platform.
What does XRHQ offer and what sets it apart?
XRHQ is founded with the intention of providing a real-time record of XR deployments from organisations and companies across the world. The platform offers three main features:
A global map of the current deployments of XR
The XRHQ platform greets the user with an interactive rust-coloured map. From a college in Minnesota using VR in education to World Taekwondo in Toyohashi planning to organise a VR competition, the map provides a view of the various applications of XR across the world. Highlighted countries signify that there is at least one documented project ongoing, whilst the coloured dots indicate the location of projects down to a city level. The projects are grouped per country or industry (e.g. government, sport, education, or culture).
All image credits go to XRHQ.
Transparent and detailed overviews of projects
Anyone can submit a project on the XRHQ platform within seconds. The only requirement (for now) is that it must be an immersive technology or 3D deployment at a named client. Every submitted project receives a page with relevant information fields including descriptions and background, a visual gallery, specific (financial) project data, and results. But, most importantly, all this information is to be found in one overview, next to the acknowledgement of the sources consulted. Through the snapshot button, the sources are archived and always kept retraceable in the future. The user submitting the project is mentioned at the end alongside quotes from stakeholders, when relevant. Through these overviews, users can explore how VR and AR are being used in every industry and discover new opportunities for themselves and their work.
Accessibility and free usage are the objectives
Unlike many organisations within the XR field which offer only closed-off pay-gated data, the objective is to keep the platform free, public, and accessible. In line with this, the license CC BY 4.0 enables anybody to use the information on XRHQ freely, even commercially, whilst only requesting a link back to the platform to encourage more people to visit and use it. A free account is needed to view the detailed data. Projects can be submitted anonymously, or with an account if you want your profile and links credited.
“Building confidence and rebuilding trust in XR technologies.”
The next steps for XRHQ
The platform will soon be going through public and press release. With regards to monetisation, XRHQ is currently funded by Jeremy himself, but a possible consequence of the release could be the inclusion of paid featured projects from companies keen to advertise their output. Such a step would ensure the platform’s continued free use. Another ambitious plan is the desire to collaborate with the academic world and incorporate relevant studies. And, talking about ambitious, Jeremy also hopes to one day open a dedicated immersive technology museum, drawing on his collection of more than 300 VR artifacts. Overall, we are very curious to see how this project and Jeremy’s objectives will develop over time!
We would like to sincerely thank Jeremy for his inspiring and in-depth presentation! If you want to explore the XRHQ platform and all its possibilities, click here. To join the LinkedIn group, click here. To access the recording of the full presentation, please don’t hesitate to contact us via xrcommunity@llinc.leidenuniv.nl.
