AWE USA 2026: Where Spatial Computing Moves Past Headsets
AWE USA 2026 is a large-scale AR/VR exhibition in Long Beach, California, where spatial computing companies preview the next generation of hardware, software, and immersive content that goes far beyond consumer wearables and gaming. Running from June 15–18, the event brings together startups and established players working on optics, video infrastructure, volumetric capture, gesture recognition tech, and defense-grade simulation tools, offering a clear snapshot of where the AR/VR industry is heading next. This year’s floor highlights how quickly spatial computing is becoming infrastructure: powering museums, live sports, military training, and real-time immersive media instead of only head-mounted displays at home. Among hundreds of exhibitors, five companies stand out for pushing boundaries in varifocal lenses, live immersive video, advanced volumetric capture, gesture interfaces, and high-end simulation. Together they outline how AR VR exhibitions are shifting focus from single devices to full spatial computing ecosystems.
Oxford Optical Labs: Varifocal Lenses With Fluid Optics
Oxford Optical Labs is targeting two long-standing headset problems: prescriptions and fixed-focus optics. Its adjustable fluid lens replaces glass with a plastic membrane filled with fluid, changing optical power when electricity passes through it. The same pair of varifocal lenses can adapt to different users’ prescriptions, making shared headsets in museums or VR arcades far easier to deploy. Because the lenses can shift focus on the fly, pairing them with eye tracking enables dynamic focus at different depths. The lens can switch focus within 70 ms, staying under the eyes’ saccadic suppression window so most people perceive a natural shift. The company reports that the lenses are highly resistant, passing standard eyewear tests and surviving key scratches, backed by more than 15 years of use outside VR. If costs and long-term durability align with market needs, this approach could remove a major barrier to comfortable, shared XR.
SpatialGen ZEUS: Live Apple Immersive Video for Big Broadcasters
SpatialGen already powers most third-party immersive video across the Apple ecosystem and is now bringing that experience to live workflows with SpatialGen ZEUS. The ZEUS system combines a server rack with encoding software that ingests Apple ProRes over SMPTE (2110/SDI) and outputs real-time AIV-compliant MV-HEVC HLS segments. The goal is to let broadcasters or studios handle the capture while SpatialGen converts the stream into a live Apple Immersive Video format ready for distribution over their own CDN. According to Skarredghost, “SpatialGen is looking for big customers (e.g., telcos or Hollywood studios) that are interested in ultra-low latency streaming for live sports, concerts, and breaking news in Apple Immersive Video format,” with pricing starting from USD 65,000 (approx. RM299,000). The company is also collaborating with the US Air Force, using its commercial scale to deploy advanced visualization tools faster and more cost-effectively than traditional defense procurement alone.
4D Views: Volumetric Video Meets Gaussian Splatting
4D Views has been working on volumetric video since 2007, long before today’s spatial computing wave. With more than 20 partner studios worldwide, the company has contributed to well-known immersive pieces like Kagami and An Ark, refining a pipeline based on meshes and textures that can be edited with its 4DFX software. At AWE USA 2026, 4D Views is adding Gaussian Splatting capture to its toolkit, becoming one of the first volumetric studios to offer both mesh-based and splat-based recording options. Traditional volumetric meshes remain easier to edit and integrate into existing engines, while Gaussian Splatting promises richer visual density and more natural-looking subjects for some use cases. This dual-path strategy lets creators choose the right technical approach for narrative VR pieces, mixed reality installations, or interactive spatial computing experiences, signaling that AR/VR content is maturing beyond a single dominant format.
From Gesture Interfaces to Military Simulation: A Wider XR Horizon
Beyond optics and volumetric capture, AWE USA 2026 also highlights emerging gesture recognition tech and defense-grade XR. Gesture-focused startups, such as Prehension, are making it easier to record and reuse complex hand movements as intuitive inputs, pointing toward a future where mid-air gestures control interfaces as reliably as keyboards and mice today. On the enterprise side, collaborations like SpatialGen’s work with the US Air Force show how spatial computing is reshaping military simulation and visualization, using commercial AR/VR infrastructure instead of bespoke systems. These trends reveal an AR/VR ecosystem stretching from museum-ready headsets and shared varifocal lenses to live immersive broadcasting, performer-quality volumetric capture, and high-fidelity training environments. For attendees walking the halls in Long Beach, the message is clear: spatial computing is evolving into a full technology stack, touching media, culture, and mission-critical operations far beyond consumer wearables.
