Eirmersive was delighted to welcome ATU as a new member recently. We’ve been hugely impressed by the coordinated approach they have to embedding the use of Immersive Technologies across the university, as underlined in a news update from John Hough, Educational Technology Specialist, Immersive Learning.

By John Hough

Immersive Learning at Atlantic Technological University: Building Momentum Across Disciplines

The ATU Teaching and Learning Centre has been working to establish an immersive learning initiative across the university. This began with the purchase of 20 Meta Quest 3 headsets and a charging cart, located in the Dublin road campus library, creating a shared pool of devices that lecturers can use to pilot immersive learning activities with their students.

Across Europe, cities are rethinking how they plan, communicate, and deliver major infrastructure projects. Galway is now part of that conversation.

At a Galway City Council meeting, councillors highlighted the potential of 3D and virtual reality technologies to transform how large public projects are presented, reviewed, and understood by decision‑makers and the public alike. The proposal focuses on using immersive visualisation to explore infrastructure schemes before they reach construction, helping to surface issues earlier and support more informed choices during planning and consultation stages. Rather than relying solely on static drawings, photo montages, or written planning documents, fully 3D and VR‑based models can allow stakeholders to experience projects at a human scale.

The Irish Independent reported that,…

It was great to be in Luxembourg this week at the Immersive Pavilion Luxembourg as part of the Luxembourg City Film Festival.

I had the pleasure of representing the Irish XR ecosystem alongside Jo Mangan of The Performance Corporation (an Eirmersive member) and Conn Holohan of the Centre for Creative Technologies at University of Galway on the Focus on Ireland: The Irish XR Ecosystem panel discussion. It was a great opportunity to share the energy and collaboration shaping immersive work across Ireland.

A highlight was meeting Jean McDonald Ireland’s Ambassador to Luxembourg and discussing the strength of Ireland’s creative technology sector and the opportunity for deeper international collaboration.

The pavilion featured a fantastic selection of immersive works including:

What an inspiring day at the Immersive Futures Workshop in Dundalk🚀

On Thursday, 26 February, creatives, technologists and storytellers came together at Creative Spark, Dundalk for a full-day deep dive into the future of AI, VR, AR, Mixed Reality and Virtual Production.

The event, part of Eirmersive’s ongoing Immersive Futures series and supported by Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland offered hands-on learning, expert insights and practical tools to help shape creative workflows across screen, gaming, animation, theatre and beyond.

💡 Highlights from the day included:

Immersive sessions exploring tools like Animotive, Lureo, Volograms, DeepMotion, LUMA AI and AI-powered 2D-to-3D asset creation, giving participants a window into how these technologies can be integrated into real creative pipelines.

Watch the video below for a taste of the atmosphere at the workshop.

Imvizar has announced that Lureo is now free for all creators.

“We believe spatial storytelling is one of the most powerful new mediums of communication. It blends narrative, place, emotion and interaction. It turns environments into experiences. It allows stories to be explored, not just watched.

Until now, building AR experiences has largely been limited to developers and technical teams. But we believe that this medium should be accessible.

Spatial storytelling should belong to creators. Filmmakers. Agencies. Educators. Brands. Anyone with an idea worth experiencing.

Lureo exists to make authoring immersive AR experiences accessible to everyone. No financial barriers. No technical barriers.

You can now sign up and start building for free.

If a creator builds a commercial project, the commercial entity involved will pay the licence fee. Full details are available on our website.”

XR Ireland’s SimexBuilder platform has been welcomed on the Scaleway Start-up programme starting March 1st.

They are booking their first pan-EU pilot projects between Austria and Cyprus for Disaster Response Simulation Exercises on their v0.2 of the platform with an aim to get a public V1.0 out by 2028 Q2.

In other news from XR Ireland, Guillaume Auvray will be speaking at Laval Virtual on the application of Digital Twin data modelling technologies for their Industry and Defence track, more specifically on resilience and disaster risk reduction as they also strengthen ties with Northern Ireland's Belfast Digital Twin Centre.

Additionally, XR Ireland has been welcomed as the first Irish SME on the Virtual World Association.

Watch the presentation of the engineering demo below…

Last week in Belfast was one of those trips that really reminds you why this work matters and why people and community must sit at the heart of meaningful technological evolution. I feel genuinely privileged to work in an industry shaped by so many inspiring, creative, and generous minds.

From standing-room-only rooms to packed studios, it was all about inclusive creativity, practical adoption, and cross-border connection.

We kicked things off at Studio Ulster for their Inclusive Creativity concert - huge credit to Professor Paul Moore and the team for showing how immersive technologies can genuinely widen access and participation in the arts.

From there, it was over to the DATUM launch, where AMIC at Queen's University Belfast and Irish Manufacturing Research unveiled their new digital transformation programme for manufacturing. Great to catch up there with Barry Kennedy. We look forward to seeing how the PRISM programme research can support DATUM.

Back by Popular Demand! Dive into AI, VR, AR & more at our FREE Immersive Futures Workshop in Dundalk! Thursday February 26th at Creative Spark

Dive into a full-day exploration of cutting-edge technologies, including AI (Artificial Intelligence), Immersive Technologies (VR/AR/MR) and Virtual Production brought to you by Eirmersive and funded by Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland.

Learn about tools such as Animotive, Lureo, Volograms, DeepMotion, LUMA AI, virtual production for 2D animation tool sets and AI-powered 2D-to-3D asset creation.

This workshop will give you insights into how emerging tools can become part of your workflow from a fantastic team made up of Camille Donegan, Sean Burns, Ryan McKenna, Shane Murphy, David Toolan and Jess Harkin.

Whether you’re a professional working in screen, gaming, animation, theatre or a tech-savvy creative or, you’re just curious, this workshop is designed to empower creatives with some of the most cutting-edge tools. Register now!

In this episode of Case Study Corner, Eirmersive CEO Camille Donegan chats with Aaron Jay, CEO & Co‑Founder of Emagine, to explore Rock to Reality — a VR-powered factory tour created for Irish Cement.

Discover how Emagine used immersive storytelling, cinematic capture, 360 imagery, and interactive Unity-based elements to transform Irish Cement’s recruitment and engagement strategy for school leavers and apprentices.

• Why Irish Cement needed a more engaging way to attract apprentices

• How Emagine designed a VR experience for environments that are inaccessible or dangerous in real life

• The persona‑building workshop that shaped the project’s direction

• Behind‑the‑scenes tech: drones, 360° capture, FPV footage & Unity development

Watch the full podcast interview below…

Our all-island innovation journey kicked off with a consortium meeting hosted at the Digital Catapult Digital Twin Centre in Belfast.

PRISM - PRogramme Innovating Spatial technologies in Manufacturing- is a Pilot Support Programme to empower next generation innovations in Manufacturing through piloting advanced Digital Twinning experiments, that leverage Immersive Technologies, data modelling, and AI.

Led by Eirmersive, the PRISM Programme, brings together cross-border partners including Queen's University Belfast, Regional Development Centre, DkIT, Digital Catapult Northern Ireland to support manufacturing companies in adopting cutting-edge technologies – from immersive technologies and AI to digital twins.

PRISM is supported by InterTradeIreland through the Collaborative Innovation Fund, and we’re proud to be building a support programme that delivers real impact for SMEs across the island of Ireland. Stay tuned for what’s next – and if you’re a manufacturing SME, we’d love to connect. Expression of interest simple form here…

We’re kicking off 2026 with something special – the launch of our brand-new Speaker Directory! This exciting addition to our website, located under the ‘Resources’ menu, is designed to showcase the incredible expertise within the Eirmersive community.

The Speaker Directory isn’t just a page – it’s a gateway to opportunity. We’ll be promoting this resource widely throughout the year to help our Members amplify their voices, grow their reputations, and strengthen their personal and professional brands. Whether you’re looking to share your insights or connect with thought leaders, this is your platform.

If you’re an event organiser searching for speakers who can deliver cutting-edge perspectives on spatial storytelling, immersive media, generative AI, no-code tools, digital placemaking, XR, and other emerging technologies, look no further. The Eirmersive Speaker Directory brings together innovators and practitioners ready to inspire audiences and spark meaningful conversations.

Ger Corbett is Chief Executive Officer at Sandyford Business District. At Eirmersive’s Outward event he made a presentation on the Sandyford Business District Digital Twin Project aimed at sustainability, stakeholder engagement, and visualisation.

Project Goals

• Vision: Position Sandyford as Ireland’s leading sustainable business district.

• Engagement: Bring residents, businesses, local authorities, and other stakeholders along on the journey.

• Approach: Use immersive technology and digital twins to show rather than tell—visualisation is key for awareness and reducing objections.

You can watch Ger’s full presentation in the video below.

As we wrap an extraordinary year at Eirmersive, we are deeply proud of what our community has built together across Ireland and internationally.

Some highlights include:

SXSW (Austin) - Ireland House, PRISM - Immersive Technology Summit (DkIT) and UnitedXR (Brussels) - European Delegation:

Some end of year messages we received from our network members:

"Well done again on bringing all the XR companies together. I really think there will be a lot more collaboration between us all in 2026!"

"It’s been inspiring to see the collaboration and the progress we’ve made together"

"It has really been great to be part of the Eirmersive Network, with such a talented and exciting group of companies and organisations. Thanks so much for all the hard work you do and for pushing the sector forward."

It’s been a busy time for Animotive who announced two new exciting capabilities in their real-time VR virtual production platform for game developers, educators, and creators.

First they introduced AI Legs, a new full-body motion capture breakthrough. This is AI-Enhanced VR Tracking, using only a VR headset and two controllers - no suits, no trackers, no cameras, no long calibration cycles.

“Step in, perform, and let our AI predict and reconstruct natural motion from just three tracked points. Faster pipelines, dynamic character performances, cinematics, and hands-on virtual production for students. Developed in collaboration with Ulster University, Abertay University, and the NVIDIA Inception program.”

Second, they’ve announced full Vicon support – “bringing industry-leading mocap hardware directly into the Animotive workflow”

Sam del Greco is a vastly experienced Senior Researcher (XR - Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality), XR lead at IMR (Irish Manufacturing Research, a member of Eirmersive), who founded IMR’s XR department ~8 years ago. During those years he has delivered demos to thousands of people and scoped 70+ projects, including the completion of 7 multi-company XR projects with ~35 companies. IMR is hardware-agnostic and focuses is on best-fit solutions in terms of devices. It works at mid-level TRL (3–6), focusing on implementation challenges rather than off-the-shelf solutions.

At PRISM '25 Sam spoke about 'Why XR projects fail or stall (“Pilot Purgatory”) - Barriers between inception and implementation, and why projects often die after the pilot phase".

You can watch the full presentation…

Thierry Jourquin is CEO at XRintelligence and a board member at both XR4Europe and Stereopsia Europe. He’s on a mission to accelerate XR technology adoption in Belgium through strategic pillars aligned with EU directives (S3). At PRISM ‘25 he spoke about XR Rapid Prototyping and how it powers AI by Design. In other words, XR and AI are no longer separate but projects now combine XR and AI.

Key Takeaways:
- Rapid prototyping is the best way to engage companies and start innovation journeys.
- XR + AI is now inseparable for future projects. “XR crates the world - AI gives it meaning”
- Adoption requires time, education, and incremental steps.
- Content creation is more critical than hardware—devices will evolve, but immersive content remains central.

Watch the full presentation…

Kevin Doherty is the User Experience & Immersive Technologist at the Digital Twin Centre, Belfast where the goal is to increase adoption of digital twins and explore their integration with immersive technology. At PRISM ‘25 he cited the following Immersive Tech Examples:

• Design Phase: Rapid prototyping with real-world data (e.g., Siemens NX, World Builder).

• Training Scenarios: Flight simulators (Varjo XR), sustainable forestry training.

• Contextualised Data: In-situ dashboards and control interfaces.

• “What If” Analysis: Simulating scenarios for optimisation.

• Storytelling: Using immersive tech to communicate complex processes.

Sue McGuire is Senior Strategic Partnership Manager at Digital Catapult and Barry Kennedy is CEO at Irish Manufacturing Research (a member of Eirmersive). At PRISM ‘25 they joined Mark Sage, Executive Director at the Augmented Reality for Enterprise Alliance, for a panel discussion to explore how XR (Extended Reality – VR/AR/MR) is solving operational challenges in Manufacturing, the gaps holding back adoption, and what the future might look like.

Shared Insights:
- COVID accelerated XR adoption, but momentum slowed post-pandemic.
- Change management is as important as technology—engage end users early.
- XR success depends on solving real business problems, not just showcasing tech.
- Expect more accessible tools, better ergonomics, and integration with enterprise

Watch the full discussion…

Andrew O’Mullane is Senior Executive Engineer for Active Travel at South Dublin County Council where he’s also Programme Manager for Active Travel Infrastructure Projects. At PRISM ‘25 he spoke about the Council’s use of Virtual Reality to Enhance Public Engagement in Civil Projects.

Challenges
- Planning Process:
--- Complex and often met with public apprehension.
--- Requires public consultation under Part 8 of Planning and Development Regulations.
- Communication Issues:
--- Traditional drawings are hard for non-technical stakeholders to interpret.
--- Councillors struggle to explain plans to constituents.

Learn why Virtual Reality provided the innovative solution…

John Cassidy is Area Manager Training Services at Waterford and Wexford Education and Training Board. At PRISM ‘25 he spoke about "Enhancing Nearly Zero Energy Building (NZEB) Skills through [VR] Simulation".

The Training Challenges outlined by John were:

- Traditional approach: integrated learning (practical + theory) and experiential learning are essential for apprentices.

- Physical training requires:
--- Access to specific building structures (e.g., cavity walls, stone walls, block builds).
--- Significant resources and time.
--- All trainees must attend the training centre.
- Difficult to replicate real-world conditions repeatedly.

The Solution was Virtual Reality (VR)…