UnitedXR 2026

Panel and Fire side chat

• 8 December 10-30-11h30

• Track room 3 (Orangerie)

  • 10h30-11h00 Interactive panel: What Will Determine the Success of the Next Generation of XR Glasses?
  • Smart glasses are moving from prototype to everyday device, but what will it take to make them truly smart? This interactive panel brings together leaders from deep-tech startups, research and industry to explore the building blocks of next-generation eyewear: from holographic displays and advanced photonics to novel sensing and neural interfaces. Panelists will discuss the technical hurdles still standing in the way of all-day wearability, including form factor, power, field of view and natural interaction, and share their vision of the glasses we’ll be wearing in the coming years. Bring your questions: the audience will be part of the conversation.
    • Panelists: 
      Theodore Marescaux, Founder at Swave Photonics
      Xavier Rottenberg, Fellow & Technology Office Director at imec 
      Kia Nazarpour, Chief Strategy Officer at Neuranics
    • Moderator:
      Vincent Vanderbeck, Business Development manager at imec
       
  • 11h-11h20 Fireside chat: A vision for The European smart glass: dream or reality? 
  • Europe has world-class research, a strong semiconductor and photonics ecosystem, and a growing base of XR innovators, but can it deliver its own smart glasses? In this fireside chat, Stefano Guerrieri (imec) and Anne Bajart (European Commission) discuss what a European smart glass could look like, which strengths Europe can build on, and what is needed in policy, funding and industrial collaboration to make European smart glasses a reality. A candid conversation on technological sovereignty, partnerships and the road from lab to market.
    • Stefano Guerrieri, Head of Portfolio office Industry and Consumer at imec
    • Anne Bajart, Head of Unit for Interactive Technologies, Digital for Culture and Education at European Commission at EU