" XR Salento 2025” Recap
XR SALENTO 2025, OTRANTO- ITALY
XR Salento 2025: A Perfect Blend of Innovation, Participation, and Local Culture
From June 17 to 20, the charming coastal town of Otranto hosted XR Salento 2025, an event that once again confirmed its reputation as one of the most vibrant and community-driven conferences in the extended reality (XR) space.
With over 250 participants from across Europe and beyond, this year’s edition stood out for the exceptional level of engagement across all conference sessions, despite a rich and demanding program happeing during four full days.
Organized by Lucio De Paolis, founder of the AVR Lab at the University of Salento and Advisory Board Member of EuroXR, the event reflected a strong commitment to both scientific excellence and community-building within the XR field.
The conference kicked off on Tuesday with registration and an energizing welcome cocktail in the evening, setting the tone for the collaborative atmosphere that followed. The program featured keynote speakers such as Filip Górski (Poznań University of Technology, Poland), who presented “The Future of XR Healthcare: Bridging the Gap Between Technology and Personalized Medicine”; Patrick Bourdot EuroXR President and Research Director at CNRS, who delivered a deep dive into immersive technologies and their cross-sector impact; and Sofia Pescarin (National Research Council, ISPC-CNR, Italy), who explored “Concepts-based Design of XR Applications,” offering valuable insights into XR development methodologies.
Each day began early, with poster sessions, followed by keynotes, themed sessions, demo presentations, and dynamic panels. The agenda reflected the diversity and rapid evolution of XR research and applications.
A special highlight of this year’s edition was the awards ceremony, which recognised outstanding contributions across different categories, including best paper, best demo, and best poster. These awards celebrated the quality and impact of the work presented, and offered well-deserved recognition to researchers and practitioners who are helping to shape the future of XR.
XR SALENTO I AWARDS WINNERS
3 Best Full Paper Awards:
Immersive technologies for Cultural Heritage: Bridging History and Technology in Museums by Madina Ipalakova, Yevgeniya Daineko, Zhiger Bolatov, Dana Tsoy, Yekaterina Reznikova, Ikram Bazarbekov, Darian Gabdullin
Empowering Accessible Social Engagement in Virtual Reality: Piloting a preparatory Usability Experience on Neurotypical Individuals by Irene Capasso, Katia Lupinetti, Elia Moscoso Thompson, Fabrizio Ravicchio, Silvio Sabatini, Andrea Canessa, Serena Ricci, Brigida Bonino, Lucia Ferlino, Chiara Malagoli
Transformation of MetaHumans for a Generic XR Workflow by Christian Zimmer, Jürgen Gallinat, Christian Geiger, Lucie Kruse, Lara Rolvien
2 Best Poster Awards:
Dual-Camera System for AI Markerless 3D Lower Limb Motion Analysis by Carlalberto Francia, Serena Chiosso, Lucia Donno, Manuela Galli, Marco Tarabin
Detecting the Fingers of Adult Braille Readers Using Ultraleap’s Virtual Reality Hand Tracking System by Michael Treml, Wolfgang Zagler, Mike Busboom
1 Graphical Abstract Award :
Enhancing Industrial Workflows with Augmented Reality (AR): AR-Based Poka-Yoke AR Visual Assembly Guide for a Smart Learning Factory by Aleksandar Trendov, Tashko Rizov, Bojan Jovanoski, Katerina M. Trendova
XR Competition Award
Eye-Controlled Wheelchair Navigation: Experience the Future of Mobility in Our XR Simulator by Jendrik Bulk
But what truly set XR Salento 2025 apart was its careful integration of professional content with cultural and networking experiences. The guided tour of Otranto and the gala dinner offered attendees a chance to experience the rich heritage of Salento while building lasting professional relationships. The atmosphere throughout was marked by collegiality, curiosity, and a shared enthusiasm for XR.
The organizers deserve full credit for curating a program that was both intellectually stimulating and personally rewarding, combining deep technical content with warm hospitality and memorable social moments.
XR Salento is an event that continues to grow in scope and relevance each year. We are proud to have taken part and look forward to seeing it flourish in future editions.
