On Tuesday, July 27, 2021, the U.S. House of Representative’s Science, Space and Technology Committee approved H.R. 4609, the NIST for the Future Act, a comprehensive reauthorization of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). This legislation ensures that NIST has the authorities and resources it needs to carry out its mission to promote U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness.
Due to the XR Association’s advocacy, this committee-passed legislation now includes “immersive technology” in Section 35 as an area for advanced communications research. This achievement follows XRA’s success earlier this year to include “immersive technology” as a key technology in S.1260, the United States Innovation and Competition Act of 2021.
H.R. 4609, the NIST for the Future Act will be considered by the full House of Representatives later this year.
In January 2021, the XR Association held a webinar with the National Institute for Standards & Technology (NIST) about their Extended Reality Community of Interest and the work they do in augmented (AR), mixed (MR), and virtual reality (VR) to support first responders.
