AR/VR POLICY CONFERENCE 2026 PANEL SPOTLIGHT: HOW DIGITAL TWINS AND IMMERSIVE TECHNOLOGIES CAN UNIFY NATIONAL SECURITY AND DISASTER RESPONSE
Washington, D.C. – The sixth annual AR/VR Policy Conference, co-hosted by The XR Association (XRA) and the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), will take place at the AT&T Forum in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, September 24, 2026. The event features panels with industry leaders, policymakers, academia, and researchers, including a session exploring how digital twins can fortify national strategy.
The panel, entitled “How Digital Twins and Immersive Technologies Can Unify National Security and Disaster Response,” will discuss how digital twins have the potential to unify data sources from fleet readiness and infrastructure monitoring to streamline emergency management. With the increase in adoption of wearable AI devices and digital twins, an integrated infrastructure of personal and public devices can enable smoother transmission of real-time intelligence.
Moderated by Alex Ambrose, Policy Analyst at ITIF, panelists will explore how immersive technology can dissolve the obstructions in data-sharing that currently hinder emergency response efficiency. Ambrose will be joined by Barry Silverstein (University of Rochester CXR), Capt. Kirk McKinzie (McKinzie Smart Technologies, Former Fire Chief), and Dr. Alison Brooks (IDC).
As the White House implements its National Digital Twins R&D Strategic Plan, the panel will examine the critical data and organizational policies required to operationalize these technologies for national defense.
