HOUSE PASSES NEW BILL LEVERAGING XR TO ADDRESS WILDFIRE THREATS
WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Tuesday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 8790, the “Fix our Forests Act.” Among other things, the bill seeks to leverage emerging technologies for wildfire prevention, detection, communication, and mitigation.
The following statement can be attributed to Joan O’Hara, Senior VP of Public Policy at the XR Association:
“The XR Association is encouraged to see that this bill specifically highlights augmented reality (AR) among the emerging technologies prioritized to help improve forest management, enhance community resiliency, and support first responders. To date, the 118th Congress has introduced more than 20 bills that call on immersive technology (XR) to address a wide variety of challenges, including climate and ecological concerns. With nations around the world, including China, investing heavily in XR, it has never been more important for the U.S. to recognize the power and potential of this transformative technology. Doing so will help ensure we remain the world’s technology leader. XRA looks forward to continuing to collaborate with policymakers on future legislative and educational initiatives to advance the industry.”
