Members of the U.S. House of Representatives’ Reality Caucus Propose Congressional Resolution to Officially Designate November as National XR Month
September 28, 2022 — The XR Association (XRA) will host the first annual “National XR Month” in November to drive awareness about the limitless potential of immersive technology, its responsible development and use. XR — the catch-all term for virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed-reality (MR) — has become a critical tool to advance accessibility, workforce training, national security and entertainment.
The launch of “National XR Month” comes after XRA expressed support for H.Res. 1399, a congressional resolution offered by co-chairs of the Congressional Caucus on Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality Technologies (Reality Caucus). Congressman Darrell Issa (CA-50), Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01), Congresswoman Yvette Clarke (NY-9) and Congressman Ted Lieu (CA-33) were among those working to officially recognize November as National XR Month.
H.Res. 1399 serves as a touchstone in XRA’s efforts to educate lawmakers about the limitless applications of XR technology.
“National XR Month creates a new, annual special opportunity to raise awareness about immersive technologies and the important role they play in everything from education, healthcare and entertainment, to manufacturing and retail,” said Elizabeth Hyman, CEO of XRA. “Countless innovators, creatives and entrepreneurs are helping to build this next major computing platform, making XR critical to our future. We thank Rep. Darrell Issa, Rep. Suzan DelBene, Rep. Yvette Clarke and Rep. Ted Lieu for their continuing leadership in the emerging technology space. They are helping to ensure the U.S. remains at the forefront of global innovation for decades to come.”
Joan O’Hara, Senior Vice President of Public Policy at XRA said, “Ultimately, legislation recognizing the importance of XR technology helps build support for the industry among policymakers.”
Your Support is Needed Right Now — Tell your member of Congress to co-sponsor H.Res. 1399 to designate November as National XR Month!
The resolution follows XRA’s recent success in ensuring XR technology was included in a list of key technologies eligible to receive research and development funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the CHIPS and Science Act recently signed into law by President Joe Biden.
XRA invites the XR ecosystem – including headset manufacturers and platform providers, component and peripheral developers, enterprise solution providers, XR gaming software developers, internet infrastructure companies, enterprise end-users, consumers, and organizations supporting the growth of the XR industry – to take part in National XR Month by submitting events and announcements in the form provided below.
Key Dates
November 1: XRA will host its Limitless Future Conference > XR for Learning & Development in Atlanta, GA. Industry experts, developers and XRA members will convene to discuss and experience the use of virtual and augmented reality in the workplace.
November 1: The Digital Trade and Data Governance Hub is hosting a webinar to examine whether the brave new world of XR and AI will usher in greater realization of human rights or whether individuals will have less opportunity to reach their potential. Please contact datagovhub@gwu.edu with any questions about the webinar or the Hub’s educational efforts.
November 14: In addition to releasing new resources about the use of XR in education, XRA will also support the Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI) 2022 Annual Conference: Trust & Assurance: Online Safety in an Uncertain World in Washington, DC where Stephanie Montgomery, XRA’s Vice President of Research & Best Practices, will join a panel.
November 18: Rochester Institute of Technology’s Frameless Lab is hosting an XR Showcase to be held on Friday, November 18th starting at 1pm at MAGIC Spell Studios. Please contact framlesslabs@rit.edu if you want to make a submission or have any questions.
November 19: The 6th Annual Global Virtual Reality Day will take place on Saturday, November 19th, 2022. Join the XR community as they organize a series of VR/AR events worldwide to help virtual and augmented reality become more mainstream.
More dates to be announced on social media.
National XR Month Activities
Submit your events and announcements in this form
