Augmented World Expo announces $100K XR Prize Challenge to fight climate change

Ari Inbar, cofounder of the Augmented World Expo , announced that his firm will stage an XR Prize Challenge to fight for climate change. Contestant will create extended reality (XR) applications in a competition for a $100,000 prize.

Inbar made the announcement at the opening of the AWE, which is expected to draw thousands of attendees and 250 exhibitors to the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, California.

“I’m talking about real cash,” Inbar said on stage at the event.

The winner will be announced a year from now at AWE 2023 and it will be judged on how impactful the app is. Inbar said the fight against climate change is the most important task of our time. The winning team will have no limits on spending the cash and retain intellectual property rights.

“The last two decades have demonstrated all-too-conclusively how climate change is in the process of dramatically reshaping everything from global terrain to water shortages and threatening humanity,” said Inbar. “We believe in the power of AR and VR to simulate and visualize the invisible, which can help change people’s behavior and simultaneously have a positive impact on climate change.”

He added,”It is incumbent upon every man, woman and other of conscience to strive to solve this potentially apocalyptic scenario – and there are no better tools than VR and AR to accomplish this! Since 2010, the AWE community of 50,000 AR and VR professionals has been inspiring a movement to advance AR and VR to advance humanity. I am looking forward to seeing firsthand how this contest will galvanize the XR community towards presenting truly innovative solutions.”

Meanwhile, Inbar played an air guitar on stage using AR sensors. And he said his top ten dreams for XR include X-ray vision, teleportation, matter manipulation, invisibility, shapeshifting, super strength, skill mastery, telekinesis, precognition, and time travel.