In brief: A historical look into how brain computer interfaces have transformed over the past few decades: the landmark research of the past, the landmark research of today, and how it’s going to transform the future of XR. As a neuroscientist for about a decade, my work has focused on how people represent spatial contexts, concepts, and events. I have been able to place people in VR experiences and then through the use of neuroimaging and AI methods untangle their thoughts and how those thoughts influenced what they remember. As this neuroimaging technology reduces in form-factor and increases in accessibility, we can no longer turn a blind-eye to how it may be used nefariously in consumer products. In this talk, I will describe how Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) have been defined over the years, how research in this field has catapulted, an overview of the neuroscience behind the technology, the landmark studies of the past and present, use-cases in which XR, robotics, prosthetics and BCI have intertwined, and how new AI models are being used to perform mind-reading of both language and mental images. “With great power comes great responsibility” – I will end the talk by describing how and what it means for the future of XR and why it’s important to be careful with this technology, but also how incredibly empowering it can be for the future of XR.
Category: virtual reality
Pea-size liquid-metal pump runs robot butterfly on under 0.1 V
Engineers have invented an ingenious liquid-metal pump that could make future soft robotics and wearable devices much more portable and agile. The innovation, led by the University of Bristol and published in the journal Nature Communications, presents a low-voltage power source with the potential to transform robotic systems for a wide range of applications, from robotic legs to haptic gloves used in medical and industrial settings.
The researchers have demonstrated the varied uses of this innovative technique by creating three prototypes including robotic butterfly wings, a color-changing bracelet, and a haptic fingertip pouch connected to an adjustable wristband which squeezes to simulate natural tactile sensations.w.
Current technologies are powered by bulky compressors or rigid pumps, which limit mobility and flexibility. The small lightweight soft pump—the size of a pea—is powered by liquid metal, which converts electrical energy into fluid motion, creating an efficient, compact power source for next-generation soft robots and adaptive materials such as medical devices and wearable interfaces for virtual reality.
Maine breach portal abused to publish fake data breach disclosures
In an unusual misinformation campaign, fraudulent data breach disclosures were submitted to Maine’s official breach portal and publicly posted before their legitimacy could be verified, prompting companies to deny the claims.
A notice allegedly filed by multiplayer social virtual reality platform VRChat is the most recent entry in the state Attorney General’s breach disclosure database.
However, a company representative told BleepingComputer that the breach notification is fake and has been filed using the name of a fictitious employee.
AI and ultralow-energy lasers enable an ultrafast authentication system
The security of modern communications heavily relies on systems that can rapidly and reliably verify users and the devices they are using. This process, known as authentication, essentially entails confirming that users or devices are legitimate (i.e., who or what they claim to be).
Conventional authentication systems rely on static cryptographic keys, fixed digital keys that allow encryption algorithms to scramble readable data into unreadable texts or vice versa. While these systems perform well in some contexts, they often struggle when networks include billions of devices that continuously connect and disconnect.
Researchers at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) recently developed a new system that could authenticate devices faster and more reliably in real time, even when they are connecting to large-scale networks, cloud services or virtual environments.
A hidden threshold enables tunable control of liquid crystal helices for energy-efficient technologies
Liquid crystals are an integral part of modern technology, ranging from displays to advanced sensory systems. In a study published in Scientific Reports, researchers from the Institute of Experimental Physics of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (IEP SAS) in Košice, in collaboration with international partners, have demonstrated how minute changes in material composition can achieve precise control over behavior in electric and magnetic fields.
The research focused on cholesteric liquid crystals, which naturally form spiral (helical) structures. These structures provide unique optical properties used in displays, smart windows, and virtual reality devices.
The team investigated how the addition of a specific substance, a chiral dopant, affects the “unwinding” process of this helix.
A new way to deliver faster, greener wireless connections indoors
Modern life depends on fast and reliable wireless connections. Video calls, streaming services, virtual reality, and smart devices all place growing demands on networks that already serve billions of users. Most wireless data today travels through radio-based technologies such as Wi-Fi and cellular systems.
While these approaches have been highly successful, they face mounting challenges, including crowded radio spectrum, interference in dense indoor spaces, and rising energy consumption as more devices come online.
A promising complementary approach is optical wireless communication, which uses light instead of radio waves to transmit data. Light offers far more bandwidth than radio frequencies, does not interfere with existing wireless systems, and can be directed precisely at specific locations.
Virtual Reality Takes Physics Students to Another Planet
Daniel de Florian had already established himself as a theoretical physicist—leading a group at CERN that contributed to the discovery of the Higgs boson—when he had an idea: introducing physics into high schools using virtual reality (VR). He believed that younger generations were drawn to less traditional ways of accessing science and that VR might be worth a try. As director of the Institute of Physical Sciences at the National University of General San Martín, located on the outskirts of the sprawling metropolis of Buenos Aires in Argentina, he had the resources to pursue the idea.
In 2024, de Florian began developing a combination of science, gaming, and immersive technology to create a VR-boosted version of high school physics courses. With funding from an international bank, he conducted the first pilot tests in 2025. In the VR program, students could manipulate atoms, create molecules, and solve challenges such as protecting nature on a fictional planet under various physical threats.
De Florian told Physics Magazine about his experience developing this unconventional educational tool.
Monkeys navigate a virtual forest with thought alone, pushing brain-computer interfaces beyond the lab
As a part of a study testing out a new type of implanted brain-computer interface (BCI), three rhesus monkeys controlled movements in a virtual reality (VR) world using only brain signals. The study, published in Science Advances, demonstrates a major step toward practical BCIs that can work outside of lab conditions.
BCIs allow direct communication between the brain and external devices, like a computer or robotic arm. This ability is thought to be extremely valuable for helping people suffering from paralysis to move objects, communicate or complete other tasks. However, there is a gap between lab-based BCI demonstrations and practical, flexible systems for real-world usage.
Previous research has explored intracortical BCIs—those implanted directly into the brain—in monkeys and humans, enabling them to control computer cursors, robotic or prosthetic arms and wheelchairs. Others have restored communication and the function of paralyzed limbs. However, real-world navigation requires adapting to unpredictable events and complex environments, which previous BCIs have struggled with, often requiring overt movement or only working in overly simple settings.
Why this single-chip LED advance could shrink AR glasses and boost quantum links
Researchers at The University of Osaka, in collaboration with ULVAC, Inc. and Ritsumeikan University, have developed a new LED structure that generates circularly polarized light from a single chip. By combining a semipolar InGaN light-emitting structure with a stripe-shaped silicon nitride metasurface, the team created a compact light source that reduces energy-conversion loss and operates at room temperature.
This advancement could help bring ultra-compact, durable light sources closer to practical use in AR/VR, 3D displays, quantum communication, and optical security. The work is published in the journal Optical Materials Express.
Circularly polarized light is useful for a wide range of next-generation technologies. However, previous circularly polarized LEDs have struggled to combine high polarization, high efficiency, durability, and scalable manufacturing. In many previous designs, only one circular polarization component can be extracted from unpolarized light, placing a theoretical limit of 50% on conversion efficiency.
Forget Wi-Fi This Laser Tech Hits 360 Gbps at Half the Power
A new laser-powered wireless system uses light to deliver data at speeds exceeding 360 Gbps. It could enable faster, more efficient indoor networks while reducing interference and energy use.
Modern life runs on fast, reliable wireless connections. Video calls, streaming, virtual reality, and connected devices all depend on networks that already support billions of users. Most of this data travels over radio-based systems like Wi-Fi and cellular networks. These technologies have powered decades of growth, but they are running into limits. Radio spectrum is becoming crowded, signals can interfere with each other in busy indoor spaces, and energy use keeps rising as more devices come online.
Using light instead of radio waves.