The 2025 International Conference on Extended Reality (ICXR 2025) was recently held in Qingdao, Shandong Province, China. At the conference, Prof. Mark Billinghurst, from the University of South Australia and the University of Auckland, and the Editor-in-Chief of the journal Empathic Computing (EC), delivered a keynote speech titled “Research Directions in Empathic Computing: Creating Next Generation Collaborative Systems.” His talk focused on how Empathic Computing represents a new research field that integrates AR, VR, physiological sensing, and AI to enhance both face-to-face and remote collaboration. The goal of Empathic Computing is to create collaborative systems that support shared understanding. In the presentation, he introduced the concept of Empathic Computing and showcased several example interfaces developed by the Empathic Computing Laboratory and other research groups. He also outlined future research directions and discussed key unsolved challenges. During the talk, he promoted EC and encouraged conference attendees to contribute.

After his keynote speech, Prof. Billinghurst engaged in an in-depth discussion with the editorial team of EC regarding the journal’s future development. He shared a series of constructive suggestions aimed at enhancing the journal’s visibility, academic influence, and editorial quality. The editorial office of EC sincerely appreciates Prof. Billinghurst’s valuable insights, collaboration, and continued support. We are confident that under his leadership, the journal will grow into a well-recognized and professional academic platform in the field. The team also looks forward to the next opportunity to meet and exchange ideas with him.

Prof. Billinghurst with the EC editorial team

We sincerely acknowledge Prof. Billinghurst for his support and promotion of EC at the conference. His participation provided attendees with a clearer understanding of the journal’s scholarly vision and contributed meaningfully to expanding its international visibility and academic influence.

Conference Overview

The International Conference on Extended Reality (ICXR) 2025 was held on November 1–2 in the vibrant city of Qingdao, Shandong Province, China. Co-located with the prestigious ChinaVR 2025, the conference served as a significant gathering of a global community of researchers, developers, industry leaders, and academics working in the fields of Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Mixed Reality (MR).

The event featured a rich program including keynote speeches, technical paper presentations, and panel discussions that highlighted cutting-edge innovations, applications, and emerging trends in extended reality. The conference explored a wide range of topics, such as metaverse development, advanced modeling techniques, perceptual interaction, graphics and image rendering, XR content creation, and digital twin technologies.

ICXR 2025 brought together professionals, researchers, scholars, and enthusiasts from the XR community to exchange ideas, share groundbreaking developments, and inspire future advancements in the field. The conference offered participants an engaging and memorable experience in one of China’s most beautiful coastal cities.

For more information about the conference, please click this link: https://icxr.net/2025/index.html