About Multisensory XR

Artificial Intelligence has dominated public and scholarly attention, overshadowing many other areas of technology. Yet recent developments around Extended Reality (XR) — a blurring of actual and virtual worlds encompassing Augmented, Virtual and Mixed Reality — deserve equal scrutiny. Often supported by AI, XR is transforming the way we interact with digital and physical spaces. Our project establishes an interdisciplinary, arts- and humanities-led research field of Multisensory XR, focused on critical enquiry into its social, cultural and ethical values.

Working with the concept of ’ethical multisensory XR’ — going beyond industry’s ‘Tech for Good’ mantra — we investigate what constitutes a genuinely good immersive experience: one that succeeds technically and artistically while delivering ethical and social value. Going beyond the goggles-and-screen setup, we identify XR applications that engage touch, sound, smell and taste, prioritising care, accessibility and inclusivity. The key goal is to ensure that XR not only works, but works for everyone.