XR Industry Declares Inclusion of Immersive Technology in Endless Frontier Act Chief Legislative Priority for the 117th Congress

WASHINGTON, April 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the XR Association (XRA) ? the trade association representing the broad ecosystem that powers the virtual, augmented, and mixed reality industries ? submitted for the public record a statement advocating for the inclusion of immersive technology among the ten key technologies designated by the newly reintroduced Endless Frontier Act.

The bipartisan, bicameral Endless Frontier Act moves to solidify the United States' leadership in scientific and technological innovation by doubling down on the discovery, creation, and commercialization of ten identified "technology fields of the future." Notably absent from the list of ten key focus areas ? each poised to receive an influx of federal R&D funding ? is immersive technology, despite its transformative impact and inextricable links to the development of other identified solutions such as artificial intelligence, robotics, and advanced communications.

"Immersive technology is absolutely essential to U.S. competitiveness on the global stage ? in itself as applied to domestic manufacturing, national security, health, education, agriculture, transportation, and workforce development ? and as a catalyst to the development of adjacent technology fields," said XRA CEO Liz Hyman. "The number one legislative priority of the XR industry is the inclusion of immersive technology as one of the ten key focus areas in the Endless Frontier Act. We call on Congress to make this change to the bill."

To account for the projected cross-sector impact of immersive technologies, as well as their synergistic effect on the development of adjacent technologies named in the Endless Frontier Act, the XR Association urges Congress to amend the bill to include immersive technology alongside key technology focus area number six: advanced communications technologies.

For more information, visit xra.org.

ABOUT THE XR ASSOCIATION

The XR Association promotes the dynamic global growth of the XR industry, which includes virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed-reality, and future immersive technology. XRA is leading the way for the responsible development and adoption of XR by convening stakeholders, developing best practices and research, and advocating on behalf of our members and the greater XR industry.

Founded by Google, HTC VIVE, Microsoft, Oculus from Facebook, and Sony Interactive Entertainment, the XR Association represents the broad ecosystem of the XR industry including headset manufacturers, technology platforms, component and peripheral companies, internet infrastructure companies, enterprise solution providers, and corporate end-users.

SOURCE XR Association