Workshop @ IEEE SWC 2026

The 1st International Workshop on Translational XR Applications for HEAlthcare, Rehabilitation and Therapy (XR-HEART 2026)

Rende, Italy September 7 - 11, 2026
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Workshop Info

Full Paper Submission
May 31, 2026 Closed
Authors Notification In Progress
July 1, 2026
Camera-ready July 31, 2026
Conference Dates September 7 - 11, 2026

  • Federico Manuri
    Polytechnic University of Turin, Italy
  • Vito De Feo
    University of Essex, England
  • Katerina Bourazeri
    University of Essex, England

  • Gianluca Amprimo
    Politecnico di Torino, Italy
  • Irene Aprile
    Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi, Italy
  • Gianluca Bertolizio
    McGill University, Canada
  • Aikaterini Bourazeri
    University of Essex, UK
  • Giuseppe Caggianese
    National Research Council of Italy (ICAR-CNR)
  • Sophia Carbonero
    The Open University, UK
  • Franco Carnevale
    McGill University, Canada
  • Maria Cavatorta
    Politecnico di Torino, Italy
  • Athanasios Christopoulos
    University of Turku, Finland
  • Vito De Feo
    University of Essex, UK
  • Simone Fabbri
    TXT e-solutions, Italy
  • Simone Formica
    AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, Austria
  • Giancarlo Fortino
    University of Calabria, Italy
  • Sarah Frances
    McGill University, Canada
  • Tatiana Freitas-Mendes
    University of Essex, UK
  • Yiming Gao
    Politecnico di Torino, Italy
  • Christoforos Giannaki
    University of Nicosia, Cyprus
  • Salvatore Giugliano
    IrisCube Reply, Italy
  • Kinga Głądys
    Jagiellonian University, Poland
  • Raffaele Gravina
    University of Calabria, Italy
  • Chiara Innocente
    Politecnico di Torino, Italy
  • Sara Isernia
    Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi, Italy
  • Sylvie LeMay
    Université de Montréal, Canada
  • Federico Manuri
    Politecnico di Torino, Italy
  • Stefano Mapelli
    TXT e-solutions, Italy
  • G. Elisabeta Marai
    University of Illinois Chicago, USA
  • Giorgia Marullo
    Politecnico di Torino, Italy
  • Sandro Moos
    Politecnico di Torino, Italy
  • Lia Morra
    Politecnico di Torino, Italy
  • Gabriele Pagetti
    TXT e-solutions, Italy
  • Susanna Pardini
    Fondazione Bruno Kessler, Italy
  • Klaudia Proniewska-van Dam
    Jagiellonian University Medical College, Poland
  • Guglielmo Ramieri
    University of Turin, Italy
  • Frank Rauch
    Shriners Children's Canada & McGill University, Canada
  • Andrea Sanna
    Politecnico di Torino, Italy
  • Michał Szotek
    Jagiellonian University Medical College, Poland
  • Kaja Tatoń
    Jagiellonian University, Poland
  • Gail Teachman
    Western University, Canada
  • Luca Ulrich
    Politecnico di Torino, Italy
  • William Uribe
    Universidad CES, Colombia
  • Ilaria Vergine
    Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Italy
  • Yi Wen Wang
    McGill University, Canada
  • Sandra Zarychta
    Jagiellonian University Medical College, Poland
  • Marina Zettin
    Centro Puzzle & University of Turin, Italy

Call for Papers

Extended Reality (XR) technologies — encompassing Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Mixed Reality (MR) — are revolutionizing healthcare delivery by offering immersive, personalized, and scalable solutions for patient care and wellbeing. This workshop seeks to explore cutting-edge XR applications for neurorehabilitation and motor recovery, assistive technologies for daily living, mental health, and digital therapeutics.

Through invited presentations, peer-reviewed paper sessions, and interactive discussions, the workshop aims to bring together researchers, industry experts, and practitioners to discuss advancements, challenges, and future directions to advance the state of the art in XR health applications, interaction and use of AI, critically evaluate clinical validation methodologies, and identify translational challenges, including regulatory pathways, accessibility barriers, and ethical considerations.

Participants will collaborate to define future research priorities and establish interdisciplinary networks that bridge HCI, clinical medicine, rehabilitation science, and neuroscience communities. The workshop will produce a shared research agenda and a structured summary report disseminated to the broader research and practitioner community, ultimately accelerating the adoption of XR technologies in real-world healthcare settings.

Topics of Interest

The topics include (but are not limited to):

Clinical Applications
XR applications for therapeutic interventions in clinical settings
XR for mental health treatment, stress management, and wellbeing
XR for neurorehabilitation, motor recovery, and supportive care
Remote healthcare delivery and emergency medical services via XR
XR for education and training of healthcare professionals
Home-based health education and chronic disease self-care
Validation and Deployment
Clinical validation and efficacy assessment of XR applications
Long-term adherence and engagement strategies in XR interventions
Ethical considerations and privacy concerns in XR healthcare
Technological Innovation
Digital therapeutics leveraging immersive technologies
User-centered design for accessible healthcare solutions
Multimodal interaction paradigms for therapeutic environments
AI-driven personalization and precision medicine in XR
AI-driven virtual therapists in XR mental health interventions
Integration of XR with wearable sensors and IoT devices
Generative AI in XR therapeutic environments
Large Language Models (LLMs) for cognitive therapy in XR

Types of Submissions

The workshop welcomes high-quality, original research contributions that advance the scientific and technological foundations of the smart world. All submissions must use the official IEEE conference paper template. Authors are invited to submit their work in one of the following categories:

Full Papers

6 pages

Complete research studies containing significant findings, rigorous methodology, and comprehensive experimental or theoretical results.

Short Papers

4 pages

Concise contributions reporting promising early results, innovative ideas, or ongoing work that is expected to stimulate discussion and further development.

Poster & Demo Papers

2 pages

Visual or interactive presentations showcasing prototypes, systems, applications, or early research results that highlight practical innovations and emerging technologies.

Publication and Indexing

All accepted and presented papers will be considered for the conference proceedings and indexing in major repositories.

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IEEE Xplore

Submitted for publication in IEEE Xplore Digital Library.

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Major Databases

Indexed in Elsevier, IET, and Scopus.

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