Description

The IEEE VR 2026 Workshop on Extended Reality for the Operating Room (XR4OR) focuses on how XR technologies - including VR, AR, spatial computing, AI, haptics, and novel display systems - can directly improve surgical success, operating-room workflows, and patient safety.

The workshop brings together researchers, practitioners, and professionals exploring how XR can be responsibly designed and deployed during live surgical procedures, addressing challenges such as cognitive load, sterile interaction, visualization of medical data, and seamless collaboration among surgical teams. In addition to research presentations, the workshop features interactive ideation sessions aimed at identifying new use cases and research directions.

XR4OR is organized as part of IEEE VR 2026 and includes leadership from top global institutions. Notably, the University of Central Florida (UCF) — a proud VRARA University Member — is represented on the organizing committee, highlighting VRARA’s active role in advancing XR research in healthcare and medical innovation.

Accepted submissions will be presented at the workshop and published on the workshop website as part of a non-archival track, allowing authors to later publish their work elsewhere.