Spatial computing and immersive tech is about far more than headsets and goggles – and that misconception is holding the industry back.
That's the view of Fabio Esposito, CEO of Leia Inc. and former Meta Reality Labs executive, who joined UC Today to discuss how immersive technology is moving from novelty to necessity across some of the world's most demanding industries.
"The majority of people still connect spatial computing to a device," Esposito explained. "But spatial is a lot more than that."
At the heart of the conversation was a deceptively simple idea: depth changes everything. Whether it's a surgeon visualising a patient remotely, an engineer accessing schematics on an offshore oil platform, or a student watching electrons orbit a nucleus in real time, the ability to experience content in three dimensions – contextualised within an environment – transforms how people understand and act on information.
"There's a big difference between looking at an X-ray on a flat screen and actually rotating around an object as if you're next to it," Esposito said.
"That's where depth makes the difference."
In healthcare specifically, Esposito highlighted the patient experience as an area ripe for change. Immersive visualisation could remove the confusion that often accompanies medical imaging, giving patients a clearer, more intuitive understanding of their own diagnoses – and strengthening the doctor-patient relationship in the process.
On the question of whether spatial displays will eventually replace traditional screens, Esposito was clear: coexistence, not replacement, is the more realistic path. Leia Inc.'s approach reflects this – the company has developed a switchable display platform, combining hardware and AI, that allows any personal device to toggle between a standard and an immersive experience on demand.
"If you start from the consumer," he said, "and think about how to bring immersive experiences to devices they're already familiar with – that's when adoption really happens."
It's a grounded take from someone who has spent years at the frontier of the field – and a signal that the most meaningful advances in spatial technology may not require strapping anything to your face at all.
