Where Immersive Technology Trends Are Really Heading (Beyond the Hype)

Immersive Technology Trends Shaping AR and Mixed Reality

As hype cycles come and go, immersive technology continues to quietly reshape how we learn, explore and connect with the world around us. These immersive technology trends are reshaping how we interact with place, story and experience across heritage, education and culture.

This article is based on a keynote delivered at Manchester Tech Festival, where I explored where augmented reality, mixed reality and immersive technologies are genuinely heading, not from a marketing perspective, but from nearly a decade of building real-world experiences across healthcare, heritage, education and culture.

Rather than chasing buzzwords, this talk focuses on what actually matters: meaningful experiences, human interaction, and place-based storytelling.

Below, you can read a structured overview of the ideas, or watch the full keynote.

Watch the full keynote: Where Immersive Technology Is Really Heading (Manchester Tech Festival)

What Augmented Reality Really Is (And Is Not)

Augmented reality is often misunderstood as novelty overlays or social media filters. At its core, AR is about layering digital meaning onto the physical world, allowing people to interact with information in context.

From Pokémon Go to industrial training and heritage interpretation, the real power of AR lies in interaction, not spectacle.

The moment immersive technology disappears and the experience takes over, that’s where the magic happens.

From Filters to Applications: The AR Spectrum

AR exists on a spectrum:

• Social filters and lenses.

• Mobile AR applications built in game engines.

• Location-based experiences using mapping and GPS.

• Mixed reality environments that blend physical and digital interaction.

Tools like Unity, AR Foundation, ARKit and ARCore have made it possible to create experiences that scale across devices, but technology choice should always follow purpose, not trend.

How AR, VR and Mixed Reality Are Converging

We are no longer talking about isolated technologies.

Augmented reality, virtual reality and mixed reality are converging into a shared ecosystem of immersive computing. Headsets, phones, spatial devices and cloud platforms are all becoming different access points to the same underlying experiences.

This convergence matters far more than individual product launches.

Immersive Maps, LiDAR and the Future of Place

One of the most important shifts happening now is the rise of immersive maps.

By combining:

• Spatial data.

• LiDAR.

• Photogrammetry.

• AI and machine learning.

We can begin to understand landscapes, cities and heritage sites in new ways. These tools allow us not just to visualise place, but to interpret it, revealing stories hidden beneath the surface.

This is where immersive technology becomes transformational.

Why the Metaverse Narrative Fell Short

The metaverse promised everything, interoperability, shared worlds, persistent identity, but delivered very little.

Not because immersive technology failed, but because hype outpaced reality.

Technology is only ever a vehicle. Without meaningful experiences, human value and real-world relevance, no platform will succeed long-term.

Mixed Reality and Heritage: A Once-in-a-Generation Opportunity

Heritage is where immersive technology truly shines.

In the UK especially, we are uniquely positioned to use mixed reality to:

• Reveal lost landscapes.

• Visualise historic events in situ.

• Connect communities to place.

• Support education and wellbeing.

Heritage is not about nostalgia. It is about identity, belonging and understanding where we are, and immersive technology allows us to experience that directly.

Why Meaning Matters More Than Technology

After nearly a decade working in immersive tech, one lesson stands out:

Technology should serve experience, never the other way around.

The future of immersive technology will not be defined by devices or buzzwords, but by whether it helps people connect more deeply with the world around them.

That is where we focus our work at AVimmerse.

If you are exploring immersive technology for heritage, education or place-based storytelling, you can learn more about our approach via the Studio and Immersive Heritage pages, or get in touch to discuss a project.