Helsinki XR Center

Helsinki XR Center The Home of Extended Reality. Supporting XR startups and European networking.

06/10/2026

Wearable AI is becoming increasingly present in our everyday lives, with AI-powered smart glasses developing rapidly. But are they actually useful? 👀

Our XR Experts Narmeen Marji and Erson Halili took two leading devices, RayNeo X3 Pro and Meta Ray-Ban Display, out for a real-world test around Helsinki to find out. 🗺️

It’s a longer one, so get your coffee, lunch, or popcorn ready and enjoy nearly 10 minutes of AI glasses in action! ☕️

📣 07.10.2026 | Monthly AI Meetup: AI, Automation & Agentic Workflows in Practice 💻Last Monthly AI Meetup session, we exp...
17/09/2026

📣 07.10.2026 | Monthly AI Meetup: AI, Automation & Agentic Workflows in Practice 💻

Last Monthly AI Meetup session, we explored how daily fustrations can be a great catalyst for building actually useful AI-powered solutions.

But once you’ve found a problem worth solving, how do you turn it into a practical workflow? 🤔

At our October session, we’re getting hands-on with agentic AI! We’ll be joining forces with n8n Ambassadors Mychel Garzon and Onur Akbal for a live demo of the platform and what you can build with it even without a coding background.

You’ll see how n8n connects AI models with the apps, tools and data you already use, turning individual AI tools into workflows that get things done.

👉 New to AI and automation? No problem! Come see what’s possible with agentic AI and get inspiration for what you could build yourself.

💻 Already building with AI? Discover new ways to build practical workflows and exchange ideas with other community members.

And as always, we’ll have plenty of time for questions and discussion. If you have your own challenges you’d like to solve with AI, bring them to the session and we’ll tackle them together! 💪

Remember to secure your spot here: https://luma.com/n8n-rhp8.

🗓️ When: Wednesday, 7 October 2026, 17:00–19:00 (doors 16:30)
📍 Where: Helsinki XR Center, Hämeentie 135 A, 00560 Helsinki
💰 Cost: Free! 🌏 Language: English

💬 “You don’t need to have everything figured out. Curiosity is a good starting point.” At our September Monthly AI Meetu...
11/09/2026

💬 “You don’t need to have everything figured out. Curiosity is a good starting point.”

At our September Monthly AI Meetup, Antti Akonniemi from Kisko Labs showed us what this can look like in practice. Antti took us through his own experiments with AI and showed what he has been building, testing, and learning along the way.

Over the summer, he built over 36 different tools and solutions, exploring how AI can help with everything from work-related tasks to small everyday fustrations. 💡

We also got a glimpse into how he works with AI models like ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini. By combining models with instructions, workflows, tools, review processes and specialized agents, Antti has designed a system around the way he actually works.

👉 But you don’t need to have a technical background or build a system like this to start experimenting with AI. As Antti put it: you can simply begin with a question, a problem or a bit of curiosity and see where it takes you.

That kind of hands-on experimentation is what our Monthly AI Meetups are all about: learning from each other, sharing what we’re trying out and figuring out where AI can actually be useful. 🙌

Thank you to Antti and our community members for an insigthful evening.

We will share more details on the next AI Meetup. In the meantime, mark your calendars for October 7! 🗓️

07/09/2026

Think MatchXR is only bout VR headsets and XR? 👀

Think again! Sarita Blomqvist from DIMECC is here to debunk some of the most common misconceptions about MatchXR. ☝️

Don’t just take our word for it — come experience it yourself on November 12 at Arabia Creative Campus.

Free tickets are waiting, grab yours now from the link in bio! 🎟️

The best AI use case might be hiding in your daily frustrations. 💡Whether it’s something slowing you down at work or a s...
31/08/2026

The best AI use case might be hiding in your daily frustrations. 💡

Whether it’s something slowing you down at work or a small everyday annoyance, we’ve all had that thought: “There has to be an easier way to do this.” 🤔

👉 But what if, instead of waiting for someone else to come up with a solution, you could build it yourself?

At our September Monthly AI Meetup, Antti Akonniemi from Kisko Labs will demonstrate how he uses AI to turn recurring inconveniences into useful solutions built around real needs – not just another LLM-powered tool.

From building an AI-native company to creating ADHD-friendly tools and a personal assistant that very kindly reminds him to stop working after 5 PM, Antti will share examples of what practical AI development can look like at different scales.

You’ll leave this session with fresh ideas for spotting the friction in your daily life and tackle them with AI! 💪

Remember to sign up at aimeetup.fi!

🗓️ When: Wednesday, 9 September 2026, 17:00–19:00 (doors 16:30)
📍 Where: Helsinki XR Center, Hämeentie 135 A, 00560 Helsinki
💰Cost: Free! 🌏 Language: English

20/08/2026

Running a business in the EU? 🇪🇺

Working with AI?

Got 60 seconds? ⏰

Then keep watching! Here’s a quick breakdown of the EU AI Act, the EU’s first comprehensive law regulating artificial intelligence. 👇

💬 What is the EU AI Act?

The AI Act aims to make AI safer and more responsible while leaving room for innovation. It entered into force in 2024, with its requirements being introduced gradually. One major milestone came at the beginning of this month, when the transparency obligations started to apply.

💬 What does this mean for businesses?

Since 2 August 2026, businesses operating in EU need to disclose certain AI interactions like chatand AI-generated or manipulated content need to be clearly identified.

💬 How do I know which rules apply to my business?

The AI Act takes a risk-based approach, placing AI systems into four categories:

🔴 Unacceptable risk: AI systems used for biometric identification or social scoring are banned.

🟠 High risk: Stricter requirements apply to AI used in sensitive areas such as employment and healthcare.

🟡 Limited risk: Businesses need to clearly disclose when their customers are interacting with certain AI-generated or manipulated media and services like chatbots.

🟢 Minimal risk: Everyday AI systems, such as spam filters and grammar assistants, generally has no additional requirements.

And no, not all AI-generated content needs to be automatically labelled. Using AI for brainstorming or drafting a copy doesn’t automatically trigger transparency obligations. The regulation applies to cases where AI is used for generating or manipulating realistic media content and publishing public-interest text without any human review.

Many tech giants have already introduced measures to help users identify AI-generated content. The EU has also introduced three official icons that businesses can for communicating about the use of AI.

What does it take to move from being curious about AI to actually using it? 🤔At yesterday’s Monthly AI Meetup, we had a ...
13/08/2026

What does it take to move from being curious about AI to actually using it? 🤔

At yesterday’s Monthly AI Meetup, we had a great firechat on “AI for the Rest of Us” and the role communities can play in making AI adoption more practical for individuals and SMEs without a technical background.

We’ve put together some of the key takeaways from the conversation in this post, swipe to read what we discussed — and share your thoughts with us in the comments! 👇

A big thank you to Bambi Dang, Valto Loikkanen, and Jussi Salonen for joining us and sharing insights, and to Oscar Ramirez for moderating the conversation. 👏

The next Monthly AI Meetup will take place on September 9, don’t forget to sign up at aimeetup.fi.

Stay tuned for more info! 👀

The Monthly AI Meetup is organized by Helsinki XR Center, Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, Digiole, and Finnish AI Region.

Drumroll, please! 🥁Here’s the first batch of speakers for MatchXR 2026. 🔥This year’s theme, “Beyond Human Horizons”, tak...
10/08/2026

Drumroll, please! 🥁

Here’s the first batch of speakers for MatchXR 2026. 🔥

This year’s theme, “Beyond Human Horizons”, takes us to the intersection of XR, AI, robotics, and other intelligent systems.

Meet the experts joining us to explore what lies ahead and the possibilities that emerge when these emerging technologies converge:

🎤 Jeremy Dalton, XRHQ
As an XR strategist, author, and founder of XRHQ, Jeremy has spent years exploring how immersive technologies create real-world value. His live demo, Invisible Evidence, will take us through some of the most impactful XR use cases across industries — and look at how we can better capture the evidence behind them.

🌍 Michael Barngrover, XR4Europe

Managing Director of XR4Europe and a passionate XR capacity builder, developer, and researcher, Michael works to strengthen XR communities across Europe and beyond.

👓 Valerie Riffaud Cangelosi, CNXR

Valerie is a recognized specialist in connected glasses, with deep expertise spanning AI, AR, and wearable technology. Through her work with CNXR and the SILMO Circle of Experts, she helps bridge the gap between the optical and tech industries.

🎬 Heleen Rouw, CIIIC

From film and media to immersive experiences, Heleen has built her career around bringing creative ideas and audiences together. Today, as Programme Director of CIIIC, she works to strengthen the Dutch immersive ecosystem and bring creators, researchers, businesses, and public organisations to the same table.

🏢 Mark Sage, AR for Enterprise Alliance

What does it actually take to make enterprise AR work past the pilot stage? As Executive Director of the Augmented Reality for Enterprise Alliance (AREA), Mark will share insights into practical AR adoption, from the problems it can solve today to the ROI businesses are seeing — and the barriers that still stand in the way of scale.

And this is just the beginning! Make sure to follow MatchXR to stay updated on the latest news.

🎫 What are you waiting for? Grab your FREE ticket from the link in bio!

MatchXR 2026 is made possible by Metaverse Finland Ecosystem, DIMECC, and Metropolia University of Applied Sciences.

Drumroll, please! 🥁Here’s the first batch of speakers for MatchXR 2026. 🔥This year’s theme, “Beyond Human Horizons”, tak...
10/08/2026

Drumroll, please! 🥁

Here’s the first batch of speakers for MatchXR 2026. 🔥

This year’s theme, “Beyond Human Horizons”, takes us to the intersection of XR, AI, robotics, and other intelligent systems.

Meet the experts joining us to explore what lies ahead and the possibilities that emerge when these emerging technologies converge:

🎤 Jeremy Dalton, XRHQ

As an XR strategist, author, and founder of XRHQ, Jeremy has spent years exploring how immersive technologies create real-world value. His live demo, Invisible Evidence, will take us through some of the most impactful XR use cases across industries — and look at how we can better capture the evidence behind them.

🌍 Michael Barngrover, XR4Europe

Managing Director of XR4Europe and a passionate XR capacity builder, developer, and researcher, Michael works to strengthen XR communities across Europe and beyond.

👓 Valerie Riffaud Cangelosi, CNXR

Valerie is a recognized specialist in connected glasses, with deep expertise spanning AI, AR, and wearable technology. Through her work with CNXR and the SILMO Circle of Experts, she helps bridge the gap between the optical and tech industries.

🎬 Heleen Rouw, CIIIC

From film and media to immersive experiences, Heleen has built her career around bringing creative ideas and audiences together. Today, as Programme Director of CIIIC, she works to strengthen the Dutch immersive ecosystem and bring creators, researchers, businesses, and public organisations to the same table.

🏢 Mark Sage, AR for Enterprise Alliance

What does it actually take to make enterprise AR work past the pilot stage? As Executive Director of the Augmented Reality for Enterprise Alliance (AREA), Mark will share insights into practical AR adoption, from the problems it can solve today to the ROI businesses are seeing — and the barriers that still stand in the way of scale.

And this is just the beginning! Make sure to follow MatchXR to stay updated on the latest news.

🎫 What are you waiting for? Grab your FREE ticket from the link in bio!

MatchXR 2026 is made possible by Metaverse Finland Ecosystem, DIMECC, and Metropolia University of Applied Sciences.

We’re finally back from the summer break, and so are our Monthly AI Meetups! 🤩We’re kicking off the new season with an i...
05/08/2026

We’re finally back from the summer break, and so are our Monthly AI Meetups! 🤩

We’re kicking off the new season with an interesting fireside chat joined by three seasoned AI community builders Reidar Wasenius, Bambi Dang, and Valto Loikkanen.

Together, we’ll discuss how AI communities — including our own Monthly AI Meetup — can better support the practical adoption of AI. What activities, connections, and learning opportunities can help people move from curiosity to capability, and help small businesses turn AI into greater productivity and new business opportunities?

This session will be an open dialogue rather than a series of presentations. Our guest speakers will share their perspectives and experiences, but we encourage everyone to take part in the conversation! 💬

And, as per usual, there’ll be snacks and drinks, plus plenty of time to connect with others and work on your personal projects.

If you haven’t done so yet, sign up for the August meetup from the link in bio or at aimeetup.fi.

Looking forward to seeing you all next week! 👋

🗓️ When: Wednesday, 12 August, 2026, 17:00–19:00 (doors 16:30)
📍 Where: Helsinki XR Center, Hämeentie 135 A, 00560 Helsinki
💰Cost: Free! 🌏 Language: English

💭 What is the Monthly AI Meetup?

Co-hosted by Helsinki XR Center, Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, Digiole, and Finnish AI Region, this free community club will boost your AI skills! Every second Wednesday of the month, we gather at the HXRC office to hear expert talks, network, experiment with AI tools, and work together on our personal projects. The meetups are open to anyone, no technical background needed!

Osoite

Hämeentie 135 A
Helsinki
00560

Verkkosivusto

Ilmoitukset

Saat tiedon ensimmäisenä: lähetämme sinulle sähköpostia, kun Helsinki XR Center julkaisee uutisia ja tarjouksia. Sähköpostiosoitettasi ei käytetä muihin tarkoituksiin, ja voit perua tilauksen milloin tahansa.

Ota Yhteyttä: Yritys

Lähetä viesti: Helsinki XR Center:

Oikopolut

Jaa