In the final stretch of the CORTEX2 Innovators Support Programme, CARE XR has made significant advancements toward transforming how emergency teams communicate, coordinate, and respond. Built to enhance multilingual collaboration and situational awareness in crisis scenarios, the CARE XR platform has evolved from concept to a tested, deployable solution. During this last phase, the team focused on system validation in realistic simulations with first responders and prepared for international demonstrations and real-world uptake.
Below, they share what they’ve achieved, the lessons learned, and what’s next for CARE XR.
CARE XR’s progress on the CORTEX2 Programme
Q: How would you summarise the advances CARE XR has made during Phase 2 of the CORTEX2 Support Programme?
A: During the second phase of the CARE XR project, we successfully developed and deployed a fully functional prototype that demonstrated the core capabilities of our platform. This phase highlighted four key components that define the value and innovation of CARE XR:
- We enabled enhanced communication through seamless integration with the Rainbow platform, allowing real-time audio transcription, translation, and summarisation across multiple languages to support multilingual coordination in emergency scenarios.
- We implemented 3D reconstruction techniques to visualise damaged buildings and vehicles, giving first responders a clearer understanding of affected environments and enabling more effective situational planning.
- We integrated live data from IoT devices — such as temperature and humidity sensors — into the extended reality (XR) environment, providing real-time updates and visual alerts when critical thresholds were exceeded.
- Most importantly, we achieved full integration with the National Incident Command System (NICS), allowing our XR interface to communicate directly with a widely used operational coordination tool. This integration ensures that CARE XR not only enhances situational awareness but also aligns seamlessly with existing emergency management workflows and infrastructure.
Q: What has CARE XR achieved now that the Programme is complete?
A: In the third phase of the CARE XR project, we focused on testing and evaluating the system within simulated emergency scenarios to assess its real-world applicability. This phase included a comprehensive usability study involving first responders from various regions and backgrounds, who interacted with the platform in their native languages. Alongside qualitative feedback, we also conducted a quantitative evaluation of the system’s performance, focusing on metrics such as accuracy, responsiveness, and user confidence in critical situations.
The results were highly encouraging. The system was well received by first responders, who found the XR interface intuitive, the communication features effective, and the integration with real-time data sources valuable for decision-making in high-stress environments. As a direct result of this positive feedback, we have established a partnership with the Crisis Management Center of North Macedonia, where a version of the CARE XR system will soon be deployed for operational use.
In parallel, we are incorporating suggestions and recommendations from the testing phase further to tailor the platform to the needs of emergency personnel. These refinements will ensure that the final system is not only technically robust but also aligned with the practical workflows and requirements of national crisis management agencies. This marks a significant milestone in transitioning CARE XR from a research prototype into a deployable, real-world solution with meaningful impact.
Q: What would you highlight about the Support Programme, what’s helped advance your solution the most?
A: One of the most important aspects to highlight is the outstanding communication and continuous support we received from the CORTEX2 team and our assigned mentor. Their guidance was instrumental throughout the project. Additionally, the tools made available to us, such as the Rainbow platform for communication, 3D reconstruction services, transcription and summarisation tools, and IoT integration through Intracom services, proved to be highly mature, reliable, and efficient. The teams behind these services were exceptionally responsive, providing not only comprehensive documentation but also hands-on technical support whenever we encountered challenges. Their collaborative approach greatly contributed to the successful implementation of our solution.
Q: What’s the status of CARE XR after completing the Programme? What are your next steps?
A: Our current focus is the upcoming presentation and live demonstration of the CARE XR system at the NATO Emergency Management Exercise “BULGARIA 2025”, scheduled for September 2025. During this exercise, we will showcase the capabilities of CARE XR to participating emergency management agencies, highlighting its potential to enhance coordination and situational awareness.
Before this event, we will also present our solution at CORTEX2’s final event on EuroXR 2025, which will take place in Winterthur, Switzerland, from 3 to 5 September 2025. This will be an important opportunity to demonstrate CARE XR to a broader international audience and gather valuable feedback from the XR research and development community. In parallel, we are in active discussions with several countries that have already implemented the NICS platform, including Bosnia, Montenegro, Kosovo, and Albania, regarding the potential integration of CARE XR into their existing emergency response infrastructures.
Check out CARE XR’s previous interview and stay updated on its progress!
Want to know more about other CORTEX2 innovators’ updates? Browse all our supported teams on the CORTEX2 website:
Open Call 1 winners – Open Call 2 winners
