XR Hypermedia Federation 🥽

Digital commons for XR hypermedia 🥽

We connect, and help fund open XR ecosystems 🥦
We support public local-first AR/VR/MR highways , seamlessly connected XR experiences: public XR hypermedia.

without obstacles 🈚 like appstores, rent-seeking, blockchain-minting etc
We encourage XR translator-development for viewing existing ecosystems like the 2D web, or file-collections spatially using open protocols 🔌 : RSS, HTML, JML, Fediverse's ActivityPub and URI's using XR Fragments e.g.
Our mission

to promote the exchange of electronic spatial experiences and all that is related or beneficial to that purpose

100% piggybacks NLnet and European values: European Digital Rights and Principles to promote feelgood XR experiences for everybody.

, American DFI-values, narrowed down to OpenSource XR experiences via link traversal.

"XR hypermedia enables cost-efficient spatial education and innovation by hyperlinking XR experiences."

Leon van Kammen / Founder, Strategy Director / @lvk@mastodon.online

XR Digital Commons:

#all #protocol #openlearning #xrbrowser #xrdiscovery #xrtranslator #worldpreservation

XR Forge is a selfhostable platform for JanusWeb/File-based XR Experiences. #cost-efficient #collaboration #Universities #E-learning

The Nexus is an open source, community-driven, CC0 city for open virtual worlds.
#3Dmodels #CreativeCommons

Opensource Lobby models as 'startingpage' for virtual worlds.
A lobby is an entry-space with doors to other spaces.

XR (URI) Fragments is a browser-protocol for spatial anchors in URLs (to 3D files).
In gamer language: spawnpoints via URLs.

JanusWeb browses the XR web inside the web.
Its JML syntax allows regular webpages to project a 3D version.
It also supports 3D files via XR URLs/Fragments.

Biggu's Gate is self-hostable web-software to remix simple pedagogical XR games. Learners themselves can then, together with parents and teachers.

JanusWeb's XR translators spatialize the web, embedding webstandards like (RSS/HTML) and popular fediverse platforms (peertube/mastodon e.g.).

The XRForge project is currently implementating ways to prevent link / virtualworld rot by integrating backups to archive.org.

SearXR is a SearX-based meta-searchengine for WebXR experiences.

XRSH is a Linux Shell for WebXR, which makes the Linux ecosystem of cli-tools available in WebXR.

AFRAME-verse was a XR Hypermedia network-experiment which traverses crossdomain AFRAME XR experiences seamlessly. The learnings became the fundament for the XR (URI) Fragments.

Timeline

JanusXR / JML syntax 2013

URL-linked virtual worlds (JanusVR) by James McCrae (incl. URL portalsystem). Rebrands in 2020 to (opensource) JanusXR with focus on janusweb. First convincing VR-headset-compatible user-operated spatial web, used by more than thousands of users.
SearXR Funded 2020

NLnet #NGI #EU funds SearXR an opensource selfhostable meta-searchengine for public URL-based virtual worlds.
Facebook rebrand 2021

8 years after JanusXR, Facebook attempts similar 'metaverse', but proprietary and centralized (rebrands to 'Meta')
XR Fragments Funded 2021

NLnet #NGI #EU funds XR URI Fragments by Leon van Kammen. Standardisation of spatial anchors in URI's. It got adopted by startups like Alkebulan, and was coincedentally (already) implemented by janusweb (independent simultanious innovation 💡).
XRSH funded 2021

First ever in-WebXR Terminal running an actual Linux ISO. This researchproject basically brings the opensource linux ecosystem to otherwise closed proprietary headsets. Aerospace engineers have reported to be using it.
HAN University collab 2024

HAN University uses XR (URL) Fragments while researching VR accessibility. One of the results of this collaboration is the addition of 2-button navigation to the XR Fragments spec.
XRForge funding 2025

XRForge streamlines the design, collaboration, deployment, hosting, and integration of portable XR experiences - and thus further simplify embedding, cross-platform support and hosting, as well as add vendor specific support.

Supporter of Open XR Hypermedia stacks

"(Even after 12 years) I still think Janus had the most right ideas"
Jin / FOSS VR/AR digital artist and advocate

Funding FAQ

Q: Are we talking VC-money?
A: Think microgrants / no-cure-no-pay funding of digital commons, think cosmolocalism.

Q: Is it easy to get (my game) funded (made with Unity/Unreal)?
A: Indirectly funding/promoting proprietary engines with public money is tough (public money public code).

Q: Which Open XR engines are preferred?
A: Preferred are Fully Opensource XR Browserengines like:

JanusWeb (WebXR) ♥️

Or roll your own XR hypermedia browser (via XR Fragments e.g.):

♥️ = janusweb has the highest local-first XR hypermedia-support, see translators, polyglot and addressibility and runs on desktop/phone/headset all-at-once.

Contact us in case you've got questions

Q: Regarding hyperlinking, is linking to a webpage enough?
A: Most games or WebXR-sites are shallow-linked disjointed XR experiences via appstores (not hypermedia), basically:

"We don't want customers to leave our premise"

A much more interesting is seamless XR hypermedia surfing: by interlinking 3D files immersively via (XR Fragment) URLs or JanusWeb.
See the difference below:

Rule of thumb: if the XR content can be selfhosted by users separately from the XR viewer, you're on the right track.

Q: How important is security?
A: It depends, The value of a digital common lies in its liquidity. If you wrap public-domain content in restrictive security layers (like heavy DRM or complex access controls), you destroy the "common" aspect. Since the content is meant to be seen and shared, there is no "secret" to protect. Attempts to ensure it isn't maliciously altered are saluted.

Q: Crypto?
A: Not really, regarding payments the issues currently are: price volatility and regulatory/AML compliance hurdles. Privacy mechanisms like TALER can be discussed though.
Minting virtual parcels via crypto-transactions: unfortunately this does not qualify as 'local-first', and (un)intentionally enables rentseeking and first-mover-advantage.