6G-XR: Behind the IMMVIEX experience

Imagine being able to travel without moving. To explore history, art, and culture just by putting on a pair of glasses. This is how IMMVIEX begins — an innovative use case developed within the European project 6G-XR, transforming the way we experience cultural heritage. This immersive journey combines extended reality, 6G connectivity, and volumetric technology to take users inside the Cathedral of Sigüenza without leaving home. A place where distance disappears, presence becomes real, and history comes to life in every gesture — merging technology, emotion, and culture into one experience.

Behind IMMVIEX lies a powerful 6G infrastructure and strong collaboration between the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) and i2CAT. From the 6G-XR testbed in Barcelona, the Image Processing Group (UPM) has deployed and validated an end-to-end XR service that pushed the network to its limits, achieving hundreds of Mbps in uplink throughput and intensive GPU usage through edge computing. The system integrates advanced connectivity over 6G and Edge Computing networks — combining an outdoor 6G cell, a dedicated wired VLAN, and an indoor Wi-Fi network — along with volumetric capture using the Free Viewpoint System and interactive 3D environments recreated in Unity. Thanks to this architecture, IMMVIEX enables a virtual guide to be teleported in real time into a 3D reconstruction of the Cathedral of Sigüenza, interacting with the environment through AI-driven hand gestures.

The result is a successful demonstration that highlights the maturity and robustness of the 6G-XR testbed, showing how next-generation connectivity, volumetric capture, and immersive rendering can revolutionize the way we experience cultural heritage. The videos showcase both the full immersive experience and the technical explanation behind its development, featuring Mario Montagud (i2CAT) and Julián Cabrera (UPM), who share the challenges and achievements of this pioneering project.

IMMVIEX is a window to the future — where technology connects people, places, and cultures beyond physical boundaries.