Ushering WebExtensions into the spatial age
Moderation by Fabien Bénétou, Presentation by Ayaskant Panigrahi on WebExtensions, how to customize the browser, for WebXR.
Ayaskant completed his B.Tech. in Computer Science and Engg. from IIITDM Jabalpur, India, during which he discovered his interest in Human-Computer Interaction research. After completing his M.Sc. researching futuristic on-arm 3D interfaces at Simon Fraser University, Canada, he is now back in India and is the Lead XR Developer at NxtWave. In his free time, you can find him engrossed in playing offbeat indie games, watching anime or prototyping new ideas with the Unity game engine.
Dene Grigar, Frode Hegland, Rob Swigart, Mark Anderson, Peter Dimitrios, Peter Wasilko, Jamie Blustein, Fabien Bénétou, Ayaskant Panigrahi, Brandel Zachernuk, Jim Strahorn, Viktor
AI: Summary
This meeting featured a presentation by Ayaskant Panigrahi on WebExtensions for WebXR, moderated by Fabien Bénétou. Ayaskant, an XR developer and researcher who worked on 3D user interfaces during his masters at Vancouver, presented on how web extensions could be adapted for spatial computing environments. The presentation covered the current state of web extensions in browsers, WebXR support across different platforms, and demonstrated a prototype showing spatial widgets that could be placed in 3D environments. Key topics included layers for compositing content, spatial widgets similar to Apple’s Vision Pro implementation, and potential use cases like diminished reality (3D ad blockers), volumetric apps, and cross-platform avatar systems. The discussion touched on security concerns, data sharing between extensions, and the technical challenges of implementing such systems. Participants engaged with questions about privacy, typing systems for data control, and the broader implications for spatial computing interfaces.
AI: Speaker Summary
Dene Grigar introduced herself as Co-PI with Frode on the Sloan Foundation grant, director of the Electronic Literature Lab at Washington State University Vancouver, and managing director/curator of “The Next” She moderated introductions and showed particular interest in the concept of pulling 3D models out of web pages, asking for clarification on what constituted a “page” in spatial contexts.
Frode Hegland described himself as having worked on the “Future of Text” for a decade and a half, emphasizing the community aspect and the need to attract diverse participants including poets and non-technical people. He expressed excitement about Apple’s spatial widgets, noting their impressive grounding effect when anchored to walls, and asked technical questions about widget implementations and URL-based state sharing.
Rob Swigart presented himself as a writer and “lurker” in the project, with background in classics and Sumerian, and as one of the founders of the Electronic Literature Organization. He mentioned having published around 16 print books and creating works of electronic literature.
Mark Anderson introduced himself as a hypertext researcher from Portsmouth, UK, focusing on the intersection of technical and non-technical aspects of hypertext and metadata. He contributed technical insights about Level of Detail (LoD) privacy concepts and shared his experience with fewer browser extensions as browsers incorporate more built-in functionality.
Peter Dimitrios described himself as intersecting the project as a former lurker trying to get more involved, with a technical background at IBM and connections to Ward Cunningham’s Federated Wiki and VR work through Greg Panos at Persona Forum.
Peter Wasilko presented himself as an independent scholar, programmer, and attorney who entered the field through Marc Bernstein at a Macworld expo. He showed deep concern about security aspects of extension data sharing, proposing type systems for controlling information flow between extensions and shared relevant academic papers on the topic.
Jamie Blustein identified as being from the east coast of Canada, teaching information science and computer science, with long-standing interest in hypertext inspired by Mark Bernstein. He focused on discursive text and individual information use, expressing fascination with hypertext literature and semantic web technologies.
Fabien Bénétou served as moderator and described himself as building prototypes at the intersection of VR headsets and browsers, working entirely on the web. He emphasized pushing browser boundaries and exploring WebXR limitations, and had previously collaborated with Ayaskant on browser extensions for Wolvic, particularly around web payments and cryptocurrency for content creators.
Ayaskant Panigrahi, the main presenter, introduced himself as an XR developer and researcher who completed his masters in Vancouver focusing on 3D user interfaces, specifically arm-anchored UI elements. He demonstrated expertise in Unity 3D and WebXR development, having worked with companies across multiple countries. His presentation focused on bridging web extensions and WebXR to create spatial computing experiences.
Brandel Zachernuk contributed technical expertise about WebXR implementations, noting support for cave systems and auto-stereoscopic displays. He provided clarification on visionOS widget capabilities and limitations, particularly regarding live web views and system constraints for background-running widgets.
Jim Strahorn arrived late but expressed enthusiasm for Viktor’s approach to spatial writing and cognitive alignment with reading processes, indicating shared interests in text perception and organization.
Viktor introduced himself as passionate about improving the limitations of linear text through spatial writing, allowing written content to be moved, connected, and played with to reveal connections. He described his work implementing these concepts in Colombia and Mexico, with origins in Slovakia.
AI: Topics Discussed
What was discussed regarding WebXR?
The discussion covered WebXR browser support across different platforms, with Chrome and Chromium-based browsers having the best desktop support while iOS notably lacks WebXR support despite expectations it might change with Apple Vision Pro. The group discussed WebXR alternatives like 8th Wall, MindAR, and Zappar for devices without native support. Wolvic browser was highlighted as uniquely supporting both WebXR and web extensions. The conversation touched on WebXR implementation in various headsets including Meta, Pico, Lynx, and Apple Vision Pro, as well as support for CAVE systems and auto-stereoscopic displays. The model element specification was mentioned as a way to embed 3D content similar to images, though with limitations on scene graph manipulation.
What was discussed regarding gestures?
Gestures were primarily discussed in the context of Ayaskant’s research on arm-anchored user interfaces, where he explored using haptics provided by skin and finger touching to enable different widgets including sliders, toggles, keypads, and even full keyboards on the arm surface area. The presentation showed various UI elements that could be controlled through gesture interactions on the arm.
Were other topics discussed?
Several other significant topics were covered including security and privacy concerns for spatial extensions, with Peter Wasilko raising questions about data sharing between extensions and proposing type systems for information flow control. The group discussed spatial widgets similar to Apple’s Vision Pro implementation, which can be anchored to physical surfaces and persist across sessions. Diminished reality was explored as a potential use case, essentially 3D ad blockers that could remove unwanted content from spatial environments. Volumetric apps were discussed as applications operating within defined 3D volumes that could be carried across different WebXR experiences. The concept of spatial assistants or virtual pets that persist across different XR experiences was also mentioned.
Were there any interesting anecdotes?
Frode shared his amazement with Apple’s spatial widgets, noting that even after removing the headset, he still found himself looking at the wall where widgets had been placed, demonstrating their convincing spatial integration. Peter Wasilko recounted how a “show bunny” at a Macworld expo introduced him to Marc Bernstein, which he described as “the most important introduction in my entire career,” though he wished he knew her name to properly credit her. Rob Swigart humorously described himself as speaking “mostly gibberish or nonsense” when he does speak up in the group.
AI: Concepts Introduced
Web Extensions API – Ayaskant defined this as the formal API that allows different extensions to interact with the browser and web pages, encompassing everything from ad blockers to productivity tools.
Spatial Widgets – Ayaskant described these as 3D interface elements that can be placed and anchored in spatial environments, similar to Apple’s Vision Pro widgets that persist in physical locations.
Volumetric Apps – Ayaskant explained these as applications that operate within a specified 3D volume (cubical or cuboidal) and can be carried across multiple WebXR experiences while maintaining security boundaries.
Diminished Reality – Ayaskant introduced this as the spatial equivalent of ad blockers, where extensions could remove or block unwanted content from 3D environments, such as hiding billboards in augmented reality.
Layers – Ayaskant explained this WebXR concept as a way to composite different content layers, potentially at different fidelities, particularly useful for rendering text at higher quality in XR environments.
Spatial Writing – Viktor defined this as a practice where written content can be moved, connected, and manipulated to reveal connections as they exist in the mind, aligning human reading experience with cognitive processes.
AI: People Mentioned
Marc Bernstein – mentioned by Peter Wasilko as giving him the most important introduction of his career at Macworld expo, and by Jamie Blustein as a major inspiration for his hypertext work
Ward Cunningham – mentioned by Peter Dimitrios in connection with Federated Wiki
Greg Panos – mentioned by Peter Dimitrios as a friend working in VR at Persona Forum
Dr Wolfgang Stuerzlinger – mentioned by Ayaskant as his thesis supervisor during his masters research
Felix – mentioned by Ayaskant as someone presenting next week about immersive web emulation runtime
Charlie H – mentioned by Mark Anderson as likely attending the HT’25 conference
Rik Cabanier from Meta – mentioned by Ayaskant as someone from Meta he had invited but who couldn’t join
Leon van Kammen – mentioned by Fabien in context of XRFragment.org and potential WebExtension applications
Walt Disney – mentioned by Peter Wasilko in connection with original Epcot city plans
AI: Product or Company Names Mentioned
Sloan Foundation – mentioned by Dene as the grant funder, Apple Vision Pro – extensively discussed for spatial widgets and 3D model extraction capabilities, Washington State University Vancouver – Dene’s institution, Electronic Literature Lab – Dene’s organization, Meta – mentioned for WebXR app support and payment interfaces, also Eric from Meta, Wolvic – highlighted as supporting both WebXR and web extensions, successor to Firefox Reality, Unity 3D – Ayaskant’s preferred XR development tool, IBM – Peter Dimitrios’s employer, Steam VR – discussed for props system in VR homes, Google Blocks – mentioned as source of Steam VR props, Superhot – mentioned as source of Steam VR trophy, Pico – mentioned for WebXR headset support, Lynx – mentioned for WebXR headset support, Looking Glass – mentioned for WebXR support on auto-stereoscopic displays, Snap Spectacles – mentioned for promised WebXR support, Firefox – mentioned for web extension support and Reality browser, Chrome/Chromium – mentioned for best WebXR support, Safari – mentioned in context of iOS and model extraction, NTT Disrupt – mentioned by Brandel for cave WebXR implementation, EyeJack studio – Australian company Ayaskant worked with, Phygtl – US startup Ayaskant worked with, NxtWave – company where Ayaskant works as lead developer, React Three Fiber and React Three XR – libraries mentioned for WebXR development, 8th Wall, MindAR, Zappar – mentioned as WebXR alternatives, Forest extension – time tracking extension mentioned by Ayaskant, Microsoft – mentioned for collaboration with Meta on volumetric apps, Creo – mentioned in context of Microsoft Meta collaboration, GitLab – mentioned as repository host for Ayaskant’s demo
AI: Other
The meeting highlighted a significant technical challenge in spatial computing: bridging traditional web technologies with immersive experiences. There was notable enthusiasm for Apple’s spatial widgets implementation, with Frode’s visceral reaction demonstrating how effective spatial anchoring can be for human perception. The discussion revealed ongoing tensions between platform holders (particularly around iOS WebXR support) and the open web ecosystem. The security and privacy implications of spatial extensions represent a complex new frontier, as traditional 2D extension models may not adequately address 3D environment concerns. Viktor’s late arrival brought an interesting perspective on spatial writing that seemed to resonate with the group’s broader mission of reimagining text interaction.
Chat Log URLs
https://www.artisanalsoftwarefestival.com https://fabien.benetou.fr https://www.ayas.fyi https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/18A8G7EC_4N0YLbeGrCSSlrrL7G_ZEEGR5_Ao4S-JHVA/edit?usp=sharing https://futuretextlab.info/2025/07/05/ayaskant-panigrahi-july-21st/ https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Mozilla/Add-ons/WebExtensions https://wolvic.com https://github.com/Igalia/wolvic/issues/58 https://immersive-web.github.io https://github.com/ar-js-org https://www.mindar.org https://www.zappar.com https://meta-quest.github.io/immersive-web-emulation-runtime/ https://lookingglassfactory.com/webxr https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/develop/migrate/what-is-mv3 https://github.com/immersive-web/layers/blob/main/explainer.md https://developer.apple.com/augmented-reality/quick-look/ https://xrfragment.org https://browser.engineering https://devpika.gitlab.io/r3f-widgets https://www.nature.com/articles/s44222-025-00323-4 https://x.com/optimistavf https://www.brainec.com https://www.mpi-sws.org/tr/2016-012.pdf https://people.seas.harvard.edu/~chong/pubs/csf11_hybrid_monitors_tr.pdf https://www.cs.cornell.edu/andru/papers/dynlabel-ijis.pdf
Chat Log Summary
The chat log reveals active engagement from participants sharing relevant resources and providing real-time context. Fabien was particularly active in moderating and providing technical explanations, sharing links to his digital presence and relevant documentation about WebXR and browser engineering. Technical participants like Mark Anderson shared specific tools and alternatives, while Peter Wasilko promoted the SummerFest discount and later shared academic papers on type systems for information flow control. The chat showed collaborative knowledge sharing with participants building on each other’s contributions, such as Brandel expanding on WebXR concepts and providing Apple documentation links. There were also practical elements like network issues acknowledgment and meeting logistics discussions. The URLs shared demonstrate the breadth of technologies discussed, from academic research papers to practical development tools and documentation.
Published July 5, 2025By Frode Hegland
Categorized as Uncategorized