Humanoid Robot Project with University of Central Florida Honored for Breakthrough Physical AI Teleoperation
Second Consecutive Award Reinforces Omni One as the Leading Full-Body Movement Platform for XR, AI, and Robotics
AUSTIN, Texas, July 21, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Virtuix Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: VTIX), a leading developer of AI-driven, full-body simulation systems, today announced that its Omni One platform has received the 2026 Auggie Award for Best Interaction Product at Augmented World Expo (AWE), the XR industry’s highest honor, as part of a humanoid robot teleoperation system developed by the University of Central Florida. The recognition highlights Omni One’s expanding role in robot teleoperation and reinforces the platform’s position as a leading movement interface for the rapidly expanding AI, robotics, and defense simulation sectors.
Humanoid robotics is emerging as one of the fastest-growing segments of artificial intelligence, with leading technology companies investing billions of dollars to develop robots capable of performing physical work in human environments. These systems require intuitive methods for both teleoperation, allowing humans to remotely control robots in real time, and physical AI training, where large volumes of human movement data are collected to train autonomous robot behaviors. Virtuix believes Omni One is uniquely positioned to support both applications by capturing natural, unrestricted full-body movement within a compact and safe footprint.
"Embodied AI and humanoid robotics are gaining momentum and attracting large investments. This award validates that Omni One is not simply a virtual reality platform, but a foundational movement technology enabling the next generation of intelligent machines," said Jan Goetgeluk, Founder and CEO of Virtuix. "As commercial investment in embodied AI accelerates, we believe this creates significant long-term opportunities for Omni One across enterprise, defense, and industrial automation."
The Auggie Award follows a series of recent milestones for Virtuix as the Company continues to expand the commercial applications of Omni One beyond immersive entertainment into aerospace, defense, healthcare, education, enterprise, and robotics. Virtuix believes immersive full-body interaction will become an increasingly important component of how humans train and collaborate with intelligent robotic systems.
The recognition marks Virtuix's second consecutive Auggie Award for Best Interaction Product following Omni One's win in 2025. Presented annually at AWE since 2010, the Auggie Awards are widely regarded as the XR industry's highest honor Winners are selected through a combination of public voting, which determines five finalists in each category, and final judging by a panel of leading XR industry experts.
The award recognizes Virtuix's collaboration with the University of Central Florida’s Institute for Simulation & Training (IST) on the development of “Being there without being there,” an immersive humanoid robot teleoperation system that allows operators to naturally walk on the Omni One omni-directional treadmill while controlling a humanoid robot in real time. The project demonstrates how full-body locomotion can dramatically improve human-robot interaction by enabling intuitive movement, greater spatial awareness, and a stronger sense of presence.
"Receiving this recognition from AWE affirms our conviction that natural human movement and immersive interaction are essential to next-generation robotics," said Dr. Carolina Cruz-Neira, Executive Director of IST at the University of Central Florida. “For decades, we have advanced immersive technologies that blur the boundaries between physical, digital, and remote environments. This collaboration demonstrates how immersive environments combined with natural locomotion can create a true sense of presence by being there without being there.”
Building on its momentum in robotics, Virtuix recently partnered with 1HMX to develop the Nexus NX1, a full-body humanoid robot control system that combines the Omni One Enterprise treadmill with HaptX Gloves G1. The NX1 enables operators to both control humanoid robots through natural locomotion and generate high-quality movement data for training next-generation embodied AI systems.
About Virtuix
Virtuix Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: VTIX) is a leading manufacturer of AI-driven, full-body simulation systems for consumer, enterprise, and defense markets. The company’s premier portfolio of “Omni” omni-directional treadmills enables players to walk and run in 360 degrees without boundaries inside AI-generated worlds. With a focus on immersive entertainment, defense training, and enterprise applications, Virtuix continues to push the boundaries of full-body XR and AI-driven immersive experiences for users worldwide. For more information, visit virtuix.com.
Please visit the Company’s new Investor Relations website at invest.virtuix.com.
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This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements concerning plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance, and underlying assumptions and other statements that are other than statements of historical facts. When the Company uses words such as “may,” “will,” “intend,” “should,” “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “project,” “estimate,” “could,” “would,” “potential” or similar expressions that do not relate solely to historical matters, it is making forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, without limitation, statements regarding the Company’s plans to pursue strategic acquisitions, the potential benefits of any such acquisition, the expected synergies, the potential impact on revenues or shareholder value, and the Company’s position in the defense training market. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties that may cause the actual results to differ materially from the Company’s expectations discussed in the forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to uncertainties and risks including, but not limited to, the Company’s ability to identify, negotiate, and complete acquisitions on favorable terms or at all; the ability to successfully integrate any acquired business; risks related to government contracting, including contract cancellations, modifications, or funding changes; the uncertainties related to market conditions; and other factors discussed in the “Risk Factors” section of the Company’s registration statement filed with the SEC. For these reasons, among others, investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements in this press release. Additional factors are discussed in the Company’s filings with the SEC, which are available for review at www.sec.gov. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly revise these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that arise after the date hereof.
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Company Contact
Lauren Premo
Virtuix Inc.
[email protected]
Investor Relations Contact
Chris Tyson
MZ Group
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