From Battlefields to Smart Cities: Our Keynote at the 2025 Florida Simulation Summit

Last week in Orlando, Lucid Reality Labs joined a celebration of a milestone—ten years of spearheading simulation innovation by the Florida Simulation Summit (FSS). As a keynote speaker on the main stage, our Chief Growth Officer, Lynn Welch, delivered a powerful retrospective and forward-looking vision, “From Battlefields to Smart Cities.”

The event, hosted at the DoubleTree by Hilton near Universal Orlando, convened more than 400 professionals across defense, healthcare, infrastructure, and civic leadership to explore how AI and XR are reshaping our world.

Keynote Recap: “From Battlefields to Smart Cities”

In front of a packed auditorium, Lynn Welch gave a robust retrospective and forward-looking sight. She traced the arc of immersive technology from its defense origins to its modern role in making cities more innovative and resilient. Audience favorites included:

• 9/11 Digital Twin of Lower Manhattan: Lynn recounted how simulation tools helped first responders rehearse complex rescue scenarios—and how that capability has since evolved into everyday public safety planning.
• The World’s First Medical AI Agent: We unveiled early data showing a notable boost in learner retention when clinicians train in our AI-driven environment, underscoring the real-world impact on patient care.
• Live Smart City Demo: We ran a live simulation of traffic optimization in Orlando—adjusting lights and rerouting in real time to reduce congestion.

“By uniting AI’s predictive power with XR’s immersive insights, we’re not just visualizing possibilities, we’re engineering a smarter, more connected future, transforming our cities and industries,” Lynn emphasized.

We’re inspired by the community of innovators here in Orlando — from startups to city leaders to global tech giants — all working together to make cities smarter, safer, and more resilient.

Thank you to the National Center For Simulation (NCS), Orange County Government, and the entire FSS Team for spotlighting the power of this industry.

We’d like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the National Center For Simulation (NCS) — George Cheros, Neal Finkelstein, Ph.D., and Beverly Seay — for their invaluable support and collaboration and more.

Let’s keep building the future — together.

About Lynn Welch

Lynn Welch is a global innovator pioneering frontier AI and immersive XR technologies. Lynn draws upon decades of visionary leadership spanning the evolution of modeling and simulation, beginning with foundational contributions at the renowned government think tank, the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA), where she worked on early large-scale immersive military training simulations like the Battle of 73 Easting.

Lynn’s deep experience extends to successfully navigating the complexities of bringing cutting-edge technologies to market, having played pivotal roles in scaling four distinct VC and PE-backed companies specializing in advanced simulation, AI, and integrated sensor technologies through to successful public offering or acquisition. This includes architecting the go-to-market strategy for a pioneering early-stage AI analytics firm dating back to 2008, alongside driving innovation within homeland security technologies and healthcare simulation.

Now spearheading global growth and strategic expansion for Lucid Reality Labs’ advanced AI-powered VR/AR applications in Healthcare, MedTech, Pharma, Manufacturing, and Entertainment, Lynn offers a unique and compelling perspective on the powerful convergence of simulation’s rich history with the transformative, AI-driven future of expanded human performance and training.

About Lucid Reality Labs

Lucid Reality Labs is a visionary XR and AI development company that crafts complex immersive solutions through spatial technology – from concept & design to development & support, with a strategic focus on Healthcare, Life Science, Education & Training, and many more. We equip industries with the boundless potential of immersive technology. Committed to disrupting global challenges with responsible technology, we deliver impactful solutions that elevate industries through immersive capabilities. Check the award-winning use cases created by Lucid Reality Labs here.

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