CrewXR is a startup based on technology licensed from the Interactive Commons (IC) at Case Western Reserve University.

The IC is best known for developing applications for the Microsoft HoloLens mixed-reality headset and now takes a device-agnostic approach to XR. However, back in 2015, CWRU was the first educational partner to work on HoloLens and presented the HoloAnatomy® Software Suite at the Microsoft HoloLens launch. Today the CWRU School of Medicine and other partners use HoloAnatomy to learn medical anatomy in large, instructor-led classroom settings. Learning-outcomes research shows that students using HoloAnatomy® learned the information twice as fast as the traditional method (cadaver-based dissection) and retain knowledge better.

As the IC expanded XR in classes across the university campus—and with partners—it quickly became evident that traditional approaches to XR were not scalable for large organizations. This was the inspiration for CrewXR.

The IC continues to lead in creating the largest shared-group XR experiences in the world, from classes of more than 100 simultaneous students, to dance performances with audiences of 80, to museum exhibits like the mixed reality section of the “Revealing Krishna” exhibit at the Cleveland Museum of Art, which hosted 22,000 visitors over three months. Work from the IC has been featured at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in National Geographic, The Wall Street Journal, CBS Sunday Morning, NBC Nightly News, Fortune and beyond.

Today, CrewXR is led by founders Mark Griswold, PhD, Erin Henninger, MBA, and CEO Niko Chauls.

Niko Chauls - CEO

Niko Chauls is a technology innovation leader focused on building products, platforms and solutions with spatial computing, augmented reality and artificial intelligence. As a 25-year veteran of emerging technologies, he is a confident collaborator with a track record of conceiving and launching consumer products and enterprise solutions. Before joining CrewXR, Niko ran XR product innovation at Verizon, building multiple enterprise solutions for Lockheed Martin, VA Medical Centers, and the DoD. Prior, Niko served as Senior Director of Emerging Technologies at USA Today and various roles at Microsoft. He is chair of the Technical Steering Committee for the Volumetric Format Association.

Mark Griswold, PhD - Founder

Mark Griswold, PhD, is the Pavey Family Designated Professor of Innovative Imaging and a professor in the Department of Radiology at Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals in Cleveland, Ohio. Dr. Griswold received his BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois and his PhD in Physics from the University of Wurzburg, Germany. Dr. Griswold is also the faculty director of the Interactive Commons (IC) at CWRU with a focus on the use of XR in education. He is a fellow of the International Academy of Medical and Biological Engineering, the National Academy of Inventors, the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering and the International Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. He is a past member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Council on Virtual and Augmented Reality.

Erin Henninger, MBA - Founder

Erin Henninger is executive director of the Interactive Commons (IC) at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, where she approaches XR as a new communication medium. Erin co-leads a team of computer programmers and artists to create software in collaboration with interdisciplinary partners within higher ed and beyond. Prior to the IC, Erin focused on translating science to lay audiences in communication roles within the CWRU School of Medicine. Erin holds a BA in Communication and Media Studies from Penn State University and an MBA from Case Western Reserve University Weatherhead School of Management.