The rapid evolution of human–robot interaction, particularly within human–robot collaboration, presents a transformative opportunity through mixed reality (MR) technologies to redefine industrial automation and safety. This article addresses the increasing demand for intuitive human–robot interfaces in emerging paradigms like Industry 5.0 and the Industrial Metaverse. Our motivation is to bridge the gap in understanding how users naturally interact with collaborative robots when immersed in MR environments. We present a novel elicitation study utilizing a Microsoft Hololens 2 head-mounted display (HMD), where users perceived their gestures directly controlling a cobot through real-time visual feedback within the MR space. This methodology allowed us to derive a set of natural, intuitive gesture-based control mechanisms tailored for MR-enhanced industrial robotics. The novelty lies in providing empirically grounded insights into user-defined gestural language under MR constraints for cobot navigation tasks and exploring the influence of user characteristics on these gestures. Our findings demonstrate MR’s potential to foster a more integrated, productive, and safe workspace by enhancing operational efficiency, reducing operator learning curves, and improving safety protocols in high-risk settings. We also identify key differences in gesture selection based on gender (in the gesture’s “Nature”) and professional background (in the gesture’s “Locale”), providing design implications for user-adaptive interfaces. These findings advance the applicability of MR technology in complex industrial environments, proposing new paradigms for human–robot interaction.

Mental health and wellbeing have become one of the significant challenges in global society, for which emotional regulation strategies hold the potential to offer a transversal approach to addressing them. However, the persistently declining adherence of patients to therapeutic interventions, coupled with the limited applicability of current technological interventions across diverse individuals and diagnoses, underscores the need for innovative solutions. We present ARCADIA, a Mixed-Reality platform strategically co-designed with therapists to enhance emotional regulation and self-compassion. ARCADIA comprises several gamified therapeutic activities, with a strong emphasis on fostering patient motivation. Through a dual study involving therapists and mental health patients, we validate the fully functional prototype of ARCADIA. Encouraging results are observed in terms of system usability, user engagement, and therapeutic potential. These findings lead us to believe that the combination of Mixed Reality and gamified therapeutic activities could be a significant tool in the future of mental health.