Sneeze is the first browser engine purpose-built for spatial computing, not 2D documents. RP1 and the Metaverse Standards Forum released it as open source under Apache 2.0, giving developers and enterprises the foundational technology to build an open metaverse without proprietary platforms or walled gardens.
RP1 and the Metaverse Standards Forum, through the Open Metaverse Browser Initiative, on Monday introduced Sneeze, the first metaverse browser engine ever built, releasing it as open source under the Apache 2.0 license at AWE USA 2026 in Long Beach, California.
The engine fills a gap the current web stack was never designed to address: proximity-based service discovery, secure multi-origin 3D scene composition, and real-time co-presence across AR glasses, VR headsets, phones, and desktops. Sneeze sits alongside existing browser engines such as Blink and WebKit, adding spatial capability without replacing the 2D web.
"We built our first metaverse experience as a working prototype on the current web stack and hit those limits firsthand," said Dean Abramson, Co-Founder and Chief Architect of RP1. "The web was not designed for proximity-based content, for real-time 3D services from dozens of independent operators in one scene, or for the kind of spatial infrastructure that AI, robotics, and AR glasses will demand. Sneeze was built to close that gap."
Sneeze enables organizations to host spatial fabrics — the metaverse equivalent of websites — on their own infrastructure, with content rendered across any device without proprietary dependencies. The engine discovers and loads spatial content based on physical proximity: as a user moves through an airport, hospital, or factory, relevant services appear automatically without requiring app downloads. Multiple operators contribute to a single scene through the Scene Object Model while per-service WASM sandboxing prevents any one service from accessing another's data.
The engine builds on established standards from the Khronos Group (ANARI, OpenXR, SPIR-V, glTF), the W3C (WebAssembly, Decentralized Identifiers), and OGC (GeoPose), layering a new spatial composition framework on top of existing internet protocols.
Why the industry needs a spatial browser engine
Market forces are converging around a common problem. Major technology companies are racing to ship AR glasses. Enterprises are deploying digital twins in airports, hospitals, and factories. AI agents and autonomous systems require a shared spatial layer to operate in. All of these need an open mechanism to connect spatial experiences across devices and platforms — something that does not exist today.
"The world is moving from web infrastructure to spatial infrastructure, and the decisions being made now about which standards to build on will define the next decade of the internet," said Sean Mann, Co-Founder and CEO of RP1 and a board member of the Metaverse Standards Forum. "With Sneeze, any organization can start building spatial infrastructure on an open standard that cannot be discontinued by any single company."
Without a standards-based spatial platform, every proprietary platform carries the risk of being discontinued, a pattern the industry has seen repeatedly. Sneeze addresses this by giving the metaverse the same open foundation as the web: an engine owned by no single company, built on community-developed standards.
The first browser and academic backing
RP1 is building the first native metaverse browser powered by Sneeze, expected to be demonstrated at AWE 2026 with a working version available by October. The company described it as the spatial equivalent of Chrome demonstrating what Blink made possible for the 2D web.
Alongside the engine launch, the University of Rochester's Center for Extended Reality created the Open Metaverse Academic Alliance, bringing universities and research institutions into the open standards work. Member institutions will conduct foundational research on the engine, contribute to the open-source project, and prepare students for careers in spatial computing.
"The open web was built in universities, and the metaverse should be too," said Barry Silverstein, Director of the Center for Extended Reality at the University of Rochester.
Sneeze's source code is live on GitHub under the Metaverse Standards Forum organization. Enterprises, hardware manufacturers, and individual developers can contribute to the project or embed the engine into existing web browsers. The OMBI team will hold sessions at AWE 2026 on June 16 and June 17 to discuss the architecture and roadmap.
For investors, the launch signals a shift in how spatial computing infrastructure may develop. Companies building AR glasses, digital twin software, and spatial AI services stand to benefit from a common open standard that reduces fragmentation. The Open AR Cloud Association endorsed the initiative, calling it "a long-held dream" of an open spatial web browser built on open standards and protocols.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.
