IIT Madras XTIC to boost Research in XR

CHENNAI: eXperiential Technology Innovation Centre (XTIC), an IIT Madras Institute of Eminence Centre in Virtual Reality and related fields, will launch the 'XTIC-APP' (Academic Partnership Program) to drive the growth of 'eXtended Reality' (XR) sector in India.

A key objective is to drive the growth of highly-trained XR developers and designers in India for the global market, a release from IIT-Madras said on Tuesday.

This initiative aims to boost the XR field and bridge the gap between Applied and Core R and D.

It will also support the start-up ecosystem and will be a stepping stone for expanding XR courses globally.

Vice Chancellors and Principals of leading academic institutions will sign the MoU during the XR Summit, scheduled to be held on November 16 and 17 at the IIT Madras campus.

XR refers to Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Mixed Reality (MR). IIT Madras is uniquely positioned to lead this effort, thanks to its cutting-edge Haptics Lab and the IoE Center for VR and Haptics.

Prof. M. Manivannan, Faculty Head, XTIC, IIT Madras, said, "As we published in the Whitepaper on XR In India earlier this year, in order to realize the goal of India establishing an XR Corridor by 2047, we must get academia on board to produce manpower resources of highquality XR system designers and developers, both hardware and software, both applied and core R and D."

This XR Summit focussing on Innovations in XR is a critical step towards this Vikshit Bharat 2047.

The Summit will also witness the launch of the first ever 'Game Jam' on XR Readiness, which will showcase the evolution of XR technology through the display of XR Devices and gamified parameters that influence the adoption of this technology across multiple industries.

It will also feature innoations in XR Hardware, XR Software, Embodiment, XR Immersive Designers and will see the participation of Gamification experts. This summit will drive the growth of this sector at IIT Madras as well as create a corridor for high quality XR content and design startups in India.

Key objectives of the XR Summit include creating a Roadmap for XR Corridor in India, Integrating AI/ML, and Gaming with XR to make XR experiences more personalized, responsive, and intelligent, GenAI could assist in creating realistic virtual environments, refining object recognition, and enhancing gesture and voice control, Working with International standards organization to develop Interoperability standards, APIs and software solutions that make XTIC compatible with various devices from various industries.

XR Startup Awards would also be given out during the Summit by the American Computer Scientist Steve LaValle, who is the co-inventor of Oculus VR Set.