eXperiential Technology Innovation Centre (XTIC), an IIT Madras Institute of Eminence Centre in Virtual Reality and related fields, is hosting India’s first Academia-Industry supported ‘eXtended Reality’ (XR) Summit.
‘eXtended Reality’ (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.
The XR Summit, scheduled to be held on 16th and 17th November 2024 at IIT Madras campus, will bring together key stakeholders in experiential technology at a pivotal moment in the era of rapid technological advancements and digital transformation. As ‘Digital India’ continues to rise, it is vitally crucial to evaluate the current landscape of experiential technologies and address the existing skill gaps to ensure sustainable growth and innovation.
Global XR leaders will be addressing in the event. Prof. Steve LaValle, the co-founder of popular Oculus, Prof.Mandayam Srinivasan the founder of MIT Hapticslab, Prof. Mel Slater, XR Psychology, and others are few of the keynote speakers.
The Last Date to register for this Summit is 9th November 2024. Industries, Start-ups and Researchers working in the extended Reality Sector can register through the following link – https://xtic.org/xr-summit or https://xrsummit.xtic.org
The XTIC is India’s First Research & Product Innovation centre for Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, Mixed Reality and Haptics. It is working towards creating an innovation corridor to support innovation in AR, VR and MR for IIT Madras projects and selected students in their pursuit to explore and guide to the journey of entrepreneurship.
Highlighting the significance of this Summit, Prof. M. Manivannan, Faculty Head, XTIC, IIT Madras, said, “This event marks India’s first Academia-Industry-supported XR Summit. While there have been numerous AR/VR events in India, previous XR gatherings were exclusively industry-led. The XR Summit is unique in bringing together academia and industry, a crucial collaboration for driving innovation. Without this partnership, there is a risk that young talent in India could be reduced to mere ‘digital labourers’ in the XR field.”
Prof. M. Manivannan, also the Head of Haptics Lab and a faculty in the Department of Applied Mechanics and Biomedical Engineering, IIT Madras, added, “Global XR leaders like Steve LaValle will be attending in person, with others such as Mel Slater and Mandayam Srinivasan from MIT Touch Lab joining online. The event also offers opportunities to network with industrialists, startups, and government agencies, alongside the chance to meet global XR experts.”
Prof. M. Manivannan was a visiting Scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) of Harvard Medical School (HMS) in Boston, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Maryland
This summit will also feature collaboration with ‘AWE’ (Augmented World Expo), a premier global VR/AR event since 2010 that has been inspiring a community of professionals, innovators, and creators in XR. This year, XTIC, IIT Madras, will host an exclusive ‘AWE Evening’ during the summit, laying the groundwork for a full-fledged AWE event in India by 2026.
As the inaugural event for the CAVE consortium founded in 2022, XTIC, IIT Madras, will also be announcing several awards to honour and promote the contributions of startups in XR, creating further networking opportunities within the industry.
