The Award is being given in recognition of his visionary work on the Virtual Reality (VR) film ‘Le Musk’ (2022) during the two-day ‘XR Summit’, India’s first event on XR Academy-Industry meet, on 17th November 2024.

Recognition

This award recognizes exceptional contributions to advancing immersive technologies and storytelling globally.

Directed by A.R. Rahman, the film follows the journey of Juliet Merdinian, an orphaned musician and heiress, as she sought to uncover the identity of individuals who changed her life, guided solely by the memory of their scents.

The film’s unique combination of jazz, orchestral and world music, composed by Dr. A.R. Rahman himself, further elevated its sensory storytelling, say sources from XTIC.

VR/AR/MR

The term ‘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.

Inauguration

Addressing the Inaugural session of the XR Summit at IIT Madras campus today (16th Nov 2024), Prof. Steven LaValle, American computer scientist and Professor in the Faculty of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering, University of Oulu, emphasized the importance of ‘Perception Engineering’, which is the foundation for innovation in XR technologies.

Engineering perceptual experiences that are illusory and plausible in a scientifically sound manner is the core of XR innovation that XTIC emphasizes to all stakeholders heading towards the XR Corridor in India by 2047, he said.

As part of the ‘Institute of Eminence’ (IoE) Research Initiative, XTIC fosters interdisciplinary innovation and collaboration between academia and industry in an event XR Summit on 16th and 17th November 2024.

By presenting this award, XTIC underscores its commitment to recognizing trailblazers who push the boundaries of experiential technology.

Innovative experiment

Prof. M. Manivannan, Head, XTIC, IIT Madras, said Le Musk is a bold and innovative experiment that successfully showcases the potential of XR and multi-sensory storytelling.

Its reliance on specialized technology poses challenges in accessibility and scalability, said Prof Manivannan of XTIC.

This is where research and innovation can play a major role. The XTIC, Our global center with global leaders, is planning to address these challenges in the coming years, he said.

He further said this recognition highlights not only Dr. A.R. Rahman’s ingenuity but also IIT Madras’ pivotal role in shaping the future of immersive technologies.

It cements XTIC’s position as a global leader in fostering cutting-edge research and innovation in VR and haptics, paving the way for revolutionary creative endeavours like Le Musk, he said.

Sponsoring

The XR Summit is sponsored by Qualcomm which is making several specialized chips and platforms that support hand tracking, 5G, 360-degree videos and other features for XR devices.

The XTIC will also recognize XR Startups and honoring them with awards in different categories as part of this award ceremony.

In order to promote innovation, XTIC would be organizing workshops and hackathons for students working in XR field with participation from multinational firms such as Samsung and Ericsson.

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.

About XTIC

eXperiential Technology Innovation Centre (XTIC), is a Centre of Excellence that IIT Madras. It 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.

They function as a catalyst that will accelerate growth, expedite the process, and envision a project or product to completion.

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This collaboration agreement seeks to capitalize on the strengths of both institutions, broadening the learning experience for students enrolled in the Bachelor of Science (BS) programs at IIT Madras and undergraduate programs at IIT Palakkad.

To date, over 30,000 students are actively participating in this program, fostering a vibrant and interactive learning community, say sources from IIT Palakkad.

Director of IIT Madras

Welcoming this collaboration, Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, said IIT Madras is committed to reach quality education to every deserving student in our country. This initiative with IIT Palakkad is a very significant step towards reaching the goals.

We are enthusiastic about mentoring these bright minds. Our courses and internships have a strong emphasis on hands-on learning and innovation, said director of IIT Palakkad.

This collaboration with IIT Madras will build a robust foundation that equips students with the skills, insights, and networks they need to excel, he said.

Key features

The key features of this collaboration include:

Ø Credit Transfer from IITPkd Courses: IIT Madras BS (Data Science and Applications) students who meet the eligibility criteria can fulfil their credit requirements by taking courses at IIT Palakkad, promoting an exchange of academic resources and expertise.

Ø Access to IIT Madras Courses for IIT Palakkad Students: The MoU allows undergraduate students at IIT Palakkad to enrol in courses on Data Science and Programming from the IIT Madras BS program, ensuring equitable access to these cutting-edge skills.

Ø Support for Additional Initiatives: The collaboration will also facilitate student exchange programs, internship opportunities, and other joint initiatives.

Commitment

This collaboration between IIT Madras and IITPkd highlights the commitment of both institutions to enrich student experiences through cross-disciplinary exposure, practical learning, and research opportunities.

It aims to create a robust academic ecosystem that utilizes the expertise and infrastructure of both IITs.

Collaboration

IIT Madras has been collaborating with other leading institutions in the country to provide in-person learning opportunities for final-year students in the BS program.

IIT Gandhinagar, IIIT Hyderabad, and Chennai Mathematical Institute (CMI) have already made their campus courses available to eligible students from the IIT Madras BS (Data Science) degree program.

About IIT Palakkad

Established in 2015, the Indian Institute of Technology, Palakkad is dedicated to creating an environment that enables students and faculty to engage in the pursuit of knowledge, to dream, think, and innovate thereby becoming change agents for a better world.

Having begun with just 120 students in July 2015, IIT Palakkad has since grown into an establishment that is about a thousand students strong and with the best manpower in key positions.

IITPkd aims to become a multi-disciplinary institution with 5000 students by its 10th year. The Institute recognizes collective growth, in collaboration with industry and other academic institutions, as the need of the time and emphasizes blue-sky research and directed research as two essential pillars of technology development.

The Institute embraces a vision to be a leader in cross-disciplinary inquiries, and to contribute to the potential that India’s demographic dividend represents for the country and the world, which is embodied in the motto of the institute “Nurturing minds for a better world”.

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