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

eXperiential Technology Innovation Centre or XTIC is an IIT Madras Institute of Eminence Centre in Virtual Reality and related fields.

Experiential technologies

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, say sources from XTIC.

Leaders

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, say sources from XTIC.

It is working towards creating an innovation corridor to support innovation in AR, VR and MR for IIT Madras projects and select students in their pursuit to explore and guide to the journey of entrepreneurship.

Significance

Prof. M. Manivannan, Faculty Head, XTIC, IIT Madras highlighted the significance of this summit.

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, he said.

‘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, said faculty head at XTIC.

Prof Manivannan further said 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, said Prof Manivannan, faculty head at XTIC.

Visiting Scientist

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.

Collaboration

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.

Awards

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.

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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Designed to monitor the freshness of seafood in real-time by responding to pH changes, the film offers a practical solution for improving food safety and reducing waste.

This film detects the release of volatile amines, compounds typically associated with spoilage, and indicates food quality through visible color changes, say sources from NIT Rourkela.

These natural components make the film biodegradable, safe, and responsive, aligning with sustainability goals and offering a non-invasive way to assess seafood freshness.

Findings

The findings of this research have been published in the journal Food Packaging and Shelf Life in a paper co-authored by Prof. Preetam Sarkar (as the lead corresponding author), along with his research scholars, Mr. Rahul Thakur, Miss Harshi Singhi, Mr. Vedsagar Rajesh Suryavanshi, and Dr. Ravichandran Santhosh.

Other co-authors in this work include Dr. Khalid Gul from NIT Rourkela, Dr. Swarup Roy from Lovely Professional University, Dr. Srinivas Janaswamy from South Dakota State University, Brookings, USA and Dr. Kirtiraj K. Gaikwad from IIT Roorkee.

Fishing

India is the world’s second-largest fish-producing nation, contributing approximately 8% of global fish production, say NIT Rourkela researchers.

It also holds the distinction of being the top five producer of shrimp globally, with frozen shrimp being the top export commodity.

Given the scale and importance of seafood production, innovations that ensure freshness and reduce spoilage are of immense value, say NIT Rourkela researchers.

In this context, intelligent packaging systems, which preserve food while monitoring its quality, are rapidly gaining global interest.

Unlike conventional packaging that serves merely as a protective barrier, the intelligent packaging film developed by NIT Rourkela team offers visual cues about the product’s condition, making it a promising solution for enhancing food safety and reducing waste.

The beetroot peel extract was prepared separately, and then combined with the starch, gum tragacanth, and a small amount of glycerol to cast the films.

These were dried and tested for their pH-sensitivity and effectiveness in monitoring seafood freshness, said Prof Preetam of NIT Rourkela.

Pigments

Beetroot peels contain betalains, a group of pigments known for their bright colours and pH sensitivity, say NIT Rourkela researchers.

These pigments also offer antioxidant and antimicrobial benefits, making them suitable for food-related applications.

Incorporating these natural compounds into the starch-based film creates a biodegradable, safe, and responsive packaging material.

When the seafood begins to spoil and pH levels rise, the film changes colour, providing a clear visual indicator of freshness.

Starch

The choice of Kodo millet starch and gum tragacanth contributes to the film’s biodegradable and eco-friendly profile.

Kodo millet is an underutilised grain with excellent film-forming properties, while gum tragacanth enhances the mechanical strength and flexibility of the material.

The researchers believe that using such agricultural by-products not only supports sustainability but also adds value to food processing waste, such as beetroot peels.

At the laboratory scale, the cost of producing the film was estimated approximately Rs. 900 per kilogram.

When scaled up for industrial production, the cost is projected to range between Rs. 400 and Rs. 600 per kilogram, making it a potentially viable option for commercial use.

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