The next big thing, spatial computing, is being developed by a team of academics and entrepreneurs at IIT-M as the use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology accelerates.
Using computing in wearables like augmented, virtual, and mixed reality (AR/VR/MR) headsets for a variety of applications is part of the Experiential Technology Innovation Centre (XTIC) at IIT Madras’s strategy to prepare India for the spatial computing wave.
“India got into AI very late and that is why there is not much innovation happening. We want to prepare India to lead the world in spatial computing,” says Prof M Manivannan, head of XTIC and on the faculty of the department of applied mechanics and biomedical engineering. He believes this is the next big wave in technology.
At IIT-M, a team of researchers and students is creating components for software, biosensors, haptic toolboxes, headsets, and touch sensing technology. In an effort to create an ecosystem and introduce standardization, the XTIC has assembled a group of entrepreneurs and corporations focused only on experience (XR) technology. Industry adoption is being hampered by the lack of standardization and quality control in applications created by Indian businesses. There are already 400 startups and large businesses in the consortium, and 700 more are anticipated to join in the next months.
XTIC is developing tools, standard protocols, learning materials and sharing best practices in this fast-changing field. “Only a public institution such as IITM can bring all the ecosystems together. We do not want to be tied to a particular platform,” says Prof Manivannan.
The lack of headset availability is currently the largest issue facing the Indian industry because key items are not introduced here. According to him, India must prioritize cost-effective innovation in order to lower the cost of this technology.
XTIC has formed partnerships with global original equipment makers in XR technologies such as Meta, Qualcomm and Samsung for select research projects. “We are pushing for global players to make their hardware in Chennai where we have electronics and manufacturing strengths,” he adds.
Experts contend in a white paper written by the XR consortium that research and development in this area, along with better education, are desperately needed. They suggest an XR corridor that would link various stakeholders throughout the nation in order to accomplish this.
To achieve this, XTIC has formed partnerships with academic institutions for training students. “There are very few people working on the R&D part of it. Most of the XR community in India is working on the application part. We need more people working in hardware and software development,” says Prof Manivannan.
He goes on to say that we should not only use technology but also develop core software tools and expand our AR/VR businesses internationally.
“The centre is making efforts to collaborate with global experts so Indian startups and researchers can get visibility outside India. With this, our developers and designers can build the fundamental technology, not just provide services on top of a technology like the information technology sector,” he says.
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