IIT Madras to build AR/VR-based education modules for rural schools

Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras are developing augmented reality/virtual reality-based learning environments for students. The solution is targetted at students of secondary schools in the rural part of the country.

In the initial step of this initiative, project coordinators Dr Merin Simi Raj and Dr Avishek Parui have created an AR-based mobile app called MemoryBytes which captures the history of the transnational Anglo-Indian community across 500 years. The app is available in both Android and iOS versions and offers interactive experience of photographs, maps, and archival documents. Going ahead, students get to learn subjects like social science, history, science, and languages through a VR-enabled experiential learning environment.

“These projects are part of the research at the Centre for Memory Studies in IIT Madras, which works at the interface of humanities, heritage, and technology. We undertake research on adaptive, dynamic, and authentic learning experiences through portable XR tools/products accessible for students, researchers, and the general public,” Dr Parui, project coordinator and associate professor, Department of Humanities and Technology, IIT Madras.

IIT Madras is working on several other AR/VR projects. For instance, the institute announced in February that it is developing an astronaut training module based on AR/VR/mixed reality for Indian Space Flight Programs. Indian space research organisation will use the solutions created at the newly-established eXperiential Technology Innovation Centre (XTIC) at IIT Madras.

Further, in March, IIT Madras signed a memorandum of understanding with the Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) to develop an extended reality center. This center will be housed at the Management Training Institute unit of SAIL at Ranchi and will showcase the latest AR, VR, MR, and haptic technology. SAIL will be using the technologies created at the XTIC center of IIT Madras.