Indian Institute of Technology Madras has launched the country’s first consortium for Virtual Reality called ‘Consortium for VR/AR/MR Engineering Mission in India’ (CAVE). This consortium, including a group of academic institutions, industries, start-ups and government bodies, is coordinated by IIT Madras.

The consortium will enable members to create new advanced technologies and applications in Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, Mixed Reality (XR) and ‘haptics’ together, says a release from IIT Madras.

The consortium will promote best practices, dialogue with all stakeholders, government policymakers, and research institutions. It aims to become a resource for industry, academia, consumers, and policymakers interested in virtual, augmented, and mixed reality.

The key outcomes envisaged from CAVE include developing indigenous VR/AR/MR and ‘haptics’ hardware and software; set up ‘VR Superhighway’ or ‘VR Corridor’ where many start-ups and industries and work together for a bigger mission to make India the choice for future XR and ‘haptics’ needs.

Tamil Nadu’s IT Secretary Neeraj Mittal inaugurated CAVE during a recent webinar organised by the Centre of Excellence on Virtual Reality and Haptics at IIT Madras, set up under the ‘Institute of Eminence’ Initiative, the release said.