AR Rahman to get IIT Madras award for virtual reality innovation in Le Musk film

IIT Madras will present AR Rahman with the XTIC Award 2024 for his work in virtual reality. The award celebrates his innovative VR film 'Le Musk'.

In Short

• AR Rahman to receive XTIC Award 2024 at IIT Madras
• IIT Madras celebrates innovation in VR and immersive tech
• Award honours Rahman’s work on VR film Le Musk

IIT Madras will honour the iconic AR Rahman by dedicating the Experiential Technology Innovation Centre (XTIC), a Centre of Excellence in Virtual Reality and related fields, as part of its ‘Institute of Eminence’ initiative. This recognition celebrates Rahman’s novel work on the Virtual Reality film Le Musk (2022).

The award will be presented during the two-day 'XR Summit,' India's first academic-industry meeting focused on Extended Reality (XR), scheduled for November 16 and 17.

The prestigious accolade will be conferred by Professor Steven LaValle and Professor Anna LaValle, co-inventors of Oculus and visiting faculty at IIT Madras.

The institute stated that the award honours outstanding contributions to immersive technology and global storytelling.

Highlighting the potential of XR storytelling, Professor M Manivannan, Head of XTIC, said, "Le Musk is a daring and innovative venture that demonstrates XR’s multisensory possibilities. While its reliance on specialised technology poses scalability challenges, research and innovation through XTIC aim to address these hurdles in the coming years".

ABOUT XITC

XTIC at IIT Madras serves as a global research hub for Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and haptics, fostering collaboration between academia and industry.

At the XR Summit, XTIC will also honour outstanding XR startups with awards across multiple categories.

In addition, XTIC plans to host workshops and hackathons, encouraging innovation in XR among students, with participation from global technology giants like Samsung and Ericsson.

Through these initiatives, XTIC reaffirms its commitment to advancing the field of immersive technologies.

The XR Summit will also feature keynote sessions, panel discussions, and demonstrations of cutting-edge XR technologies by industry leaders and researchers.

It will provide a platform for students, startups, and global tech firms to collaborate and explore innovations in Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and haptics.

XTIC aims to bridge the gap between academia and industry by fostering interdisciplinary projects and addressing real-world challenges in XR applications.

The event highlights India's growing prominence in the global XR landscape, with IIT Madras at its forefront.