Anyone with an engineering background, including students already enrolled in engineering degrees anywhere in India, would be able to take the course, which will be offered both online and offline. From November 2021 to January 2022, application forms will be available, with the first batch of students starting lessons in January 2022. A total of 50 students will be enrolled in the course each year.
IIT Madras and Monolith Research and Training Labs, an affiliate firm of Monolith.Asia, a renowned Japanese media communication technology company, have inked an MoU. Devendra Jalihal, head of the Centre for Continuing Education (CCE) at IIT Madras, and Yathirajan Varadharajan, director of Monolith Research and Training Labs, were among the signatories.
The course is organised by the Centre of Excellence in Virtual Reality and Haptics at IIT Madras, which is part of the government of India's Institute of Eminence project.
M. Manivannan, professor of biomedical engineering at IIT Madras' Department of Applied Mechanics, emphasised the program's unique features. "Virtual Reality is a course that is naturally practical. It's difficult to provide an experienced and multidisciplinary curriculum online. "This is a challenge for both IIT Madras and Monolith," he remarked.
The primary goal is to meet the growing need for virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed reality (XR), and haptics specialists.
“From design and engineering to healthcare and media creation, experiential and immersive technology is quickly evolving and revolutionising critical sectors. According to several studies and research papers on immersive technology, it has the potential to enhance the world economy by USD 1.5 trillion by 2030 by creating 23 million new employment, including new ones that do not exist currently, or by improving existing jobs. The lack of skilled resources available to companies throughout the world is jeopardising this economic progress," Varadharajan added.
Graduates of this programme may find work in a variety of fields, including IT, animation, architecture, and engineering, as well as healthcare and media creation. Students and freshmen with at least a bachelor's degree, as well as working professionals who want to upskill in immersive technologies, will be allowed to enrol in this advanced diploma programme.