IIT Madras XTIC to host first International XR Symposium for Global South on Nov 28

chennai: the experiential technology innovation centre (xtic) at iit madras will host the first-ever international xr symposium for the global south on 28 november 2025, with a focus on advancing frugal innovations in virtual, augmented and mixed reality technologies.xtic, an institute of eminence research centre and india's first dedicated facility for vr, ar, mr and haptics, said the symposium will explore cost-effective and scalable xr solutions suited to emerging economies in asia, africa and latin america. the theme, “frugal tech innovations transforming hardware and software solutions for xr in the global south,” aligns with india's growing leadership among global south nations.the event is being jointly organised by oculus co-founders steven lavalle and anna lavalle of the university of oulu, finland, along with prof. m. manivannan, principal investigator, xtic. registration is open until 28 november on the xtic website.prof. manivannan said the symposium would address the rising need for affordable xr applications in education, healthcare, skilling and public services. he added that india's unique requirements offer opportunities to co-create context-driven xr tools and help developing nations leapfrog technological cycles.key tracks include human-centric ai, gaming and content, healthcare, skills training, mobility, and applications in space and ocean sciences.