Tue Apr 08 23:19:00 UTC 2025: ## XR Creator Hackathon Winners Announced
**New Delhi, April 9, 2025** – The winners of the XR Creator Hackathon, a joint initiative by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting and Wavelaps, have been announced. The competition, which saw participation from a diverse range of individuals and teams across India, showcased innovative applications of extended reality (XR) technology across five categories: healthcare-fitness & well-being, educational transformation, immersive tourism, digital media & entertainment, and e-commerce-retail and transformation.
Five teams emerged victorious:
* **Educational Transformation:** EduscapeXR, led by Vedanta Hazra (IIT Kharagpur), offers virtual reality-based STEM experiments, addressing the lack of hands-on learning opportunities in many Indian schools and colleges.
* **Healthcare-Fitness & Well-being:** Cognihab, led by Rishab Kapur (Gurugram), provides XR-powered rehabilitation solutions for conditions like lazy eye and offers mental wellness programs, currently used by over 100 hospitals and clinics.
* **Immersive Tourism:** LumeXR, led by Savio Menifer (Thiruvananthapuram), created an immersive travel guide enabling users to virtually explore destinations before travel, offering interactive previews and detailed 3D views.
* **Digital Media & Entertainment:** EMO, led by Utkarsh Rai (Prayagraj), developed an AR/XR platform connecting home décor enthusiasts with interior designers directly.
* **E-commerce-Retail & Transformation:** Youth Buzz, led by Mohit Kumar Sharma (Delhi), created a cross-platform immersive gaming experience set against the backdrop of the legendary Nine Unknown Men.
The hackathon attracted a wide range of participants, with 66% hailing from Tier 2 and 3 cities, highlighting the growing interest in XR technology across India. The finalists represented a diverse demographic, including students (53%), working professionals (33%), self-employed entrepreneurs (14%), and women (19%). The age range spanned 17 to 35 years. The winning projects demonstrate the potential of XR to revolutionize various sectors in India, from education and healthcare to tourism and entertainment.