XR Creator winners transform the customer experience with immersive tech

The winners of the XR Creator Hackathon, which is organised by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting in collaboration with Wavelaps, have been declared. There are five categories: healthcare-fitness & well-being, educational transformation, immersive tourism, digital media & entertainment, and e-commerce-retail and transformation.

The winners are the EMO team led by Utkarsh Rai from Prayagraj (UP); XR Runners led by Vedanta Hazra (IIT Kharagpur, West Bengal); LumeXR led by Savio Menifer from Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala); Cognihab led by Rishab Kapur from Gurugram; and Youth Buzz led by Mohit Kumar Sharma from Delhi.

“Along with my teammates Sahil Patel and Shaurya Baranwal, and supervised by Prof. Kaushal Kumar Bhagat, we won the educational transformation category. Our winning project, EduscapeXR, aims to revolutionise education by providing STEM practicals on a virtual Rreality platform.” said Mr. Hazra.

Experiments in VR

“In many high schools and colleges across the country, students studying science often don’t get the chance to perform hands-on experiments due to the high cost of lab equipment and infrastructure... With EduscapeXR, students can perform realistic, immersive experiments in VR using hand-tracking technology, and AI-based feedback,” he said.

Mr. Kapur said, “Cognihab is pioneering healthcare with XR-powered rehabilitation solutions. Over the last five years, we have created a product suite of lazy eye, body rehabilitation, and mental wellness solutions, which have been adopted by more than 100 hospitals and clinics in India. Cognihab was co-founded by Ishaan Singh, and Rajat Choudhary and other team members, including Pintu Kumar.”

LumeXR, a startup, developed an immersive travel guide allowing an interactive preview of destinations which makes trip planning efficient, informed, and engaging. “From the comfort of home, users can virtually explore multiple locations, while brands unlock immersive marketing opportunities that far surpass traditional brochures or videos,” said Mr. Menifer.

Its key features include a map view with a detailed 3D slice of terrains, pinned places of attractions, a virtual film projector, and drone-captured photogrammetry.

The EMO team comprising Mr. Rai, Himanshu Mahto, Ashutosh Mishra, and Ishita Guar, created a platform enhancing the home décor experience using AR and XR. “What makes it unique is that all the content is posted directly by interior designers and decorators, so users don’t just find inspiration; they also find the right professionals to hire... Our journey through the XR Creator Hackathon 2025 was filled with learning, growth, and incredible teamwork. The feedback from mentors and judges during the third stage helped sharpen our vision even further,” said Mr. Rai.

Cross-platform gaming

Thanking their mentors, Mr. Sharma said he and his Youth Buzz team members Anish Dombale, A Shivam Raj, and Yash Sadhukhan developed a game that “is a visionary leap into the future of cross-platform immersive gaming and tactical simulation. We wanted to create something that unites gamers on different devices — VR, mobile, console, and PC — into one battlefield, one storyline,” he said. The game is set against the mythic backdrop of The Nine Unknown Men, a secret society believed to be founded by Emperor Ashoka.

While 34% of the finalists in the challenge were from Tier 1 cities like Delhi and Bengaluru, 66% were from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities like Chengalpet, Manipal, and Veraval. The participants ranged from 17 to 35 years of age. About 53% of the finalists were students, and 33% were working professionals. Additionally, 14% of the finalists were self-employed entrepreneurs, and 19% were females.