By Anand Parthasarathy
July 1, 2023: Earlier this week, the Bangalore--based  Artificial Intelligence-powered  learning platform,  Embibe, announced the free availability of  an innovative app for phones,  which   enhances the text of  school subjects like Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Mathematics with vivid 3-D images and videos.
Called Embibe Lens, it can be downloaded from Google Play Store and App Store. Using  a smartphone, a student can scan any  page or paragraph, or select a concept – and see relevant  high-definition 3-dimensional images come alive. The company’s website lists NCERT textbooks and CBSE subjects for class 6 to 12, a few state board examinations, as well as a long list of competitive examinations, from  which students can select  their specific interest.
The app enables students to access a  vast array of educational resources anytime, anywhere, at no cost. It is presently available in English and Hindi.
It is not just for students: Says Founder-CEO Adithi Avasthi: “Embibe  Lens also empowers teachers by significantly reducing their effort and time. Creating diagrams from scratch is a daunting as well as time-consuming task. With our Lens, teachers can explain concepts more vividly to students, enabling them to focus on their core strength – delivering quality education."
Embibe’s offering is  the latest example of the fruits of India’s  lively AI innovators, reaching  teachers, parents and students  at little or no cost.
AI School of India:  K-12 content
Chennai is home to  the AI School of India  (AISI)  an Online self directed and  tutor-led learning platform providing AI & Coding technology to students, schools and women at home.  
The content for Kindergarten to class 12  (K-12) is created by educators and engineers trained at  IT majors like Intel and IBM, Oxford University and Graz University of Technology in Austria. The School is supported by a leading global player, Robotix.
Says an AISI blog which explains the rationale driving its efforts: “We are moving into the world of Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, Artificial Intelligence, and Autonomous Vehicles. Keeping in mind these technological advancements, we need to think about various class technologies for learning and teaching…. Educational institutions in India need to work on digital transformation in education. Schools should provide a space for students to learn about advanced technologies and adapt themselves to the new world.”
Virtual Reality labs for Chennai government schools
Some AI  startups,  invest in  educational outreaches as part of their corporate social responsibility:  A year ago, Meynikara, a Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) player , based in  Chennai, launched ‘Meta Kalvi’, Tamil Nadu’s first VR Lab for excellence in education, at three Government Schools and 2 Corporation schools in  the Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni area of  the city.  It harnesses VR for  maths and science subjects for class 6-8 in English and Tamil.  The initiative is being spread to other schools in the state.
Skilling with Extended Reality
Earlier this month,  AjnaLens,  a leading Mumbai-based Extended Reality  (XR) Hardware manufacturing company joined hands with  MetaStudios, a  Metaverse and Gaming -focused studio  to build immersive experiences and training programme to  upskill  both the young and adults. 

Their flagship product is AjnaXR Glasses,    while  their learning platform, AjnaVidya, allows users  to interact seamlessly with each other and learn new skills inside the virtual space.
Robotics expo during Thrissur Pooram
On the sidelines of the Thrissur Pooram in Kerala  during May this year, local robotics company INKER Robotics, decided to hold an expo, ‘HelloBotz ‘23’ to introduce lay people, especially children, to robots.
The exhibits proved such a huge family attraction that the show had to be extended well beyond the Pooram. In the process young and old, totaling over a lakh, got a rare chance to  say hello to a full slate of humanoid robots  produced by the company. It was a rare coming together of  tradition and technology,  of  caparisoned elephants  and AI-fueled  robotics.
In step with UNESCO recommendations
These efforts of Indian companies  to evangelize and harness AI  for basic school education,  seem  to be in  harmony with the   UNESCO report,   “2022 State of the Education Report (SOER) for India: Artificial Intelligence in Education – Here, There and Everywhere” , which  suggests that implementation of AI in education systems can revolutionize the teaching-learning process.  
As AjnaLens explains in an  instructive blog  published on June 9, Extended Reality, or XR, is an umbrella of all existing and upcoming immersive technologies. It is a superset of Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Mixed Reality (MR) technologies. All these extend the reality we experience today by blending the virtual and "real" worlds or creating a fully immersive experience.  Beyond marketing and entertainment, XR finds its most meaningful applications in education.|
In India the XR industry  is said by the blog to be growing phenomenally  at  over 38% and is expected to reach a market size   US $ 14.07 billion by 2027. Within this, the education and training sector  is seeing the fastest growth, a trend seen to persist till 2030
India’s AI-driven innovators and corporations  with their educational outreaches are  helping to  enlighten  a new generation of young Indians with the very same cutting-edge tools that  they will  inevitably harness and exploit in later life. It’s never too early to start!
More illustrations can be found here

This article has appeared in Swarajya online