Gyan Dhara, led by Dr. Keyur Sorathia (IIT Guwahati), is transforming classrooms through an immersive VR-based learning ecosystem. By blending curriculum, gamification, and experiential learning, Gyan Dhara makes concepts come alive—turning lessons into unforgettable journeys of exploration. 

Backed by the Government of Assam and powered by IIT Guwahati’s Embedded Interaction Lab, the project is set to impact 20,000+ schools, beginning with pilots in Adarsh Vidyalayas.

At Gyan Dhara, we believe the future of learning is not about memorizing—it’s about experiencing

The project aims to research, innovate and design enhanced virtual shopping experience for users with visual and auditory impairment. By doing so, we aspire not only to enhance the user experience for a significant portion of the population but also to set new standards for accessibility and inclusivity in digital commerce. The goal is to create a virtual shopping experiences where everyone has equal access to the opportunities and joys of virtual shopping.

By leveraging the power of advanced VR, we aim to create a metaverse that engages students' curiosity and creativity, fosters their critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and inspires them to collaborate and communicate with peers.

Our objective is to design an efficient incentive scheme for TB patients that encourages them to regularly continue taking their DOTS intake. By studying and experimenting with different approaches, we aim to reduce TB defaulter rates and improve patient outcomes.

In 2018, the state of Assam in India launched the e-budget mobile application, a pioneering project in the country. The app allowed citizens to access budget allocation, new schemes, and initiatives in an intuitive and user-friendly manner. It was launched on the budget day by the Finance Minister and Chief Minister of Assam.

Pragati is a mobile VR-based training module that educates rural health workers on maternal and child healthcare. The interactive, engaging, and immersive educational content was deployed in three districts of Assam, India, with over 600 health workers using it for four to six months

Swasthyaa is a web and mobile application with an intelligent blister packet designed to track TB defaulters in India. Our objective is to enroll susceptible patients into the DOTS program and reduce defaulter rates through real-time tracking of DOTS intake. 

Our project proposed new shapes and interactions for flexible and deformable handheld devices. We explored various bend-based deformation interfaces and shape-centric interactions to enhance user experience while performing common tasks on future handhelds.

We designed and evaluated concepts to enhance smartphone accessibility. We developed a one-handed mode with a mobile interface to access unreachable areas, improved the movie-viewing experience for the hearing impaired, and conceptualized interactive in-app assistance for older adults to teach application-centric interactions.

Chetna aims to study gestural interfaces for low-literate and resource-constrained users. We developed gesture-mediated audio-visual learning modules for rural mothers to educate them on antenatal care via a TV interface. Deployed and evaluated for four months, Chetna studied user-centric gestures, acceptance, and adoption of gestural interfaces in the rural Indian context

VR-Based Arthroscopy Training & Assesment

In collaboration with Healthium Medtech, this project aims to design and develop a VR training & assessment platform to train the way surgeons perform complex arthroscopic surgeries including ACL and PCL reconstructions, Meniscus Repair, and Bankart Repair. This immersive simulator aims to leverage detailed 3D models and interactive technology to enhance surgical precision and learning outcomes

The Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the proposed WASH Experience and Knowledge Center supports the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) by detailing an advanced, technology-driven facility designed to educate, empower, and effect behavioral change in water and sanitation practices within communities. The DPR outlines the conceptualization and narrative development for the center, which includes interactive exhibits, immersive CAVE experiences, Virtual Reality engagements, and a comprehensive Water and Sanitation Park.

We designed the VR zone at the Guwahati Planetarium, Assam, India featuring space exploration and learning about planets and solar systems. Using 5 Oculus Quests and 8 Oculus Go, children enjoy 15 minutes of interactive VR sessions, exploring different planets and learning about their unique characteristics.

I have been actively providing guidance to the Government of Assam on various IT and ICT initiatives, advising them on UX Design, technology, and implementation. My contributions have included the digital platform for the Commissioner of Taxes, the State Public Procurement Portal, and the Government Receipt Accounting System (GRAS) portal, among other.

Embedded Interaction Lab (EI Lab) is an applied research lab that specializes in research and exploration of User Experience (UX) Design and Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). We are committed to developing creative and conscientious contributions using advanced digital technologies, primarily in Virtual Reality (VR). We rigorously adopt and apply the User Centered Design approach to propose and implement innovative and novel solutions. The lab's projects have primarily attempted to solve problems in healthcare and accessibility.

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Our prior work has designed solutions for training health workers for maternal and childcare practices, reducing defaulter rates among TB patients, designing one-handed interactions for smartphone devices, enhancing movie watching experience for the hearing impaired, designing deformation gestures for the blind users to draw geometric shapes, designing natural locomotion techniques for seated positions, and designing object selection techniques for tiny and distant objects in VR to name a few.

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Dr. Keyur Sorathia founded the EI Lab in 2012, and since then, the lab has worked with top industrial and government bodies, including Samsung Research India, Nokia Research Center, IBM Research labs, P&G Supply Innovation Network, Ministry of Education - Govt. of India and Ministry of Science and Technology - Government of Assam, India. The lab is currently mentored by Dr. Keyur Sorathia and Dr. Shakuntala Acharya, who joined the lab in 2020.