A virtual reality (VR) zone to help children explore subjects such as biology, astronomy, geology, and so on, is set to open at the Sir C.V. Raman Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Park in Srirangam by August, the officials have said.
Developed on a 1,000 s. ft. area within the park at a cost of ₹1.1 crore by the Tiruchi Corporation, the VR zone can seat 24 users at a time, and has a database of over 40 short films and presentations on a variety of science-based topics.
“The park is visited by many children from economically weaker sections of society, for whom this would be the first introduction to VR. Though the content is related to classroom subjects, the larger objective is to spark the imagination in someone’s mind. Such a facility will allow us to invite student groups from government schools to schedule regular visit,” a senior Tiruchi Corporation official told The Hindu. “We will move a resolution at the upcoming council regarding the fee and other details, so we can expect the zone to be launched soon, by August,” he said.
The park charges a gate fee of ₹25; the VR zone is expected to have a separate ticketing counter. Each show will feature English content videos of half an hour duration. The devices will have two controllers each.
“The immersive quality of VR will help children to understand scientific subjects in a deeper way, away from the classroom format,” said V. Uma, instructor at STEM Park.
A mini planetarium, science exhibition hall, indoor and outdoor pavilions and an edutainment centre are among the existing attractions of the park, which was inaugurated in 2023.
