Digital avatars of graduates receive medals, certificates at IIT Bombay’s 58th convocation

THE INDIAN Institute of Technology, Bombay, on Sunday used virtual reality (VR) to hold its 58th convocation amid the coronavirus outbreak. The programme, where the animated digital avatars of the institute’s senate members shared the stage and personalised avatars of students given away certificates, was telecast on DD Sahyadri and social media platforms.

A statement released by the institute said: “The institute thought it best to arrange such a VR-convocation for the graduating students as we did not wish to put their health at risk but at the same time, we did not wish to deprive them of the sense of achievement and pride of passing out of India’s premier engineering Institute.”