How a Gurugram-based ed-tech-sci startup is making learning fun, easy & impactful

Kompanions is focused on bringing out innovative products and solutions in educational games. “We at Kompanions are transforming teaching and learning techniques with the help of technologies like augmented reality, virtual reality, mixed reality, extended reality so that effectiveness of the connect can be improved,” says Yuvraj Krishan Sharma, Co-founder & Director, Kompanions.

With the focused efforts of bridging the gap between teaching and learning, the startup has built products catering to learners of all age groups i.e. right from Kindergarten to higher education. According to Sharma, the products can be used – in a separate school space set-up; for in-classroom teaching; and at home by students.

“We have ensured that all our academic products 100 per cent follow the CBSE or respective board curriculum and can work fantastic even in the low specification gadgets so that masses can get benefit from the changing trend in education,” he adds.

Products in a separate space set-up
K-POD: The AR VR corner in educational institutes where students can expose themselves to a new way of learning and can understand a concept quick, which generally takes hours or days to understand. This is useful for learners from Kindergarten to Higher Studies.

K-LAB: At the AR VR Laboratory in education institutes (from schools to higher education) at one time over 30 students can learn the very complex topics by visualising them and all happens in a controlled environment where teacher is the host of the AR VR classroom.

Sprout Programming: It’s a Road to Code product. Students can learn to code from the very formative years of their growth. Sprout is an educational gaming app which helps children learn the fundamentals of coding. This is useful for learners from Grade 1 to Grade 8.

Products for in-classroom teaching
In-classroom 3D Library: The schooling AR/VR educational product catalogue becomes complete with the In-classroom 3D library with complete 3D simulations. With 100 per cent CBSE and state board mappings, it is suitable to the dynamic learning pace of each student.

KYARI: A one of its kind self e-book publishing platform for teachers and educationists that supports all sort of learning assets like AR, VR, 3D interactive models, 3D animations, 2D animations, images, videos, HTML, etc., is a game changer in way teacher and student conjoins.

Products for at home learning
KONCEPT: The AR Work Books combine the physical experience of holding a book with the power of digital content that appears to almost leap out from the book.

Kindergarten app: This is the at home digital books for children. “We have developed a novel application called ‘Kindergarten app’ for the tiny toddlers which covers the entire course of Nursery, LKG, and UKG mapped with popular Montessori Curriculum. This is useful for learners in Nursery, LKG, UKG,” states Sharma.

“Other than above, as the technologies we work on have ample use-cases in engineering and related tech courses, medical and related medicine courses, we are in process of setting up Centre of Excellence in the university that not only provide solution related solutions bridging the gap between theoretical and practical learning but also, helps train the technology students on how to develop products on these technologies,” mentions Sharma, pointing out that by the end of FY: 2019-2020 they foresee setting up at least 10 such different labs pan India.

Significantly, the company has also developed an Intelligent Assessment Tool KOMPASS which is both adaptive and predictive in nature. All the products are power packed with this assessment tool that has:

* Individualised Learning Path (ILP)
* Recommendation Engine
* Learning Maps
* Psychometric Engine
* Feedback Engine

Highlighting how the student community benefits from the products, Sharma points out that the products help build crucial skills that can be instrumental in the development of the entire student community as a whole. For instance, VR eliminates the language barrier between students allowing them to learn in an inclusive environment where virtual learning becomes the common language.

“The extraordinary visualisations of AR/VR stimulations allow the student community to explore different realities and have an alternative learning experience that is otherwise impossible in the traditional classroom. This stimulates focus, engagement, and creative thought among students and thereby increasing their learning and retention capabilities,” he remarks. He also believes the technologies develop and enhance a sense of social integration among students; wherein peer-to-peer interaction creates an optimistic yet cohesive environment of learning. In addition, AR/VR is accepting in catering to the varying learning needs, styles, and requirements of different students.

“The practical learning for the college and university student community in particular saves several years’ worth of their time in terms of acquiring on-field and hands-on work experience. They will be substantially better prepared before entering their respective industries,” asserts Sharma.

From an educational institution perspective, the implementation of AR/VR expands its offerings either in the form of syllabi or additional areas of study. “Apart from introducing a wider range of subjects like philosophy and art history, the different perspectives offered by the technology will peak the interests of students in existing yet complicated subjects as well,” says Sharma, adding that the project-based learning that comes along with incorporating AR/VR environments not only fosters innovation but also encourages students to grasp concepts unlike before.

He explains that institutions will be able to offer virtual trips and language immersion in an unprecedented manner which can be practically free of charge. They’ll receive first-hand experiences of visiting the Taj Mahal or Ancient Rome among other historical places. In addition, teachers will be able to provide more of their attention and effort while addressing the challenges that struggling students may face.
Kompanions has developed AR/VR educational products catering to both rural and urban education. “We have successfully worked with private as well as government institutions and bodies to empower students from all regions. However, we still believe that more ardent efforts are required to empower India as a nation with advanced technology in the education sector. We are therefore immensely committed to take progressive steps in contributing towards educational development, and in turn aid our country to new heights,” says Sharma.

As part of strategic expansion, this year, Kompanions is focusing on the following.

* Medical and engineering industry
* International markets
* Developing AR VR MR XR modules for industrial training and development

“We are developing relevant products catering to the masses ensuring exposure to the cutting- edge technologies to the people. Apart from this, we are also working on the development of products that can work with low-end hardware. Thus, we would continue to explore advancement in technologies especially in the field of AR & VR that can help the community and society,” states Sharma.

This year, he expects to see a huge demand in the education, training, and skill development industry.

According to Sharma, the usage of AR & VR in these sectors will help in the following:

* Improve retention power
* Ease visualisation of a concept/topic
* Help in new and logical thinking
* Induce creativity
* Focus on holistic growth

A study released by International Data Corp (IDC) indicates that the spending on these technologies and services will achieve a five-year compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 72 per cent over the 2017 to 2022 forecast period. “With such huge demand amongst the varied sectors, there is an urgent requirement that companies should develop products that run on lowest configuration hardware. Moreover, our R&D team is working towards these offerings and continuously developing products that will run with low-end hardware. The highlight of our offerings has been our customised products and solutions that cater to different needs and requirement to ensure there is 100 per cent adoption,” concludes Sharma.