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<p><span><strong>GREEN THUMBS UP</strong></span></p><p>In 2017, two PhD students from Lovely Professional University (LPU), Punjab, began developing a device to monitor agricultural lands for fertility, soil temperature and moisture, as well as controlling water pumps, blowers and sprinklers. Mentored by professors from the School of Electronics and Electrical Engineering, Mahendra Swain and Wasim Akram developed E-parirakshak, which comprises several sensor nodes that are deployed in the field, a handheld tool that displays information and micro-controllers.</p><p><strong>Bright Idea</strong></p><p>Their inspiration came from the realisation that most Indian farmers don't have modern farming tools. "We wanted to develop a solution that would ultimately improve productivity," says Akram. "We built the prototype from scratch, starting from layout fabrication to integrating all components," says Swain. "A major hurdle was figuring out how to place the device in an open field."</p><div class="itemcenter"><amp-iframe height="62" title="" width="320" sandbox="allow-forms allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-top-navigation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation" allowfullscreen src="https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.dev?url=https%3A%2F%2Fakm-img-a-in.tosshub.com%2Fsites%2Findiatoday%2Fbanner%2Fpreferred-source-new.html%3Fv%3D1.014%5Cu0026native%3D1" class="mrBt15 preferred-source-banner"> </amp-iframe></div><div class="itgimage"><strong>Ground Report</strong></div></p><p>In February, the device was exhibited at the PRME 2020 IILM Sustainability Carnival in Greater Noida and was listed in the top 15 projects presented. The device has been tested in the fields of the LPU campus. Explaining the system, Akram says, "It analyses the data through machine learning algorithms to find out the most suitable crop [based on that data]. It also suggests the amount of water, fertiliser and pesticides needed." The university has filed a patent for the device, which is currently under improvement.</p><p><strong>Fast Facts</strong></p><p>1. The device detects diseases and infections in the crop and updates the farmer.</p><p>2. It can be used for both modern and traditional agriculture-open field, hydroponic and even vertical farming.</p><p>3. No internet connection is needed. The device has a range of 10 km with star topology. The range can be increased if required by using mesh topology.</p><p><span><strong>SOCIAL WARRIORS</strong></span></p><p>Students from Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi, are leading an intensive effort toward socio-economic upliftment by reviving the traditional craft of tie-and-dye, through a non-profit, international body, Enactus. Project Dor began in October 2016 and works with migrant women from Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal to produce handmade scarves, dupattas and cushion covers in neo-ethnic designs. The project is also associated with Deepalaya, a Delhi-based NGO.</p><div class="itgimage"><amp-img src="https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.dev?url=https%3A%2F%2Fakm-img-a-in.tosshub.com%2Findiatoday%2Fimages%2Fbodyeditor%2F202003%2FSE-1-5-Innovate_-Invent_-Exper_5-x675.jpg%3FxuMGKZ.c13Sl_qXlHKy4BBJsWDoOwdo.%3Fsize%3D750:*" alt="" height="675" width="1200" class="" layout="responsive"></amp-img>
<div class="body_caption"><em>All for art Stuti Rai (left) and Akshita Sharma with Project Dor members. (Photo: Rajwant Rawat)</em></div>
</div></p><p><strong>Making it Right</strong></p><p>Headed by Danika Kumar, the project has 30 people who work on aspects such as finance, production, operations, marketing, public relations and community development, as well as in training. A self-funded project, Dor's revenues are reinvested in the initiative to scale up effort. It reaches out to customers through stalls and exhibitions at festivals and hotels, e-commerce sites and social media platforms. "Alongside Project Dor, we also work on Project Syahi, which reduces single-use plastic by providing an alternative to plastic pens. We make pens from upcycled paper with a plantable seed at the rear end. Launched in September 2019, this came up after surveys that made us realise that people lose 90 per cent of the pens they have ever purchased," says Akshita Sharma, member at Enactus. Currently, Project Syahi is headed by Maitreyee Joshi.</p><p><strong>Striding on</strong></p><p>Project Dor recently caught the attention of the India Tourism Development Corporation, while Project Syahi has received orders from IBM, AII MS, CNBC and DPS School, Indirapuram and Kanpur.</p><p><span><strong>EVERY DROP COUNTS</strong></span></p><p>Nearly 76 million people in India lack access to safe drinking water. Most households that do have access to piped supply use reverse osmosis (RO) purification systems to make their water potable-a process that wastes three to four litres of water for every litre of drinkable water produced. Disturbed by this waste of already scarce water, in 2016, Vishakha Baghel, a PhD student of Amity University, Noida, decided to invent a device to recover waste water from RO systems. Mentored by Prof. Basant Singh Sikarwar, she was later joined by two B Tech students in 2017-Kunal Breja and Yaz Dani Amin.</p><div class="itgimage"><amp-img src="https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.dev?url=https%3A%2F%2Fakm-img-a-in.tosshub.com%2Findiatoday%2Fimages%2Fbodyeditor%2F202003%2FSE-1-5-Innovate_-Invent_-Exper_8-x675.jpg%3FtaFS79WKwLgyOYAJ74eaHO4NfcUVXDpj%3Fsize%3D750:*" alt="" height="675" width="1200" class="" layout="responsive"></amp-img>
<div class="body_caption"><em>Behind the scenes: Vishakha Baghel working in the lab. (Photo: Shekhar Ghosh)</em></div>
</div></p><p><strong>Fool Proof</strong></p><p>The condensing surface of the device has a special hydrophobic coating that helps in condensation of the moist air in drop mode.</p><p><strong>Step by Step</strong></p><p>With funding from the Science and Engineering Research Board of the government's Department of Science & Technology, the team has developed a low-cost, solar-powered device to reclaim drinkable water from the wastage of RO systems. In a nutshell, their device atomises RO wastewater and then passes it through a condensing chamber to collect purified water. "The wastewater from RO gets stored in the tank of the device," explains Baghel. "The water is atomised and sucked inside the condensing chamber using a fan. The low-pressure evaporation forms moist air from wastage water," she says. The team struggled with the design during preliminary research, but, happily, they were successful. A prototype has now been developed, which has been tested for its performance parameters in both laboratory and field settings. The device is currently being commercialised.</p><p><span><strong>GEARED UP</strong></span></p><p>The students at Sharda University in Greater Noida are developing e-bikes on campus, leaving no stone unturned to innovate environmentally-friendly techniques.</p><div class="itgimage"><amp-img src="https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.dev?url=https%3A%2F%2Fakm-img-a-in.tosshub.com%2Findiatoday%2Fimages%2Fbodyeditor%2F202003%2FSE-1-5-Innovate_-Invent_-Exper-x675.jpg%3FyxRD6atuhN8O04_NGr.pi0H5SgA1Rhqc%3Fsize%3D750:*" alt="" height="675" width="1200" class="" layout="responsive"></amp-img>
<div class="body_caption"><em>Test drive VAAAN (left) and VISION in action. (Photo: Shekhar Ghosh)</em></div>
</div></p><p><strong>In Twos</strong></p><p>Developed in just a few months by students from the mechanical engineering department, VAAAN is an electric, hub-less racing bike, while VISION is a computer sports bike. The former was designed for racing by a team including Vivek Tiwari, Anshul Awasthi, Ayush Rastogi, Nilanjan Das and Abhishek Shinde. Their design does not require a traditional braking system-wheel rotation is controlled by bearings sandwiched between the frame of the tyre and the centre ring. The latter bike, VISION -- developed by a team including Rohit Kumar Jadaav, Jatin Malhotra, Soumendu Datta and Gurpal Singh -- features an indigenously designed motor that can achieve speeds of 70 kmph in 'ultra mode' (with top speeds of 55 kmph and 40 kmph in 'high' and 'low' mode, respectively). Interestingly, the bike runs on a hub-based motor with no chain or belt drive.</p><p>The prototypes were constructed in-house, beginning with concept sketches and cardboard mock-ups, following which they were hand-forged from sheet metal after the necessary calculations to ensure frame robustness, power delivery and balance. The development of these prototypes marks an important step -- e-bikes do away with internal combustion engines, thus offering a notable ecological benefit.</p><p><span><strong>A HEALTHY BALANCE</strong></span></p><p>Drawing inspiration from the rising awareness of the benefits of organic food, four students from Manav Rachna International Institute of Research and Studies, Faridabad, started a food and beverage outfit, Halestein FoodLabs, to make no-preservative, no-additive products. Anshu Jha and Pranav Jha from the university's department of nutrition and dietetics, along with two interns -- Vivek Goyal and Dhananjay Gautam -- have worked on this project under the guidance of Mahak Sharma, associate professor at the department.</p><div class="itgimage"><amp-img src="https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.dev?url=https%3A%2F%2Fakm-img-a-in.tosshub.com%2Findiatoday%2Fimages%2Fbodyeditor%2F202003%2FSE-1-5-Innovate_-Invent_-Exper_0-x675.jpg%3FcSKQNzcLnK9f9yNa0QHzO7o5ZfTJWlyO%3Fsize%3D750:*" alt="" height="675" width="1200" class="" layout="responsive"></amp-img>
<div class="body_caption"><em>What's Cooking Pranav Jha (left) and Anshu Jha. (Photo: Shekhar Ghosh)</em></div>
</div></p><p><strong>Work in Progress</strong></p><p>The products begin with ingredients that are easily available and have a high nutrient content. "The aim is to make low-cost products for a larger market," says Anshu. Several prototypes have been tested in markets in and around Faridabad. "Creating products that are both healthy and appeal to customers is a challenge," says Pranav. Students handle all aspects of this project, from manufacturing, testing, packaging, microbial and shelf-life testing to sales and marketing.</p><p><strong>Fully Operational</strong></p><p>"We initially received a development grant from the Government of India's Department of Science & Technology and a prototype development grant from Manav Rachna NewGen IEDC," says Mahak. Currently, they are managing expenditure from the project's revenues but are looking for further investment in this project.</p><p><strong>In the News</strong></p><p>The incubator won third prize and a cash award of Rs 21,000 at the AICTE-Vishwakarma Awards 2019 in February, a competition that encourages and motivates young students and institutions doing innovative work.</p><p><span><strong>A HELPING HAND</strong></span></p><p>The lack of access to devices based on modern technology can be a major hurdle for those with disabilities. In 2017, a group of students from the Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham University, Amritapuri, conceptualised a low-cost motorised wheelchair. Led by Prof. Rajesh Kannan Megalingam, director of the institute's Humanitarian Technology Labs, three engineering students -- Raviteja Chinta, Akhil Raj and Sarath Sreekanth -- have developed a prototype.</p><div class="itgimage"><amp-img src="https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.dev?url=https%3A%2F%2Fakm-img-a-in.tosshub.com%2Findiatoday%2Fimages%2Fbodyeditor%2F202003%2FSE-1-5-Innovate_-Invent_-Exper_1-x675.jpg%3FGmJ3I_wEAN53HxgC4SUCSMD1ZfDFcA4C%3Fsize%3D750:*" alt="" height="675" width="1200" class="" layout="responsive"></amp-img>
<div class="body_caption"><em>Smooth sail Self-E motorised wheelchair.</em></div>
</div></p><p><strong>Ruled by technology</strong></p><p>Called Self-E, the wheelchair has an autonomous navigation system. According to Krishnashree Achuthan, director, Amrita TBI, "It uses laser sensor technology to generate a detailed map of the surroundings. The map is sent to a smartphone or a tablet through a mobile app. Using touchscreen technology, the user identifies where they want to go, and the wheelchair travels accordingly." It took the team nine months to complete the project. They used robot operating system software to develop an algorithm for the wheelchair. Self-E works in three different modes-automated, fixed-automated and manual.</p><p><strong>Moving Forward</strong></p><p>Funded by the university, Self-E has been tested and evaluated at the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences. "We have now created a start-up, Megara Robotics, and got investments from Amrita TBI," says Achuthan. The wheelchair has got two patents and two awards: Best Mechanical Design at One Moment Robot Glory Competition, Singapore, and IEEE Student Enterprise Award, New Jersey, US.</p><p><strong>Tricky steps</strong></p><p>Door entry and exit were major challenges, since doorways have narrow approaches and fewer paths that can be used to traverse through them.</p><p><span><strong>TECH TALK</strong></span></p><div class="itgimage"><amp-img src="https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.dev?url=https%3A%2F%2Fakm-img-a-in.tosshub.com%2Findiatoday%2Fimages%2Fbodyeditor%2F202003%2FSE-1-5-Innovate_-Invent_-Exper_4-x675.jpg%3FEZGhTbnZPAy6vW4bPhSANv6Q9ab6h7KX%3Fsize%3D750:*" alt="" height="675" width="1200" class="" layout="responsive"></amp-img>
<div class="body_caption"><em>Team work Divyansh Chaurasia (left) and Rahul Chauhan. (Photo: Chandradeep Kumar)</em></div>
</div></p><p>When there's a voice app for admission-related queries, why bother calling the university? Voixus, a voice-based start-up, is the brainchild of Rahul Chauhan and Divyansh Chaurasia, students of Computer Science and Engineering at Galgotias University, Greater Noida. Building skills for Alexa and Google Assistant, the two help companies add voice features to their products. The company started in 2017, when they came up with the idea of solving commonly asked admission-related queries through a voice-operated app. They then approached their university for faculty guidance in further development. The duo has been featured in the Amazon Alexa Team and Google Developer Experts for their contribution.</p><p><strong>Crossing hurdles</strong></p><p>"Our first project was completed in two to three months. We faced many challenges -- the technology was new, resources were not available and documentation was not up to the mark. However, in two months, our beta version was ready. We then started getting requests from other colleges to teach their students how to get started in this field," says Chauhan. Currently, the six-member team is building Alexa Skills for companies through the Alexa Developer Rewards Programme. Sheroes is one of their biggest clients and they will be launching their product later this year.</p><p><span><strong>Ramping Up</strong></span></p><p>"We have learned new techniques-how a start-up should operate, how to write a production-level code and how to collaborate. I believe these things cannot be taught in a classroom," says Chaurasia. Their project is now getting attention from companies worldwide and has been exhibited at several hackathons and conferences. Chauhan is one of the 10 Alexa Student Influencers from India while Chaurasia leads Voixus.</p><p><strong>A quick view</strong></p><p>1. Voixus, a voice-app start-up, is the brainchild of Rahul Chauhan and Divyansh Chaurasia.</p><p>2. The company, started in 2017, helps other firms add voice-based functionality to their products.</p><div id="tab-link-wrapper-plugin"><div class="authors__container"><div class="authors__by"><div class="authlable">Published By: </div><div class="authdetaisl">Akriti Anand</div></div><div class="published__on"><div class="authlable">Published On: </div><div class="authdetaisl">Mar 13, 2020</div></div></div><div class="sendros">--- ENDS ---</div></div>

education

Education

<p><span style="color:#FF0000;"><strong>GREEN THUMBS UP</strong></span></p><p>In 2017, two PhD students from Lovely Professional University (LPU), Punjab, began developing a device to monitor agricultural lands for fertility, soil temperature and moisture, as well as controlling water pumps, blowers and sprinklers. Mentored by professors from the School of Electronics and Electrical Engineering, Mahendra Swain and Wasim Akram developed E-parirakshak, which comprises several sensor nodes that are deployed in the field, a handheld tool that displays information and micro-controllers.</p><p><strong>Bright Idea</strong></p><p>Their inspiration came from the realisation that most Indian farmers don't have modern farming tools. "We wanted to develop a solution that would ultimately improve productivity," says Akram. "We built the prototype from scratch, starting from layout fabrication to integrating all components," says Swain. "A major hurdle was figuring out how to place the device in an open field."</p><div class="itemcenter"><iframe scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="62" awidth="320" aheight="62" amplayout="fixed" src="https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.dev?url=https%3A%2F%2Fakm-img-a-in.tosshub.com%2Fsites%2Findiatoday%2Fbanner%2Fpreferred-source-new.html%3Fv%3D1.014" class="preferred-source-banner" loading="lazy"></iframe></div><style>.preferred-source-banner{  margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom:10px;}</style><div class="itgimage"><strong>Ground Report</strong></div></p><p>In February, the device was exhibited at the PRME 2020 IILM Sustainability Carnival in Greater Noida and was listed in the top 15 projects presented. The device has been tested in the fields of the LPU campus. Explaining the system, Akram says, "It analyses the data through machine learning algorithms to find out the most suitable crop [based on that data]. It also suggests the amount of water, fertiliser and pesticides needed." The university has filed a patent for the device, which is currently under improvement.</p><p><strong>Fast Facts</strong></p><p>1. The device detects diseases and infections in the crop and updates the farmer.</p><p>2. It can be used for both modern and traditional agriculture-open field, hydroponic and even vertical farming.</p><p>3. No internet connection is needed. The device has a range of 10 km with star topology. The range can be increased if required by using mesh topology.</p><p><span style="color:#FF0000;"><strong>SOCIAL WARRIORS</strong></span></p><p>Students from Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi, are leading an intensive effort toward socio-economic upliftment by reviving the traditional craft of tie-and-dye, through a non-profit, international body, Enactus. Project Dor began in October 2016 and works with migrant women from Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal to produce handmade scarves, dupattas and cushion covers in neo-ethnic designs. The project is also associated with Deepalaya, a Delhi-based NGO.</p><div class="itgimage"><div class="itgimage"><img  height="675"  title=""  width="1200"  class="" alt="" src="https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.dev?url=https%3A%2F%2Fakm-img-a-in.tosshub.com%2Findiatoday%2Fimages%2Fbodyeditor%2F202003%2FSE-1-5-Innovate_-Invent_-Exper_5-x675.jpg%3FxuMGKZ.c13Sl_qXlHKy4BBJsWDoOwdo.%3Fsize%3D750:*" loading="lazy" /></div>
<div class="body_caption"><em>All for art Stuti Rai (left) and Akshita Sharma with Project Dor members. (Photo: Rajwant Rawat)</em></div>
</div></p><p><strong>Making it Right</strong></p><p>Headed by Danika Kumar, the project has 30 people who work on aspects such as finance, production, operations, marketing, public relations and community development, as well as in training. A self-funded project, Dor's revenues are reinvested in the initiative to scale up effort. It reaches out to customers through stalls and exhibitions at festivals and hotels, e-commerce sites and social media platforms. "Alongside Project Dor, we also work on Project Syahi, which reduces single-use plastic by providing an alternative to plastic pens. We make pens from upcycled paper with a plantable seed at the rear end. Launched in September 2019, this came up after surveys that made us realise that people lose 90 per cent of the pens they have ever purchased," says Akshita Sharma, member at Enactus. Currently, Project Syahi is headed by Maitreyee Joshi.</p><p><strong>Striding on</strong></p><p>Project Dor recently caught the attention of the India Tourism Development Corporation, while Project Syahi has received orders from IBM, AII MS, CNBC and DPS School, Indirapuram and Kanpur.</p><p><span style="color:#FF0000;"><strong>EVERY DROP COUNTS</strong></span></p><p>Nearly 76 million people in India lack access to safe drinking water. Most households that do have access to piped supply use reverse osmosis (RO) purification systems to make their water potable-a process that wastes three to four litres of water for every litre of drinkable water produced. Disturbed by this waste of already scarce water, in 2016, Vishakha Baghel, a PhD student of Amity University, Noida, decided to invent a device to recover waste water from RO systems. Mentored by Prof. Basant Singh Sikarwar, she was later joined by two B Tech students in 2017-Kunal Breja and Yaz Dani Amin.</p><div class="itgimage"><div class="itgimage"><img  height="675"  title=""  width="1200"  class="" alt="" src="https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.dev?url=https%3A%2F%2Fakm-img-a-in.tosshub.com%2Findiatoday%2Fimages%2Fbodyeditor%2F202003%2FSE-1-5-Innovate_-Invent_-Exper_8-x675.jpg%3FtaFS79WKwLgyOYAJ74eaHO4NfcUVXDpj%3Fsize%3D750:*" loading="lazy" /></div>
<div class="body_caption"><em>Behind the scenes: Vishakha Baghel working in the lab. (Photo: Shekhar Ghosh)</em></div>
</div></p><p><strong>Fool Proof</strong></p><p>The condensing surface of the device has a special hydrophobic coating that helps in condensation of the moist air in drop mode.</p><p><strong>Step by Step</strong></p><p>With funding from the Science and Engineering Research Board of the government's Department of Science & Technology, the team has developed a low-cost, solar-powered device to reclaim drinkable water from the wastage of RO systems. In a nutshell, their device atomises RO wastewater and then passes it through a condensing chamber to collect purified water. "The wastewater from RO gets stored in the tank of the device," explains Baghel. "The water is atomised and sucked inside the condensing chamber using a fan. The low-pressure evaporation forms moist air from wastage water," she says. The team struggled with the design during preliminary research, but, happily, they were successful. A prototype has now been developed, which has been tested for its performance parameters in both laboratory and field settings. The device is currently being commercialised.</p><p><span style="color:#FF0000;"><strong>GEARED UP</strong></span></p><p>The students at Sharda University in Greater Noida are developing e-bikes on campus, leaving no stone unturned to innovate environmentally-friendly techniques.</p><div class="itgimage"><div class="itgimage"><img  height="675"  title=""  width="1200"  class="" alt="" src="https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.dev?url=https%3A%2F%2Fakm-img-a-in.tosshub.com%2Findiatoday%2Fimages%2Fbodyeditor%2F202003%2FSE-1-5-Innovate_-Invent_-Exper-x675.jpg%3FyxRD6atuhN8O04_NGr.pi0H5SgA1Rhqc%3Fsize%3D750:*" loading="lazy" /></div>
<div class="body_caption"><em>Test drive VAAAN (left) and VISION in action. (Photo: Shekhar Ghosh)</em></div>
</div></p><p><strong>In Twos</strong></p><p>Developed in just a few months by students from the mechanical engineering department, VAAAN is an electric, hub-less racing bike, while VISION is a computer sports bike. The former was designed for racing by a team including Vivek Tiwari, Anshul Awasthi, Ayush Rastogi, Nilanjan Das and Abhishek Shinde. Their design does not require a traditional braking system-wheel rotation is controlled by bearings sandwiched between the frame of the tyre and the centre ring. The latter bike, VISION -- developed by a team including Rohit Kumar Jadaav, Jatin Malhotra, Soumendu Datta and Gurpal Singh -- features an indigenously designed motor that can achieve speeds of 70 kmph in 'ultra mode' (with top speeds of 55 kmph and 40 kmph in 'high' and 'low' mode, respectively). Interestingly, the bike runs on a hub-based motor with no chain or belt drive.</p><p>The prototypes were constructed in-house, beginning with concept sketches and cardboard mock-ups, following which they were hand-forged from sheet metal after the necessary calculations to ensure frame robustness, power delivery and balance. The development of these prototypes marks an important step -- e-bikes do away with internal combustion engines, thus offering a notable ecological benefit.</p><p><span style="color:#FF0000;"><strong>A HEALTHY BALANCE</strong></span></p><p>Drawing inspiration from the rising awareness of the benefits of organic food, four students from Manav Rachna International Institute of Research and Studies, Faridabad, started a food and beverage outfit, Halestein FoodLabs, to make no-preservative, no-additive products. Anshu Jha and Pranav Jha from the university's department of nutrition and dietetics, along with two interns -- Vivek Goyal and Dhananjay Gautam -- have worked on this project under the guidance of Mahak Sharma, associate professor at the department.</p><div class="itgimage"><div class="itgimage"><img  height="675"  title=""  width="1200"  class="" alt="" src="https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.dev?url=https%3A%2F%2Fakm-img-a-in.tosshub.com%2Findiatoday%2Fimages%2Fbodyeditor%2F202003%2FSE-1-5-Innovate_-Invent_-Exper_0-x675.jpg%3FcSKQNzcLnK9f9yNa0QHzO7o5ZfTJWlyO%3Fsize%3D750:*" loading="lazy" /></div>
<div class="body_caption"><em>What's Cooking Pranav Jha (left) and Anshu Jha. (Photo: Shekhar Ghosh)</em></div>
</div></p><p><strong>Work in Progress</strong></p><p>The products begin with ingredients that are easily available and have a high nutrient content. "The aim is to make low-cost products for a larger market," says Anshu. Several prototypes have been tested in markets in and around Faridabad. "Creating products that are both healthy and appeal to customers is a challenge," says Pranav. Students handle all aspects of this project, from manufacturing, testing, packaging, microbial and shelf-life testing to sales and marketing.</p><p><strong>Fully Operational</strong></p><p>"We initially received a development grant from the Government of India's Department of Science & Technology and a prototype development grant from Manav Rachna NewGen IEDC," says Mahak. Currently, they are managing expenditure from the project's revenues but are looking for further investment in this project.</p><p><strong>In the News</strong></p><p>The incubator won third prize and a cash award of Rs 21,000 at the AICTE-Vishwakarma Awards 2019 in February, a competition that encourages and motivates young students and institutions doing innovative work.</p><p><span style="color:#FF0000;"><strong>A HELPING HAND</strong></span></p><p>The lack of access to devices based on modern technology can be a major hurdle for those with disabilities. In 2017, a group of students from the Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham University, Amritapuri, conceptualised a low-cost motorised wheelchair. Led by Prof. Rajesh Kannan Megalingam, director of the institute's Humanitarian Technology Labs, three engineering students -- Raviteja Chinta, Akhil Raj and Sarath Sreekanth -- have developed a prototype.</p><div class="itgimage"><div class="itgimage"><img  height="675"  title=""  width="1200"  class="" alt="" src="https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.dev?url=https%3A%2F%2Fakm-img-a-in.tosshub.com%2Findiatoday%2Fimages%2Fbodyeditor%2F202003%2FSE-1-5-Innovate_-Invent_-Exper_1-x675.jpg%3FGmJ3I_wEAN53HxgC4SUCSMD1ZfDFcA4C%3Fsize%3D750:*" loading="lazy" /></div>
<div class="body_caption"><em>Smooth sail Self-E motorised wheelchair.</em></div>
</div></p><p><strong>Ruled by technology</strong></p><p>Called Self-E, the wheelchair has an autonomous navigation system. According to Krishnashree Achuthan, director, Amrita TBI, "It uses laser sensor technology to generate a detailed map of the surroundings. The map is sent to a smartphone or a tablet through a mobile app. Using touchscreen technology, the user identifies where they want to go, and the wheelchair travels accordingly." It took the team nine months to complete the project. They used robot operating system software to develop an algorithm for the wheelchair. Self-E works in three different modes-automated, fixed-automated and manual.</p><p><strong>Moving Forward</strong></p><p>Funded by the university, Self-E has been tested and evaluated at the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences. "We have now created a start-up, Megara Robotics, and got investments from Amrita TBI," says Achuthan. The wheelchair has got two patents and two awards: Best Mechanical Design at One Moment Robot Glory Competition, Singapore, and IEEE Student Enterprise Award, New Jersey, US.</p><p><strong>Tricky steps</strong></p><p>Door entry and exit were major challenges, since doorways have narrow approaches and fewer paths that can be used to traverse through them.</p><p><span style="color:#FF0000;"><strong>TECH TALK</strong></span></p><div class="itgimage"><div class="itgimage"><img  height="675"  title=""  width="1200"  class="" alt="" src="https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.dev?url=https%3A%2F%2Fakm-img-a-in.tosshub.com%2Findiatoday%2Fimages%2Fbodyeditor%2F202003%2FSE-1-5-Innovate_-Invent_-Exper_4-x675.jpg%3FEZGhTbnZPAy6vW4bPhSANv6Q9ab6h7KX%3Fsize%3D750:*" loading="lazy" /></div>
<div class="body_caption"><em>Team work Divyansh Chaurasia (left) and Rahul Chauhan. (Photo: Chandradeep Kumar)</em></div>
</div></p><p>When there's a voice app for admission-related queries, why bother calling the university? Voixus, a voice-based start-up, is the brainchild of Rahul Chauhan and Divyansh Chaurasia, students of Computer Science and Engineering at Galgotias University, Greater Noida. Building skills for Alexa and Google Assistant, the two help companies add voice features to their products. The company started in 2017, when they came up with the idea of solving commonly asked admission-related queries through a voice-operated app. They then approached their university for faculty guidance in further development. The duo has been featured in the Amazon Alexa Team and Google Developer Experts for their contribution.</p><p><strong>Crossing hurdles</strong></p><p>"Our first project was completed in two to three months. We faced many challenges -- the technology was new, resources were not available and documentation was not up to the mark. However, in two months, our beta version was ready. We then started getting requests from other colleges to teach their students how to get started in this field," says Chauhan. Currently, the six-member team is building Alexa Skills for companies through the Alexa Developer Rewards Programme. Sheroes is one of their biggest clients and they will be launching their product later this year.</p><p><span style="color:#000000;"><strong>Ramping Up</strong></span></p><p>"We have learned new techniques-how a start-up should operate, how to write a production-level code and how to collaborate. I believe these things cannot be taught in a classroom," says Chaurasia. Their project is now getting attention from companies worldwide and has been exhibited at several hackathons and conferences. Chauhan is one of the 10 Alexa Student Influencers from India while Chaurasia leads Voixus.</p><p><strong>A quick view</strong></p><p>1. Voixus, a voice-app start-up, is the brainchild of Rahul Chauhan and Divyansh Chaurasia.</p><p>2. The company, started in 2017, helps other firms add voice-based functionality to their products.</p><div id="tab-link-wrapper-plugin"><div class="authors__container"><div class="authors__by"><div class="authlable">Published By: </div><div class="authdetaisl">Akriti Anand</div></div><div class="published__on"><div class="authlable">Published On: </div><div class="authdetaisl">Mar 13, 2020</div></div></div><div class="sendros">--- ENDS ---</div></div>

With the rise of academic incubators, education has evolved from rote learning to active research. These are projects and start-ups by young Indians inventors.

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Experimental By Choice

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Experimental By Choice

With the rise of academic incubators, education has evolved from rote learning to active research. These are projects and start-ups by young Indians inventors.

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