Month: March 2024

IIT Kharagpur Partners with Jindal Stainless to Execute R&D Projects in Metallurgical Research & Development

India’s premier educational institution IIT Kharagpur signed an MoU with Jindal Stainless, the country’s largest stainless steel manufacturer, marking a pivotal moment in the advancement of metallurgical research and development.  In a bid to foster industry-academy collaboration, Jindal Stainless and IIT Kharagpur will work together on metallurgical projects, such as process optimization, materials characterization, and primary alloy production. This strategic alliance signifies a significant step forward in metallurgy, promising ground- breaking advancements and fostering a culture of innovation, as both organisations leverage their strengths to drive meaningful progress and contribute to the industry’s growth.

Prof. Virendra K Tewari, Director, IIT, Kharagpur, said, “This MoU with Jindal Stainless adds another milestone to industry-academia collaboration. By combining the academic expertise of IIT Kharagpur with Jindal Stainless, India’s largest stainless manufacturer, we aim to address pressing challenges and unlock new opportunities in the field of metallurgy. IIT KGP is suitably poised to offer technical and operational solutions. Together, we envision pushing the boundaries of innovation, fostering transformative solutions, and nurturing a new era of excellence in stainless steel technology promoting Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) under Vikshit Bharat 2047. This MoU with industry expert will affirm India’s position in global manufacturing industry and contribute to the vision and mission of IIT Kharagpur & the country at large.”

Prof. Virendra K Tewari, Director, IIT Kharagpur; Prof. Rintu Banerjee, Dean, R&D; Prof. Shiv Brat Singh, Dean BTBS & HOD, Dept. of Metallurgy and Prof. Manas Paliwal, Dept. of Metallurgy at IIT Kharagpur were in attendance at the signing ceremony that took place at the IIT Kharagpur campus. Jindal Stainless’ Jajpur Unit Head, Mr. Deepak Agrawal; Business Head (Phase-I) & Chief Metallurgist, Mr. Awanindra K Singh; and Head, R&D, Mr. Daitari Kamila were also present on the occasion. The meeting was virtually attended by CEO, Jindal Stainless, Mr. Tarun Khulbe; COO, Jindal Stainless, Mr. Jagmohan Sood; and CHRO, Jindal Stainless, Mr. Sushil Baveja.

Commenting on the collaboration, Managing Director, Jindal Stainless, Mr. Abhyuday Jindal said, “We are thrilled to embark on this collaborative journey with one of India’s oldest and leading education institutes, IIT Kharagpur. This partnership will enable us to harness cutting-edge research in metallurgy and translate it into tangible solutions that benefit the industry and society at large. The MoU is a testament to our commitment to shaping the trajectory of stainless steel technology and making substantial strides in the industry, contributing to our collective pursuit of an Atmanirbhar India.”

Under the terms of the MoU, IIT Kharagpur will provide technical consultancy and engage in academic and industrial research to enhance productivity and process improvement at Jindal Stainless Limited. They will conduct lab-scale experiments, facilitate material characterization techniques, and support modelling and simulation studies, emphasizing the importance of waste reduction, recycling, and water conservation for sustainable metallurgical practices.

By: Poulami Mondal, Digital & Creative Media Executive (Creative Writer)
Email: poulami.mondal@iitkgp.ac.in, media@iitkgp.ac.in, Ph. No.: +91-3222-282007

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IIT Kharagpur launches M.Tech in AI & CPS-PRAYAS

IIT Kharagpur through Centre of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence launches M.Tech in AI through GATE papers Data Analytics, Computer Science, Electronics & Electrical Communication Engineering, and Electrical Engineering. With AI being the the most sensational domains across all sectors including healthcare, legal, and automobile, etc., students are prepared to join the workforce directly or pursue PhD programs for cutting-edge research in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning with excellent job placement opportunities. The M.Tech course curriculum is divided into four semesters. The first two semesters are dedicated to build a strong foundation through ten theory courses, of which four are compulsory. Students can choose six electives from the list of available courses offered by the Centre of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence and some other departments of IIT Kharagpur. The last two semesters are dedicated to project work and internships.

The M.Tech program offers Theory Courses in Foundations of Machine Learning; Algorithmic and Mathematical Foundations of Artificial Intelligence; Deep Learning Foundations and Applications; Artificial Intelligence Foundations and Applications along with Lab Courses in Machine Learning Laboratory; Data Engineering Laboratory and Deep Learning Laboratory. The Elective Courses for the programme comprises of Linear Algebra for AI/ML; Statistical Foundations of AI/ML; Artificial Intelligence for Manufacturing; Artificial Intelligence for Economics; Graph Machine Learning: Foundations and Applications; Visual Computing with AI/ML; Interpretable Machine Learning; AI/ML for Robot Autonomy; Graphical and Generative Models for Machine Learning; Machine Learning for Earth System Sciences; Big Data Processing; Secure and Dependable AI/ML; Knowledge Modeling and Semantic Web Technologies; Advanced Learning Paradigms in AI and Artificial Intelligence for Cyber-Physical Systems etc.

In addition to the coursework, the research spans across various areas in Deep Learning including Reinforcement Learning; Federated Learning; Big Data Technologies; Information Retrieval; Planning & Scheduling; Control & Robotics; Signal Processing; Visual Computing; Natural Language Processing; Graph Machine Learning; AI for Cyber Physical Systems; AI for Agriculture; AI for Climate; Responsible AI; Encrypted ML and Applied Algebra in DL. 

Under the aegis of the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS), DST, Government of India, the Innovation Hub, AI4ICPS initiated The Promotion and Acceleration of Young and Aspiring Technology Entrepreneurs (CPS-PRAYAS) which is a one-year on-site Startup Incubation program taken up by AI4ICPS. The program will support two AI/ML Startups at TRL 3-4 to advance to TRL 5 for scaling up and validation in relevant Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) environments. This support system empowers innovators to explore their ideas without the fear of failure, enabling them to advance to a stage where they possess a viable product and are poised to engage with incubators for commercialization.

Who can apply?

  • The program is open to Young Entrepreneurs in the AI/ML space
  • The program will not accept ideas that are below TRL 3 or beyond TRL 4
  • Startup companies are permitted to apply

What is expected from the selected candidates in this 1 year?

  • During this period the entrepreneurs are expected to work at AI4ICPS on-site maker space take ideas at TRL 3-4 and scale them to TRL 5 with support and guidance from the AI4ICPS Engineering team
  • The entrepreneurs need to participate in various innovation workshops and training in person
  • Be coached by the AI4ICPS Business team on Business Modelling, Venture Profiling, Idea pitching, and other business concepts
  • Interact and network with other Entrepreneurs and build an ecosystem of Startups

What’s in it for you?

  1. A Seed Grant of INR 10 lakhs support at TRL4 to scale to TRL 5
  2. Access to AI4ICPS on-site maker space
  3. Support and guidance from the engineering team of AI4ICPS
  4. Access to the decorated alumni network of IIT Kharagpur
  5. Entrepreneurs will be prepared through business and market training to explore options for securing Ignition Grants and attracting venture capital investments.

What’s after 1 year?

  1. Successful graduates may apply for the CPS Startup Ignition grant
  2. The participants shall be able to apply for other support programs as well, but not participate in any more than one program at a given time.

The centre has also taken up Entreprenuer in Residence, CPS-EIR that will support twenty early-stage AI/ML entrepreneurs per year through a 1-year long fellowship program with on-site residency requirements at the AI4ICPS in IIT Kharagpur Campus. The entrepreneurs will walk in with ideas at TRL; 1-3, and explore and build MVP at TRL 3-4.

Who can apply?

  • The program is open to young, full-time early-stage entrepreneurs with a passion for innovation but requires handholding to understand the technology space in AI/ML and Cyber Physical Systems
  • The program will not accept ideas that are mature beyond TRL3
  • Startup companies are not permitted to apply

What is expected from the selected candidates in this 1 year?

  • During this period the entrepreneurs are expected to explore and build an MVP at TRL3-4 with help and guidance from the AI4ICPS incubation facility
  • The entrepreneurs will also learn about the nuances of Deep Tech development using AI/ML and participate in the various innovation workshops at AI4ICPS
  • Interact and network with other entrepreneurs and build a community of entrepreneurs

What’s in it for you?

  • A stipend of up to INR 30,000 per month for a period of 1 year
  • Guidance from Industry Professionals, VCs, Startup founders, and faculties of IIT Kharagpur who are connected with AI4ICPS
  • Opportunity to work at the esteemed IIT Kharagpur campus and be at the heart of AI Innovation in India.

What’s after 1 year?

  • Once the MVP is built, the entrepreneurs can apply to onboard on the CPS-PRAYAS program or for the CPS Startup Ignition Grant for further scaling and growth
  • The participants shall be able to apply for other support programs as well, but not participate in any more than one program at a given time

The IIT Kharagpur AI4ICPS Hub Foundation in collaboration with TCS iON, organized the online certification course “Hands-on AI for real-world applications (HAAI)” from September 2, 2023, to December 2, 2023. Top 200 performers from this course received a Certificate of Merit (CoM) on March 16, 2024 in the presence of Prof. V K Tewari, Honorable Chairman of AI4ICPS and Director of IIT Kharagpur; Prof. Rintu Banerjee, Dean, R&D; Prof. Niloy Ganguly, Project Director of AI4ICPS; Prof. Pabitra Mitra, Joint Project Director of AI4ICPS; Mr. Dipyaman Banerjee, CEO of AI4ICPS and Ms. Aditi Srivastava, Program Manager of TCS iON. Mr. Sabyasachi Mukhopadhyay, Research Scholar, IIT Kharagpur, who worked as the skill development manager for cohort 1 of HAAI program was also the host of the program.

 

The dignitaries highlighted the importance of industry-oriented courses and future collaboration with TCS iON to launch more such courses in these directions so that employbility in these domains can see an upsurge. Project Director, Prof. Niloy Ganguly, and Joint Project Director, Prof. Pabitra Mitra, mentioned the learning from the feedback of participants in cohort 1 and lauded the efforts of the persons involved in successful completion of the course. Ms. Aditi Srivastava, Program Manager of TCS iON, shared the success story of cohort 1 briefly with the people present in the programme. Mr. Dipyaman Banerjee, CEO of AI4ICPS, delivered the vote of thanks and mentioned that after receiving overwhelming responses in the 1st cohort, AI4ICPS will launch the 2nd cohort of the HAAI program in collaboration with TCS iON on 1st June 2024.

     

Media Coverage:

Times of India Indian Express Telegraph
India Today The Statesman DQ India
Hindustan Times CRN  

Inputs by: Prof. Niloy Ganguli, Project Director & Prof. Pabitra Mitra, Joint Project Director of AI4ICPSEmail: pd@ai4icps.in ; pabitra@gmail.com

By: Poulami Mondal, Digital & Creative Media Executive (Creative Writer)
Email: poulami.mondal@iitkgp.ac.in, media@iitkgp.ac.in, Ph. No.: +91-3222-282007

Follow us: Facebook – IIT Kharagpur; Twitter – @IITKgp;  Instagram – @iit.kgp; LinkedIn – Indian Institute of Technology
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IIT Kharagpur calls for 100 Patents in 100 days

Aligning with India’s Semiconductor Mission and with an aim to strengthen the semiconductor facilities in India and to celebrate India’s Techade Vision and Viksit Bharat @2047, IIT Kharagpur conducted an In-house programme on the India’s Semiconductor Mission in the Netaji Auditorium of the institute that involved 650 participants including students, faculty members, and staff members.

Lighting of the Lamp

The programme began with the lighting of the lamp by Prof. V K Tewari, Director, IIT Kharagpur in the presence of Prof. Amit Patra, Deputy Director; Prof. Rintu Banerjee, Dean, R&D; Prof. Krishna Kumar, Dean, FoS; Prof. T K Bhattacharya, HoD, E&ECE; Prof. A K Singh, President, TSG; Captain Amit Jain (Retd.), Registrar of IIT Kharagpur.


Prof. Rintu Banerjee, Dean R&D addresses the gathering

A brief introduction of the India’s Semi-conductor Mission was addressed by Prof. Rintu Banerjee, Dean R&D, IIT Kharagpur that gave a vivid idea about how semi-conductors are evolving to be the basic ingredient for all our operating and manufacturing devices. Prof. Banerjee highlighted the need of a streamlined applications of ISM that is necessary for Quantum Computing and Quantum Mission. She added that IIT Kharagpur has to take the lead role in ISM and has the adequate resources to support this mission with IP protection and infrastructure development. She also encouraged the war cry for “100 Patents in 100 Days and further towards 100 Patents in 100 Hours.”

Students, Faculty and Staff Members gathered in the Netaji Auditorium

A special drive of Sponsored Research and Industrial Consultancy Cell of IIT Kharagpur, has successfully filed an increase in about 2.5 folds enhanced patent filing in the year 2023 compared to previous year 2022. Similarly, a 4-fold increase in the number of granted patents has been achieved by the Sponsored Research and Industrial Consultancy Cell with the Special initiative taken. A record number of 106 patents have been filed and 71 got granted in 2023 which is more than 4 times compared to 2022. The patents are from different fields viz Aerospace, Agricultural and Food Processing, Chemical, Electrical, Civil, Computer Science, AI and IoT, Cryogenics, Robotics, Rubber Technology, 6G & beyond telecommunication, Energy Science, Industrial and Systems, Metallurgical and Materials, Mining, Nanoscience and Technology, Medical Science and Technology.

Prof. V K Tewari, Director, IIT Kharagpur addressing the gathering

Prof. V K Tewari, Director, IIT Kharagpur remarked, “I congratulate all the faculty members, scholars and students for their initiatives and innovations with special thanks to the Sponsored Research and Industrial Consultancy Cell. ‘100 days 100 patents’ drive has a special promotional effect on the entire patent prosecution process. We have also taken special initiative for International patent filings. IIT Kharagpur have produced the national as well as global leaders that dominate the AI and Semi-conductor industry today and the institute has already engaged 10,000 students for AI in Cyber Physical Systems aiming to incubate 20,000 students in the next cohort. The institute is working towards infrastructure development for Assembling and Testing Facility to create the ecosystem to implement ISM successfully and critical mass education at the B.Tech, M.Tech & PhD level along with 35,000 specialized technicians along with global university collaborations for industry-academia participation.”

Live Telecast of Prime Minister’s Address

India’s Semiconductor Mission has been setup by the Government of India to create an end-to-end semiconductor ecosystem to enable the nation to become a significant player in the global semiconductor industry. Therefore, to celebrate India’s Techade Vision, India’s Semi-Conductor Mission and how Viksit Bharat @2047 can be achieved through research and innovation, IIT Kharagpur conducted an In-house programme in the Netaji Auditorium of the institute that involved the participation of the students, faculty members, and staff members. The institute also conducted a Panel Discussion on the Scope & Opportunities of IIT Kharagpur in Indian Semiconductor Mission with the senior faculties of the institute.

Prof. T K Bhattacharya, HoD, Electronics & Electrical Communication Engineering giving his presentation on ISM

Prof. T K Bhattacharya, HoD, Electronics and Electrical Communication Engineering gave a presentation on India Semiconductor Research Centre (ISRC) Vision to drive an innovation roadmap in advanced semiconductor and packaging technologies, coordinate university research and accelerate manufacturing capability across India and the world that includes Academic Research & Development; Industry Research & Development; Volume Manufacturing; India University Innovation Pipeline and Research Collaboration. He amplified the need for foundational research pillars for ISRC that comprises of Advanced Logic; Packaging R&D; Compound/Power Semiconductor and Chop Design & EDA and gave a detailed ideation on mapping R&D Investments. He also emphasized on the need for Academic R&D; Educated Workforce; ISRC Structure and Governance; ISRC indigenously developed agenda for global impact etc.

Prof. Anandaroop Bhattacharya, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering giving a presentation on ISM Packaging

His presentation was followed by Prof. Anandaroop Bhattacharya, Department of Mechanical Engineering, IIT Kharagpur who presented the need for Design Semiconductor Packaging and Systems (DSPS). He defined Electronic and Integrated System Packaging that are essential commodities required for ISM.

Panel Discussion on Scope & Opportunities of IIT Kharagpur in Indian Semiconductor Mission

After the address of the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, a panel discussion was organized on the topic, “Scope & Opportunities of IIT Kharagpur in the Indian Semiconductor Mission,“ with Prof. Amit Patra, Deputy Director; Prof. T K Bhattacharya, HoD, E&ECE; Prof. D K Goswami, Physics;  Prof. S. Basu Majumdar, HOC, (MSC); Prof. Anandaroop Bhattacharya, ME; Prof. Mrinal Kanti Mandal, E&ECE; Prof. Samit K Ray, Physics; Prof. S S Das, GSSST and Prof. S K Varshney, E&ECE. The entire programme was hosted by Dr. Rajeev Rawat, Hindi Officer, IIT Kharagpur. The programme concluded with a Vote of Thanks by Captain Amit Jain (Retd.), Registrar, IIT Kharagpur.

Media Coverage:

News 18 Bengali Kolkata Hindi News
Amader Bharat The Bengal Post
KGP News Free Press Journal

Career 360 

The Print

Coalfield Mirror

By: Poulami Mondal, Digital & Creative Media Executive (Creative Writer)
Email: poulami.mondal@iitkgp.ac.in, media@iitkgp.ac.in, Ph. No.: +91-3222-282007

Follow us: Facebook – IIT Kharagpur; Twitter – @IITKgp;  Instagram – @iit.kgp; LinkedIn – Indian Institute of Technology
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Robotics and Artificial Intelligence for the School Children in Regional Language

Following the mandate of National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020), Prof. Dilip Kumar Pratihar, Institute Chair Professor, Mechanical Engineering Department, IIT Kharagpur, has developed one new course on “Robotics and Artificial Intelligence” of 11 hours duration in Regional Language (Bengali) for the School Children starting from Class-9 to Class-12, with the initiative of Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Educational and Research Institute (RKMVERI), Belur Math.

Recently awarded the Fellowship of the Indian National Academy of Engineering (FNAE) and presented the Fellowship Certificate in the Induction Ceremony held as a part of the Annual General Meeting of Fellows on 11th December 2023 at SOA University, Bhubaneswar, Dr. Pratihar developed this online course on Robotics & Artificial Intelligence for School Children in Regional Language i.e. Bengali  with the initiative of  Vivekdisha , an ICT-based Network of  Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Educational and Research Institute (RKMVERI), Belur Math. In future, initiatives will be taken by the RKMVERI, Belur Math, to translate this course to various Regional Languages across the country.

Watch the course live on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiuTvXtM4PTZ0MnbdgqZ0q3XXKCryibsJ

Prof. D K Pratihaar remarked, “This innovative course has already been started, and the students are enjoying and learning from it. With the recent advancements in technological transformations, we cannot only rely on what was once taught to us in terms of science education. Today the students need to be updated with the emerging technology that changes the way we have addressed the rising challenges of the world. The scope for Artificial Intelligence is vast in this technology driven world and the expertise of knowing its applications will be up for grabs in the recent future.”

VASVIK Award 2022 in Mechanical & Structural Sciences & Technology

Prof. Dilip Kumar Pratihar, has received the prestigious Vividhlaxi Audyogik Samshodhan Vikas Kendra (VASVIK) Award 2022, for his notable contributions in Industrial Research, in the field of Mechanical & Structural Sciences & Technology, during its 50th year of celebration held on 19th January 2024 in Mumbai. His significant contributions in Industrial Research include Root causes of failure analysis of Gas Turbine Unit, Pigtail Analysis, Optimal design of Leaf Spring for the heavy vehicles, Root causes of failure analysis of multi-stage Centrifugal Pump, and others, in which the fundamentals of Solid Mechanics, Fluid Mechanics, Combustion, Principle of Gas Turbine, Gas Dynamics, Heat Transfer, Machine Design, and others have been used. He also carries out fundamental research on Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, and others, extensively.

This Award is generally given to one person in one year from each of the 10 fields. This time, the VASVIK Award was presented by Dr. R. A. Mashelkar; Prof. M.M. Sharma; Dr. Mohan I. Patel, the Founder of this Award; Mr. Nayan Patel, Director, VASVIK, Prof. A. Pandit, and others.

The Video of the Award Ceremony is available in the You-tube Link: https://youtu.be/YWEcdTbCQNQ

 

Prof. Dilip Kumar Pratihar, Department of Mechanical Engineering, IIT Kharagpur 

He has been awarded the “Technologist of the Year,” one of the most prestigious IEEE India Council Award, for his pioneering contributions to the fundamentals and applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Prof. Pratihar made significant contributions in design and development of intelligent autonomous systems in various fields of Engineering Science namely robotics, manufacturing science and others. He has proposed adaptive motion planning schemes for intelligent robots using the principle of soft computing, whose performances have been tested on real robots. In relation to automation in manufacturing processes, he has developed expert systems using soft computing to establish their input-output relationships both in forward and reverse directions. He is also the founder of Soft Computing Lab in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, and Centre for Excellence in Robotics.

Inputs by: Prof. D K Pratihar, Department of Mechanical Engineering, IIT Kharagpur
Email: dkpra@mech.iitkgp.ac.in

By: Poulami Mondal, Digital & Creative Media Executive (Creative Writer)
Email: poulami.mondal@iitkgp.ac.in, media@iitkgp.ac.in, Ph. No.: +91-3222-282007

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Centre of Excellence for Advance Manufacturing Technology develops grounding projects in AI – iWeld & iToFD

IIT Kharagpur has proven its Tryst with Innovation with its latest dominant supremacy in the field of Artificial Intelligence with two of its ground breaking projects on AI-enabled non-destructive testing for weld defect analysis, from Centre of Excellence in Advanced Manufacturing Technology (CoEAMT),  IIT Kharagpur led by Prof. Surjya K Pal, Chairperson, Centre of Excellence in Advance Manufacturing. These two innovative solutions have been shortlisted by TATA STEEL for “TechEx 2024” exhibition.

The first, “iWeld, an AI-enabled NDT” software is an innovative solution developed for Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE)  Kolkata, Ministry of Defence. iWeld is designed to identify, localize and classify different types of weld defects, such as blowhole, wormhole, porosity, lack of fusion, and inclusion, from radiography images with remarkable accuracy. The performance of the iWeld has been certified by the Indian Register of Shipping (No.: 2023PC001, Dated: 9th Aug 2023). This was also recently shortlisted as one of the four innovations from IIT Kharagpur which were showcased at “IInventiv 2024” – the first-of-its-kind, mega R&D fair, where all IITs, NITs and other top Institutions in the country participated to show case the their cutting-edge innovations in R&D.

The ability of iWeld to enhance the quality and efficiency of weld inspections has marked it as a truly successful product, standing as a testament to successful collaboration between CoEAMT and GRSE. Jointly copyrighted with GRSE, iWeld is now primed for commercialization. Mr. Avishek Mukherjee, a Doctoral Scholar in Advanced Technology Development Centre, has devoted considerable effort and dedication to bring about this development.

“Recently, this has also been selected and showcased by the mega technical Event, IInventiv 2024, organised by MoE at IIT Hyderabad. This software is already certified by Indian Register of Shipping, and has been handed over to GRSE for daily operational usage with human-like accuracy. This software has been jointly copyrighted with GRSE as well. It is a product with TRL:8/9. GRSE and CoEAMT will now jointly go ahead for commercialization at other industrial ends. AI-enabled NDT for auto evaluation of weld defects from Ultrasound data: This project is being funded by TIH. It has already been filed for patent. A group of students at CoEAMT are planning to spin-off soon with these AI-enabled NDT solutions for weld defect analyses. Our students are doing wonderful job. Their success for solving perennial industrial problems is awesome. The credit goes to the interns and scholars,” said Prof. S K Pal, Chairperson, CoEAMT.

The second solution, “iToFD“, under a project funded by  (TiH) of IIT Kharagpur, revolutionizes the detection and sizing of weld defects using ultrasonic time-of-flight diffraction (ToFD) data. This cutting-edge system integrates advanced signal processing with AI algorithms for precise defect localization and measurement. This automated solution, patented recently (Patent filed ref no: 202331060331), is nearly 15 times faster than traditional manual inspections. Mr. A K Vishwanathan, Undergraduate student in Chemistry; Mr. Sarvan Kumar Singh, Undergraduate student in Chemical Engineering; Mr. Ananta Dutta, Doctoral Scholar in Mechanical Engineering, and Mr. Avishek Mukherjee, Doctoral Scholar in Advanced Technology Development Centre are diligently contributing to this project.

“The Centre of Excellence in Advanced Manufacturing Technology at IIT Kharagpur is geared up in solving various perennial problems of the industries through deployment of artificial intelligence, and Industry 4.0 concepts.   I am extremely happy to see the passion of students associated with the CoEAMT while working with the industries, at this stage of their lives, providing innovative solutions. They shine with a profound grasp of industrial challenges. CoEAMT is open to induct more students and train them to take up interesting and challenging industrial problems, and solve them,” added Prof. Pal.

Inputs by: Prof. Surjya K Pal, Chairperson, Centre of Excellence in Advance Manufacturing Technology
Email: surjya.pal@icloud.com

Media Coverage :

Times of India

Ananda Bazar Patrika 

News 18 Bangla     

Construction Week

By: Poulami Mondal, Digital & Creative Media Executive (Creative Writer)
Email: poulami.mondal@iitkgp.ac.in, media@iitkgp.ac.in, Ph. No.: +91-3222-282007

Follow us: Facebook – IIT Kharagpur; Twitter – @IITKgp;  Instagram – @iit.kgp; LinkedIn – Indian Institute of Technology
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IIT Kharagpur launches PUBBS: 4th Generation Public Bicycle Sharing Systems

IIT Kharagpur launches 4th generation “Make in India”  Public Bicycle Sharing system including a smart electro-mechanical IOT module for locking bicycles and its software. Integrated Hardware, Software and Firmware development for a fully automatic bicycle lock and a cloud-based sharing system which is freely available on a subscription basis so that the system can be setup by private individuals without specialized equipment and personnel. This project is funded by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and involves pilot-scale demonstration within the IIT Campus.  Dr. Subhas Sarkar, Minister of State for Education inaugurated the Public Bicycle Share System in the presence of Prof. V K Tewari, Director, IIT Kharagpur; Prof. Amit Patra, Deputy Director IIT Kharagpur; Prof. Debapratim Pandit, Department of Architecture & Regional Planning, and other dignitaries.

PUBBS being a provider of a product-service system for enabling a smart and hassle free public bicycle sharing system that prepares the bicycle for a sustainable future presents the following products, developed indigenously for enabling the service. One bicycle sharing app connects multiple PUBBS operator. Some of its important features are listed below:

  1. GSM/GPRS/GPS Manual Lock – features GSM/GPS/Communication; GPS Location tracking; theft detection with GPS location; energy efficient hardware design; enhanced battery life.
  2. GSM/GPRS/GPS Manual Lock- features GSM/GPS/Communication; GPS Location tracking; efficient locking and unlocking with robotic hardware driver; energy efficient hardware design; enhanced battery life.
  3. BLE Semi Automatic – BLE Communication; GPS Location tracking from user device; update circuit and battery protection; energy efficient hardware design; enhanced battery life.
  4. BLE Auto Lock – BLE Communication; GPS Location & operations Tracking from user device update circuit and battery protection; efficient locking & unlocking with robotic hardware driver; enhanced battery life.

Prof. V K Tewari, Director, IIT Kharagpur, remarked, “PUBBS is the first Make in India smart lock for bicycle/e-bike sharing system. Currently, we have manufactured our first batch of smart locks (Bluetooth based) and we plan to deploy the system for the benefit of guests at the Technology Guest House.  We will make the system available free of charge initially for a few weeks and then make it available at a minor charge which will be fixed. PUBBS was also demonstrated at IInvenTiv 2024. A separate project proposal will be prepared before deploying the system on a commercial basis.”

Features of PUBBS User App:

  • Station and Individual Bicycle Detection
  • Advanced Operator Detection
  • You can take a break when on ride using the hold function anywhere in the service area
  • View Ride History
  • You can connect with the app through Bluetooth, or via GSM
  • Customized subscription plans and operational constraints like: Maximum Hold Time or Maximum Ride time

The PI of the project Prof. Debapratim Pandit, Department of Architecture & Regional Planning, IIT Kharagpur remarked, “Multiple variants of the product are created including Bluetooth based, GSM-GPS based, Semi-automatic and Fully-automatic. The product offers extensive customization options based on product and operator requirements. This product will enhance last mile connectivity, reduce travel time and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The product has the potential to promote entrepreneurship where the rental/sharing system can be deployed using our cloud-based services with limited technical knowhow.”

City Future Research group (www.arp.iitkgp.ac.in/cfl) of the Architecture & Regional Planning at IIT Kharagpur has also present PUBBS Transit v2.0, India’s first Integrated Planning and Operation Software for Bus Transit Operators. This software can be used for building solutions synonymous to current manual practices of depot and route level bus operations and management, with the advantages of artificial intelligence, information technology, and data visualization (https://youtu.be/IsiD1oovee8).

Highlights:

  1. The software is designed to reduce the operation cost of all buses for each trip for each route from each terminal while improving passenger comfort.
  2. System is flexible to work on various levels of ITS infrastructure (On board driver console, CCTV cameras within buses and bus stops and APC modules within buses).
  3. Real time bus dispatch and control system for operators at terminals.
  4. The software features include frequency setting, timetable development, bus scheduling, crew rostering etc.

The project is funded by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, SRIC Project Code: UBA (“An intelligent urban bus transit dispatch, control and surveillance system using artificial intelligence and user perception”). The theory development, algorithms, python programs and the software interfaces are all developed by the students, project staff and interns who have worked on this project over the last 3-4 years. Th detail capabilities of the program are listed in the website. (Website: www.pubbs.co.in)

Link for Live demonstration:

https://youtu.be/WP7afvqxSWE

Media Coverage:

Times of India Telegraph News 18 Bangla
Economic Times Statesman Republic World
Economic Times (Auto) The Print The Week
Bizz Bizz India.Com Tech Expert

 

                                           Dainik Jagran


Inputs by: Prof. Debapratim Pandit, Department of Architecture & Regional Planning IIT Kharagpur 
Email: debapratim@arp.iitkgp.ac.in

Edited By: Poulami Mondal, Digital & Creative Media Executive (Creative Writer)
Email: poulami.mondal@iitkgp.ac.in, media@iitkgp.ac.in, Ph. No.: +91-3222-282007

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