Tag: mobile app

Get down to business, say IIT KGP Experts

A Market Opportunity for Indigenous Players – IIT Kharagpur Experts on Mobile App Ban. Director, Prof. Virendra Kumar Tewari is affirmative about IIT Kharagpur’s role in filling this void through sponsored projects and startups

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India on June 29 witnessed an unprecedented action in the area of mobile applications. 59 mobile applications developed in China have been banned by MEITY, Govt. of India citing prejudicial activities to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order. This move has been welcomed by several experts at IIT Kharagpur. While some are relieved with reduction in potential security threat, others view it as an opportunity for Indian applications to strengthen their market presence or even create space for start-ups for indigenous mobile applications. Director, Prof. Virendra Kumar Tewari is even affirmative about IIT Kharagpur’s role in filling this void through sponsored projects and startups.

The Security Threat

Prof. Raja Datta, Head, G.S Sanyal School of Telecommunication remarked on the potential security threat from these applications.

“We have to be cautious about the software we are using on our computational devices. Even if we are not storing financial data, some of our computerized biometric information may be inadvertently stored in these applications due to general user interface design. To avoid any further damage regarding exposure to our important data, it is advisable that installation of such applications be avoided.”

He further recommended investigations of these applications under restricted use, to study the attributes and make certain of malware functions if any, and take necessary steps to remove possible security threats. 

Business Opportunity

Talking about the market which has been created, Prof. Suman Chakraborty, Dean, Sponsored Research & Industrial Consultancy expressed his confidence in Indian technologists and scientists to meet the strong demand for similar products.

“The ban has only created a supply imbalance in the market which will attract Indian startups to feel the void. Also our technological research has reached a level wherein designing such products indigenously should not be a challenge at all. Take for example the healthcare domain; the available innovations by Indian technologists in healthcare devices and analytics can be improvised further to develop healthcare apps of highest scientific and technological standard which can replace several foreign-bred mobile  applications,” he said.

He also emphasized on the need for talents from technical institutions to focus on technology enablers and collaborate with designers to develop social media applications.

Prof. Goutam Saha, Dean, IIT Kharagpur’s IP Law School, clarified on how the market can be penetrated as the concepts do not receive IP protection.

“A specific mobile app based game can be protected but not its concept or subject area. The way forward is to proactively work on user feedback and assess user needs to launch new products. The mass market products need to upgrade features continuously and be trendy with look and feel to capture popular imagination,” he said.

Could IIT Kharagpur play a key role in filling this void?

Director, Prof. Virendra Kumar Tewari believes the start-up ecosystem at IIT Kharagpur’s Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Park can lead the initiative through seed funding and incubation facility.

“We are contemplating on calling for submission of app development projects by students which we can sponsor. With the talent at institutes like IITs who power thes strongest corporations in the digital space, this is not only a certainty but not achieving this goal should come as a surprise.” 

He further opined on the necessity of hackathons at the national level engaging talents from technical institutions towards this end.

“Last year MHRD had successfully organized several hackathons in hardware, software, rural technology etc. We have proven track records in delivering efficient and economically viable technologies. Let us seize this opportunity.  The market has only been liberated, we can say, inward, this time,” signed off Prof. Tewari.

The Govt. of India too is encouraging premier technical institutions to take benefit of this opportunity and lead the way. Live Mint reported  on June 30, Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal, Hon’ble Minister, HRD while speaking on Atmanirbhar Bharat in his address for an academic address for IIT Madras urged all to accept the high challenge and rise to the occasion.

“Don’t let the opportunity go. This will take us forward in the path of growth, . . . We don’t need them…we have the vision to do it,” the minister said adding that when the challenges are high all must rise to the occasion,” he said.

What are students saying?

A section of students at IIT Kharagpur engaged in product designing and development are excited too. TYSS Santosh, UG representative had floated an informal assignment during the lockdown period to develop various applications related to COVID-19.

“Similar assignments can be conducted to encourage students to ideate new developments, he said as part of the co-curricular program. This can also be a real-life project based learning experience for students where we can witness the transition from lab to land,” he said.

Smartphone App to Aid Smoking Cessation

Smartphone applications in the present times are the popular source of information on market intelligence. In the last decade, these gadgets have been revolutionizing the consumer world by replacing our wallets and bringing services such as cabs, restaurants, shops, IoT based smart homes at our doorsteps. These are also contributing to our fitness regime. But smartphones can give a lot more insights, they can tell what we are doing at the moment, our habits and the associated health hazards. This is what researchers at IIT KGP have confirmed through their latest innovation.

A research team led by Prof. Ram Babu Roy at IIT KGP’s Rajendra Mishra School of Engineering Entrepreneurship (RMSoEE), has developed a prototype of sensor-based activity tracking kit which can monitor the activities in daily living. Further, a Smartphone-based application is under development which will analyze the tracking kit data and send alerts for an unhealthy lifestyle and suitable recommendation. The innovation is a sensor-based technology for automated recognition of addictive and depressive behaviour.

While India is reaching a critical threshold for killer diseases like cancer and depression, there is an emerging need for a shift from sick care to preventive care. This issue can be addressed at a faster rate through e-healthcare considering the inadequate availability of professional caregivers and medical practitioners.

“The scenario led us to explore the most commonly used gadget and develop the much-required technology which can be used for providing interventions in near real-time via mobile app to promote cessation from addictive habits,” remarked Saurabh Singh Thakur, a research scholar at IIT KGP RMSoEE.

The technology is capable of producing a daily activity chart based on body movements especially of the hands and predict daily functions such as eating or drinking water or behavioural tendencies such as smoking or consumption of alcohol. The application can also monitor call and message logs and internet usage on the smartphone and alert the user or the caregiver regarding cell phone usage. Prolonged usage data would indicate poor sleeping habit thus predicting possible health hazards.

“We did a pilot study over a period of time capturing data on activities of daily living with the help of a mobile app developed for android phones. The different activities captured are a marker of various physiological and psychological health. The data collected was dependent on the time of the day when it was captured thus demarcating the normal and abnormal activities. Further, data analysis is being carried out to identify various behavioral activities and patterns to do behavioural profiling of individuals. This could lead to enabling of personalized e-healthcare services through a smartphone,” said Prof. Ram Babu Roy, who is leading this innovation at IIT KGP RMSoEE.

The activity tracking kit has been developed using a 6-axis inertial sensor along with a heart rate sensor which could be worn on the wrist. A pilot study was conducted with four participants. Their hand movement pattern was recorded for around 5 minutes for smoking and non-smoking intervals each, using this kit. Preliminary analysis of the data showed that there exists a periodicity in the data during the smoking episode. During the non-smoking interval, the sensor signals are random and do not exhibit such periodicity.

Further data collection with a greater number of participants in different environments, data pre-processing, analysis, training, model generation, and testing is under progress. The research team collected GPS data as well for locational information and physical movement. There is a correlation between physical activities during the day and psychological health. Thus, such data analysis would further help in strengthening the mental health and wellness of the user.

The need of such a technology can be more emphasized at the wake of the reports by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and National Mental Health Survey (NMHS). While according to ICMR, new cancer cases or its incidence in India are estimated to grow by 25% by 2020, NMHS 2015-16 reports that every sixth person in India needs mental health intervention of some sort.

The prototype developed at IIT KGP is initially focused on smoking habits. However, the research encompasses the scope of predicting depressive behavior as well. The team has published several peer-reviewed papers in international journal and conferences of repute. They are working towards filing a patent for further commercialization of the product.

“At the Rajendra Mishra School of Engineering Entrepreneurship, we encourage entrepreneurial minds of the engineering students. It is the first school of its kind in India and we focus on incubating innovations into start-ups. Considering the field reports and further test results and preferred career choices of the innovators, such innovations are quite capable of creating new markets,” affirmed Prof. Partha Pratim Das, Head, RMSoEE, IIT KGP.