Inventions, Innovations – Page 6

NATIONAL & KARNATAKA: SCEINC & TECHNOLOGY: Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Develops Autopilot System for Drones

The reason for India’s slow progress in this sector is due to the non-availability of essential indigenous electronics components like microcontrollers and sensors at a reasonable cost.

With the exponential rise in drone usage across sectors like industrial applications, agriculture, logistics and defence, the need for indigenous avionics systems has become crucial. In order to reduce dependence on foreign drone technology, the Indian Institute of Science (IISC) has made a significant achievement in the field of unmanned aerial systems.

The Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Laboratory (AIRL) at IISC announced that the team has successfully developed an indigenous industrial-grade autopilot system for drones. The team said this achievement is the initial step towards the indigenization of avionics systems for drones in India. This feat was possible through the utilization of Indian-made Vega Microcontrollers, developed by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC), as part of the Digital India RISC-V Program (DIR-V).

The indigenously developed technology will help reduce the reliance on microcontrollers in future drone avionics projects. Professor Suresh Sundaram, Associate Professor at the Department of Aerospace Engineering, who headed the project said, “Our autopilot system, powered by Vega Microcontrollers, showcases the immense potential of homegrown solutions in the unmanned aerial systems domain. We are confident that this breakthrough will pave the way for further advancements in this field and contribute to the growth of the drone ecosystem in India.”

India’s most used drone technologies which include an unmanned aerial system (UAV) that can help run a basic operation system and forward data to a navigation control unit, are imported from China, US, Israel, and several European countries.

The reason for India’s slow progress in this sector is due to the non-availability of essential indigenous electronics components like microcontrollers and sensors at a reasonable cost. The country also lacks a skilled workforce working on the UAV systems. Using imported tech comes with major security concerns such as hacking and data manipulation.

The country has been on a steady growth towards chip manufacturing and CDAC is a ray of hope in developing world-class microcontrollers. “This move will cut millions of dollars worth of electronics import over the years and make India self-reliant in terms of UAV technology,” said the laboratory.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL & KARNATAKA: Scientists from Gadag and Shivamogga part of Chandrayaan-3 Mission

Shivamogga:

Ramu said to TNIE that it was a moment to cherish for a lifetime and was proud to be part of the Chandrayaan-3, a successful mission to the moon.

When the entire country sang praises and rejoiced over the success of Chandrayaan-3, Shivamogga city puffed up with extra pride as it is home to C Ramu, the Deputy Project Director (DPD) of the Propulsion System, Propulsion Module. Ramu said to TNIE that it was a moment to cherish for a lifetime and was proud to be part of the Chandrayaan-3, a successful mission to the moon.

Ramu did his primary education at RC school in the city. He did his Mechanical Engineering course at Jawaharlal Nehru National College of Engineering. Later, he did his MS in Aerospace Engineering from IISc, Bengaluru. He joined ISRO in the year 2004 and is presently working as a scientist/ engineer in the Liquid Propulsion System Centre, Bengaluru.

Gadag: The mission also has a Gadag connection. One of the lunar mission’s scientists is a native of Gadag. Sudhindra Bindagi, who joined ISRO in 1986, retired only last month. He is said to be one the main engineers behind the success of Chandrayaan -3. An alumnus of VDS Boys High School in Gadag, the scientist had a video conference session with the students of his alma mater on Thursday. Bindagi completed his primary education in Kannada medium in Gadag. His photographs with Prime Minister Narendra Modi have gone viral on social media platforms. Bindagi, a resident of Veeranarayana Temple area in Gadag, completed his B.Tech from Surathkal Engineering College. He worked as a satellite thermal designer in 1992 and as a project manager for communication satellite INSAT-LE.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL & NATIONAL & KARNATAKA: CM Siddaramaiah visits ISRO, to felicitate scientists in Vidhana Soudha

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced on Thursday that the scientists of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) would be felicitated officially by the government for the successful Chandrayaan-3 mission.

Speaking to reporters after paying a visit to ISRO in Bengaluru to meet and felicitate scientists, Siddaramaiah stated that the felicitation function will be held at the Banquet Hall of Vidhana Soudha after September 2. He had given directions for his staff to coordinate with ISRO in this regard, he added.

“The achievement of ISRO by landing Vikram on the Moon safely is hailed by the entire country. The achievement has made the whole world look towards India. Our country is fourth after Russia, America, and China to achieve a safe landing on the Moon. We are the first country to land safely on the South Pole. Hence, all of us should acknowledge the achievement of ISRO and appreciate it,” CM Siddaramaiah explains.

ISRO Chairman S. Somnath and his team of 500 scientists have actively taken part in the programme from Karnataka. 3,84,000 kilometres were travelled by the Vikram and for so many years efforts have been made for the achievement. “All our cooperation and support is with ISRO for its future programmes as it is a pride of our nation,” CM Siddaramaiah maintained.

When asked about how he felt after watching the event live on Wednesday, CM Siddaramaiah stated, “I became very happy as our country has achieved this.

“It’s a historical achievement and a big achievement. They worked for many years round the clock. They have nearly 500 scientists from Bengaluru involved in this and in total more than 1,000 scientists have worked across the country.” DyCM D.K. Shivakumar visited ISRO on Wednesday evening and felicitated the team.

source/content: daijiworld.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL & KARNATAKA: Chandrayaan-3: How indigenous amplifier played a crucial role in communication

In the case of space missions, amplifiers are instrumental in getting the message from the Lander and Rover to the satellite orbiting on the Moon’s surface, which is about four lakh km from Earth.

Chandrayaan-3 – India’s ambitious Moon Mission is a team work with several scientists, technicians, and entrepreneurs among others joining hands to make it a success.

Associate Director, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) headquarters, Dr BHM Darukesha and his team had developed the 5-watt signal amplifier (for communication) which is an important part of Chandrayaan-3’s Lander and Rover when no other country came forward to provide it to India since amplifiers are mostly used by the military for defence operations. Darukehsa hails from Kottur in Vijayanagara district.

In the case of space missions, amplifiers are instrumental in getting the message from the Lander and Rover to the satellite orbiting on the surface of the Moon, which is about four lakh km from the Earth. ISRO was looking for a 5-watt signal amplifier for its Moon missions.

According to informed sources, a Japanese firm had agreed to provide its own 12-watt amplifier. “However, it was not suitable for use in space travel and Isro had to develop its own amplifier. This responsibility was assigned to Darukesha, who headed the Integrated Circuit (IC) design team.

The 5-watt amplifier developed by him and his team has won various awards by ISRO. These amplifiers were fitted in the Lander and Rover of Chandrayaan-1 & 2, Mangalyaan and now Chandrayaan 3,”
added sources.

“An amplifier is required to know the operational status of a satellite or spacecraft that is launched from the Earth. It was an opportunity and privilege for me and my team to develop it at a time when other countries had backed out,” Daurkesha told this newspaper.

Born on August 6, 1974, to Suvarnamma and Mahadevaiah – a government primary school teacher in Shivpura Gollarahatti in Kudligi taluk. Darukesha was appointed as a scientist in ISRO in 1998.

CTTC scientists’ hard work pays off

A team of 150 scientists, engineers and technicians, who toiled hard for the last two years to mould different types of components used in the lander, erupted in joy when lander module Vikram landed on the dark side of the Moon’s surface. It was the lander that had crashed during the Chandrayaan-2 mission in 2019. CTTC delivered over 75,000 components for Chandrayaan-3.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL & KARNATAKA: MANUFACTURING / DEFENCE & NAVAL AIR FORCE / : Maiden flight of LCA Naval Trainer NP5 from HAL Airport Successful in Karnataka

The Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Naval Trainer Prototype NP5 successfully completed its maiden flight.

The Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Naval Trainer Prototype NP5 successfully completed its maiden flight on Friday. The aircraft, which took off from HAL airport, was airborne 57 minutes with all parameters normal, according to Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)..

The aircraft, which incorporates the production standard airframe and rainwater compliance, maintainability improvements as well as futuristic system advancement, was captained by Capt Amit Kawade (Indian Navy) with Wg Cdr Siddarth Singh (Retd) in the rear cockpit.

Capt Kawade said the handling qualities were extremely satisfactory and all test points envisaged have been successfully completed. LCA Navy is designed and developed jointly by Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Bangalore.

The first trainer prototype NP1 was flown on April 27, 2012, and the fighter prototype NP2 on February 7, 2015. Both Naval Prototypes (NP1 and NP2) have achieved major milestones such as ski-jump take-off and arrested landing demonstrations on Shore Based Test Facility at Dabolim Airport, Goa, and operations from indigenous aircraft carriers.

LCA Navy can operate day and night

“The aircraft demonstrated 18 arrested landings and ski-jump takeoffs from INS Vikramaditya in January 2020, including hot refuelling capability. Recently, LCA Navy participated in the carrier trials from INS Vikrant and performed 10 ski-jump take-offs and arrested landings on February 6.

LCA Navy has completed the landmark achievement of being the first indigenous fighter aircraft landing on the indigenous aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant,” DRDO said in a statement. Equipped with state-of-the-art technologies such as a fly-by-wire flight control system, glass cockpit and advanced mechanical systems, LCA Navy can be operated seamlessly day and night.

It features advanced hands-free ski-jump take-off and landing flight control modes. LCA Navy Prototypes are carrier compatible and can operate with Air-to-Air weapons for combat missions. “The new prototype NP5 will soon undertake field and carrier operations from INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant. LCA Navy NP5 incorporates all improvements identified during the testing of NP1 and NP2 is a production-ready aircraft,” the statement added.

The addition of NP5 aircraft to the LCA Navy prototype fleet will help accelerate flight testing activities which will provide designers vital inputs towards the design and development of the Twin Engine Deck Based Fighter (TEDBF), the country’s prestigious futuristic carrier aircraft programme. LCA Navy can also serve as an effective training platform for Indian Navy pilots for operations from the aircraft carriers, the release said.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL & KARNATAKA: AIRBORNE TECHNOLOGIES: IISc Develops Autopilot System for Drones

The reason for India’s slow progress in this sector is due to the non-availability of essential indigenous electronics components like microcontrollers and sensors at a reasonable cost.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

KARNATAKA /NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL: COTO: Woman-only Social Media App. – A Safe Space for Women created by Bengaluru’s Aparna Acharekar, Co-Founder

This Independence Day, the co-founder of a women-only social media app, speaks about preserving freedom of expression for women, preventing online hate and maintaining the app’s identity.

Scrolling through social media these days, one cannot miss instances of hate – from homophobia to casteism, threats to slander, it comes in all forms. But women face an overwhelming share of that hate.

This Independence Day, the co-founder of a women-only social media app, speaks about preserving freedom of expression for women, preventing online hate and maintaining the app’s identity to ensure it doesn’t share the fate that befell Twitter.

In an attempt to curb this problem and to provide a safe space for women on the internet, Aparna Acharekar co-founded the women-only social app Coto (short for come together).

“The idea came from women facing harassment. We noticed that the more a woman expressed her thoughts online, the more hate she got. This was especially true for women influencers and celebrities. Not just here in India. We have data that shows this pattern across the world. We wanted to create a space where women would be able to ask questions and express themselves without inhibitions,” shares Acharekar, who has over two decades of experience in content creation.

The internet provides people with the luxury of anonymity. But some take advantage of this luxury to masquerade themselves in many ways. So, how does Coto ensure no one abuses the app? “We have various ways of verifying users. We use reliable and effective social recognition systems to ensure someone isn’t falsifying their identity. We also used two-factor authentication and if someone wishes to, they can opt to enter their Aadhaar details (other government ID data for people in other countries). We have taken ample steps to ensure that only women and transwomen get access to our app,” she explains.

coto has been live since January 2023 and surprisingly the app hasn’t recorded any instance of hate or abuse, largely due to its content moderation practices.

“First, there is an AI-level moderation, which picks derogatory works or inappropriate words. Inappropriate words or context, in our case, are very different from what you find on other social media. On a women-only app, when somebody uses the word breast or vagina, those words are not flagged off as inappropriate. Secondly, communities moderate their content and their members. So community members can report to, and escalate to admins of every community, pretty much like on a WhatsApp group. So if there is anything that is not contextual to the community or may be harmful to the community, the creators themselves moderate it. The platform does not unless their complaint has escalated,” she says.

coto comes with an identity – to create a space for women online. So, what are their plans to ensure the identity remains intact and doesn’t eventually lose itself, something that has plagued other social media apps over the years? “We believe social media should be decentralised. Women who come to coto and set up their communities are given coto tokens/gains. It essentially means that a large part of the platform will be owned by the community creators and members.” Regarding plans of expanding, Acharekar elaborates, “Presently our largest user base is in India and Egypt. But the application is available globally. We are soon planning on launching in Indonesia.”

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL & KARNATAKA: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY: Eminent Scientist Padma Shri Prof. MRS Rao passes away in Bengaluru at 75. He was the First Scientist to initiate Chromatin Biology Research in India.

Prof Rao was working as an Honorary Professor at the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research and was actively running the Chromatin Biology laboratory in the institute.

Manchanahalli Rangaswamy Satyanarayana Rao, popularly known as MRS Rao, an eminent Indian scientist and Padma Shri awardee, died of cardiac arrest at 7 pm at his residence in Tata Nagar in Bengaluru on Sunday.

He was well known for his discipline, scientific knowledge, patience, soft-spoken nature and mentorship of PhD students.

The former Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research president is survived by his wife Padma S Rao and two sons Sharat and Rohan.

MR Satyanarayana Rao’s colleagues told TNIE that his last rites will be conducted on Tuesday after one of his sons returns from Brisbane.

Born on January 21, 1948, in Mysuru, the 75-year-old scientist, was the first scientist to initiate Chromatin Biology research in India.

Prior to his demise, he was working as an Honorary Professor at the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research and was actively running the Chromatin Biology laboratory in the institute.

He was honoured with the Padma Sri award in 2010 for his contributions to the field of science and engineering.

He was also honoured by the Karnataka state government with the Sir MV Visvesvaraya Award for his contribution to the field of science and research.

He was the President of the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, from 2003-13.

He was also the chairman of many central government science committees. He was also on all committees of the Indian Council of medical research.

Prof Rao completed his BSc in 1966 and Msc in 1968 from Bengaluru University. He did his PhD in biochemistry from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru in 1973.

He then did his postdoctoral research at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston from 1974–76, where he also worked as an assistant professor.

When he returned to India, he joined the Department of Biochemistry at IISc.

In over 30 years of his research career, Prof Rao has mentored and guided over 35 PhD students and hundreds of trainees.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

KARNATAKA: AI in HEALTH & MEDICAL SERVICES / OPTHALMOLOGY: AI can Predict Severity of Conjunctivitis, says Dr. Rohit Shetty, Narayana Nethralaya, Bengaluru

Addressing reporters on Thursday, the doctor said that using imaging and molecular diagnostics has enabled them to use AI and bio-markers in conjunctivitis to predict severity.

In an effort to identify and treat severe conjunctivitis cases early, Narayana Nethralaya has managed to predict the severity of such cases using Artificial Intelligence (AI). “We are using AI to predict the severity of conjunctivitis. This can help clinicians provide the right treatment that helps in better recovery. This bio-marker work in tears is probably one of the first in the country, and could also be one of the first conjunctivitis-related tear bio-marker research in the world,” said Dr Rohit Shetty, chairman, Narayana Nethralaya explained.

Addressing reporters on Thursday, the doctor said that using imaging and molecular diagnostics has enabled them to use AI and bio-markers in conjunctivitis to predict severity. This AI-driven research has highlighted that people who are more prone to allergies or asthma and have low Vitamin D levels are getting severely affected. The AI model has demonstrated 97 per cent accuracy, affirming its successful interpretation.

Cases of conjunctivitis, commonly known as ‘pink eye’, are on the rise in Bengaluru in the past few weeks. Doctors at Narayana see over 100 patients daily, with 30% of them being children. Most cases are caused due to adenovirus, and is not just a summer infection, but occurs in all seasons.

“This research is of paramount importance to patients and doctors, as the disease has been addressed with a blanket approach that may not be suitable for all. Depending on the severity, we can decide what medications would be suitable, and starting topical steroids early can be beneficial,” said Dr Gairik, consultant of cornea and refractive surgery, Narayana Nethralaya.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

KARNATAKA: BUSINESS & ECONOMY / TEXTILES: G.I tagged Udupi Sari dyed with Arecanut ‘chogaru’ Natural Dyes to be launched tomorrow

In addition, the GI tag enjoying Udupi sari has been made using natural dyes from leaf of wild almond, root of ‘manjistha’.

The Udupi handloom sari, which enjoys Geographical Indication (GI) tag, dyed using natural arecanut ‘chogaru’ is set to be launched on Monday.

The ‘chogaru’ is a reddish-brown liquid obtained during the processing of arecanut. After harvesting the unripened arecanut, farmers boil the kernel or tender nuts and later dry the nuts for selling. The water thus boiled is called ‘chogaru’ in Kannada. Farmers discard or throw away this liquid.

Now Talipady Primary Weavers Service Cooperative Society Ltd., Kinnigoli, Dakshina Kannada, under the guidance of Kadike Trust, a non-government organisation based at Karkala in Udupi district, promoter of Udupi sari, has used the ‘chogaru’ for colouring the Udupi saris woven by it. The society is among the five weavers’ cooperative societies which has obtained the authorisation certificate to use the GI tag for Udupi sari.

Mamatha Rai, president, Kadike Trust, told The Hindu that arecanut ‘chogaru’ dyed saris with brown and pink shades will be launched at a function on the premises of the society at Kinnigoli on July 31. “It is for the first time arecanut ‘chogaru’ has been used for colouring Udupi sari,” she said.

In multiple shades

In addition, she said, Udupi sari naturally dyed after processing leaf of wild almond tree has been woven in yellow and black shades. The weavers of the same society have produced sari dyed using the root of ‘manjistha’ (Indian Madder), which is a climbing or scrambling herb. These saris are in orange, pink and red shades. “All the three (arecanut ‘chogaru’, leaf of wild almond tree and ‘manjistha’ root) are new natural dyes used in making of Udupi sari,” Ms. Rai said adding that the latter two will also be launched on Monday.

She said that these initiatives are expected to boost the recognition for Udupi sari further. The Udupi sari received GI tag first in 2016. The Talipady Society was the first authorised user of the GI tag for the sari. The trust arranged training programmes for weavers with the help of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD).

At Charaka earlier

Earlier, Charaka Women’s Multipurpose Cooperative Society, Heggodu, in Sagar taluk of Shivamogga district and some other garment makers have used arecanut ‘chogaru’ as the natural dye in their garment products.

According to the trust, the Udupi sari is woven using the best quality single ply combed cotton yarns for both warp and weft. Artificial zari or cotton yarns are used to create design in body, border and pallu portion using extra weft technique. The sari has plain or checked design in the body and dobby or plain design in the border. Light shades are used for the body, bright and contrast colours for the border and pallu.

Ms. Rai said that SELCO India has arranged solar equipment to the Talipady Society. They include dryer, pulveriser, winding device, water heater and lighting system.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)