Records, Bengaluru (Bangalore) – Page 3

KARNATAKA: SPACE INNOVATION: Bengaluru Start-up Bellatrix Aerospace Unveils Groundbreaking Low Earth Orbit Satellite

Bellatrix Aerospace, a Bengaluru-based start-up, has unveiled an ultra low earth orbit satellite capable of operating at 200 km altitude, thanks to its in-house developed propulsion systems.

This breakthrough aims to significantly enhance satellite performance and could revolutionize satellite applications.

A Bengaluru-based space-sector start-up has set a new milestone by unveiling an ultra low earth orbit satellite capable of operating at an altitude of 200 km. This remarkable feat was achieved through advanced propulsion systems developed in-house.

The satellite, known as Project 200, was showcased by Bellatrix Aerospace. It was officially unveiled by Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe) Chairman Pawan Kumar Goenka.

Traditionally, Low Earth Orbit satellites are deployed at altitudes around 450 km to avoid atmospheric drag. Placing satellites in lower orbits typically results in them falling back to Earth more quickly. However, Bellatrix Aerospace’s co-founder and CEO, Rohan Ganapathy, stated that their cutting-edge propulsion technology enables satellites to maintain 200 km orbits for years, rather than deorbiting in a few days.

Ganapathy highlighted that operating at 200 km significantly boosts satellite performance, improving communication latency and image resolution while reducing costs compared to 450 km altitude satellites. This innovation promises to be a game changer, delivering new capabilities previously unachievable by satellites, according to Bellatrix’s co-founder and COO, Yashas Karanam.

Bellatrix Aerospace has also pioneered the use of water-fueled plasma thrusters and high-performing green propulsion alternatives, marking a pivotal step towards reimagining future space operations.

(With inputs from agencies.)

source/content: devidiscourse.com (headline edited)

KARNATAKA: AVIATION/ DEFENCE : Bengaluru company Flying Wedge unveils indigenous bomber UAV

The Bengaluru-based company said the UAV would address India’s need for an advanced unmanned combat aircraft and boost efforts toward self-reliance in a segment critical to modern warfare.

Defence and aerospace company Flying Wedge on Friday unveiled its bomber UAV – FWD-200B – which it said would advance India’s unmanned air combat prowess with cost-efficiency and indigenous capabilities.

The Bengaluru-based company said the UAV would address India’s need for an advanced unmanned combat aircraft and boost efforts toward self-reliance in a segment critical to modern warfare. Flying Wedge had, in 2023, secured a DGCA type certification for its indigenous UAV technology.

FWD-200B is a MALE (medium altitude, long endurance) UAV with a fuel capacity of 100 kg. It comes with optical surveillance payloads and is integrated with missile-like weapons for precision air strikes. The UAV has a maximum speed of 370 kmph (200 knots), an endurance capacity of 12 to 20 hours, and a ground control station range of 200 km. At six metres long, with an eight-metre wingspan, the aircraft can carry a maximum take-off weight of 498 kg and has an operational altitude of 9,000 ft above mean sea level.

After unveiling a full-scale model of the UAV, Suhas Tejaskanda, founder of Flying Wedge, said plans were on to fly the aircraft during May. The company is engaging with the Army Design Bureau (ADB) – which leads the Indian Army’s Make in India initiative – to pursue possibilities of induction into the Armed Forces.

Flying Wedge, through the ADB, is taking the certification process forward with the Indian Army. The ADB’s Regional Technology Node is set to coordinate these efforts based on an evaluation of the aircraft across parameters.

“By June, we’ll be observing the flight dynamics and the behaviour of the aircraft and probably, over the next three months, we should be able to get the aircraft to CEMILAC (Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification),” Tejaskanda told reporters.

Tejaskanda said the company was also aiming to sell the aircraft to countries in Africa and South-East Asia that are, at present, buying highly-priced UAVs like the Predators from the US. He said the cost involved in the production of an FWD-200B was about Rs 25 crore.

source/content: deccanherald.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: SPACE TECHNOLOGY: Indian space startup Pixxel bags NASA contract to support Earth science research

Indian space startup Pixxel has bagged a NASA contract to support Earth science research using the hyperspectral technology.

The Bengaluru-based company has become part of NASA’s $476-million commercial smallsat data acquisition programme — a first for an Indian startup after the space sector was opened to private companies in 2020.

Co-founder and CEO Awais Ahmed called the award a “monumental achievement for Pixxel”.

He said the contract, valid till November 2028, “validates that hyperspectral imaging will be integral to the future of space-based Earth observation and enable us to truly build a health monitor for the planet”.

As per the contract, Pixxel will provide NASA and its US government and academic partners with hyperspectral Earth observation data. This will help empower the administration’s Earth science research and application activities.

Pixxel hyperspectral can capture data across hundreds of narrow wavelengths. Its datasets can also unravel granular insights on climate change, agriculture, biodiversity, and resource management, among others.

Building on this momentum, Pixxel is also making significant strides toward launching six satellites shortly. Fireflies — its 5-metre resolution hyperspectral satellites — will be the highest-resolution hyperspectral satellites ever launched.

These satellites will capture data across over 250 spectral bands, offering more comprehensive coverage with a 40 km swath width and a 24-hour revisit frequency anywhere on the planet.

In addition, Pixxel also plans to expand its constellation to 24 satellites to make hyperspectral data commercially. This will make it more broadly available and accessible to stakeholders across industries and governments.

Pixxel has a constellation of the world’s highest-resolution hyperspectral imaging satellites that are designed for 24-hour revisits anywhere on Earth.

The satellites can help detect, monitor, and predict critical global phenomena across agriculture, oil and gas, mining, environment, and other sectors in up to 50 times richer detail.

Pixxel has also launched its in-house Earth Observation Studio, Aurora, to make satellite imagery analysis easily accessible.

The company has also raised over $70 million from Google, Lightspeed, Radical Ventures, Relativity’s Jordan Noone, Seraphim Capital, Ryan Johnson, Blume Ventures, Sparta LLC, Accenture, and others.

source/content: ianslive.in (headline edited)

NATIONAL: KARNATAKA: I.T. BREAKTHROUGH: IISc scientists achieve breakthrough in AI hardware

They were also able to do this at a fraction of the time and energy that traditional computers would need.

Loads of computing power is needed to train Language Models (LLMs) which are an integral part of Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) platforms such as ChatGPT, Midjourney and DALL-E are all trained on LLMs. Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have developed a brain-inspired analogue computing platform capable of storing and processing data in an astonishing 16,500 conductance states within a molecular film. This breakthrough can bring complex AI tasks to personal devices.

Generally in digital computers data storage and processing are limited to just two states. “Neuromorphic computing has had its fair share of unsolved challenges for over a decade. With this discovery, we have almost nailed the perfect system a rare feat,” said Sreetosh Goswami, Assistant Professor at the Centre for Nano Science and Engineering (CeNSE), IISc, who led the research team.

The newly developed platform can perform complex tasks on personal devices like laptops and smartphones. “These developments are currently restricted to resource-heavy data centres, due to a lack of energy-efficient hardware. With silicon electronics nearing saturation, designing brain-inspired accelerators that can work alongside silicon chips to deliver faster, more efficient AI is also becoming crucial,” read the IISc release. The platform developed drastically cuts down both, time and energy involved, making calculations a lot faster and easier.

“This project brought together the precision of electrical engineering with the creativity of chemistry, letting us control molecular kinetics very precisely inside an electronic circuit powered by nanosecond voltage pulses,” explained Sreebrata Goswami, Visiting Professor at CeNSE.

Tapping into these tiny molecular changes, allowed the team to create a highly precise and efficient neuromorphic accelerator, which can store and process data within the same location, similar to the human brain. Such accelerators can seamlessly be integrated with silicon circuits to boost their performance and energy efficiency.

The team also turned this scientific discovery into a technological feat. They were able to recreate NASA’s iconic ‘Pillars of Creation’ image from the James Webb Space Telescope data – created by a supercomputer using just a tabletop computer. They were also able to do this at a fraction of the time and energy that traditional computers would need.

The researchers believe that this breakthrough could be one of India’s biggest leaps in AI hardware, putting the country on the map of global innovation. Navakanta Bhat, Professor at CeNSE said, “In the context of the India Semiconductor Mission, this development could revolutionise industrial, consumer and strategic applications. The national importance of such research cannot be overstated.”

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

KARNATAKA: TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT: AI IMPLEMENTED: Bengaluru introduces AI traffic management systems across 41 junctions: Report

Bengaluru has implemented an AI-driven Adaptive Traffic Control System (ATCS) at 41 junctions, reducing the need for manual traffic management.

Motorists in Bengaluru are set to see a reduction in traffic police manually managing intersections and adjusting signal lights due to a new technological upgrade. The city has introduced an advanced AI-powered Adaptive Traffic Control System (ATCS), which has been implemented at 41 junctions, automating traffic signal operations in real-time, the Deccan Herald reported.

This upgrade is part of Bengaluru’s broader initiative to fully automate its traffic control systems, reducing the need for human intervention and aiming for more efficient traffic management. Among the 41 junctions now equipped with the ATCS, seven have received entirely new signal systems, while 34 others have been modernized from older camera-based models, the report noted.

By the end of December, Bengaluru is expected to have 165 junctions operating with these state-of-the-art AI-driven signals. This expansion includes 136 upgraded junctions and 29 newly installed systems, focusing mainly on areas in the southern and western regions of the city, which are less affected by major construction projects, according to MN Anucheth, the Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic), who spoke to the publication.

The new ATCS signals offer three operational modes: a manual override mode for emergency scenarios such as ambulance or VIP passage; a Vehicle Actuated Control (VAC) mode that utilizes computer vision technology to monitor and adjust traffic light timings based on real-time vehicle counts; and the ATCS mode, which coordinates signals across multiple intersections for improved traffic flow, the publication said.

Initial implementations of this system have been observed on KR Road, Rose Garden Road, and Hudson Circle, where the VAC mode is now operational. Key junctions now featuring the ATCS include NR Square Junction, Town Hall Junction, BMTC Junction on KH Road, Minerva Circle, and RV Teachers College.

As of September, Bengaluru has approximately 900 junctions managed manually by traffic personnel, with around 405 equipped with signal systems. By year-end, the city expects to surpass 500 signalized junctions, including the new ATCS installations and additional adaptive signals, the publication added.

source/content: hindustantimes.com (headline edited)

KARNATAKA: FIRST IN INDIA: Bengaluru’s electricity body first in India to allow payment for EV charging via WhatsApp

The new interface to EV Mithra app will provide a seamless charging experience for electric vehicle (EV) users, said the Managing Director of BESCOM.

The Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) has introduced the ability to start and pay for EV charging sessions via Whatsapp.

BESCOM has also launched an innovative AI-based customer support bot called https://ev.bot powered by Pulse Energy, said a press statement from the company on Tuesday.

The new interface to EV Mithra app will provide a seamless charging experience for electric vehicle (EV) users, said Mahantesh Bilagi, Managing Director, BESCOM.

“As the nodal agency for developing EV charging infrastructure in Karnataka, BESCOM is committed to expanding our network and improving the management of charging stations. The new interface of the ‘EV Mithra’ app is a step in that direction, and it’s encouraging to see over 15,000 downloads already. We invite all EV users to take advantage of this enhanced experience,” said Bilagi.

The app is compatible with both Android and iOS devices and is available in nine languages, including Kannada.

source/content: hindustantimes.com (headline edited)

KARNATAKA: AVIATION HUB : Air India commences construction of mega MRO facility in Bengaluru

This will strengthen the Base and Line Maintenance facilities across the network to achieve self-reliance in fleet maintenance

Air India Group has announced the commencement of construction of a mega Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility, at a groundbreaking ceremony in Bengaluru, reiterating its commitment to building a strong self-reliant aviation ecosystem for India.

The upcoming MRO facility, being built on a 35-acre land parcel at the Bangalore International Airport will become an important hub for Air India group airlines’ aircraft maintenance operations in the region, as the airline modernizes its fleet and expands its global operations.

Earlier this year, Air India had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Karnataka to establish MRO facilities in Bengaluru. Air India has also signed an agreement with SIA Engineering Company (SIAEC) to be its strategic partner for the development of this MRO facility.

Once completed, the MRO is expected to generate over 1,200 new job opportunities for skilled aviation engineers in India, and support over 200 SMEs in Karnataka through an enhanced supply chain. These new ventures are projected to create further employment opportunities, strengthening the MRO ecosystem in the state. The MRO will also support Air India’s plans to make Bengaluru as one of its key hubs, boosting direct connectivity to global destinations.

The upcoming MRO will feature a mega hangar to accommodate wide body and narrow body aircraft under a single roof for Base Maintenance. The facility’s capacity will be further expanded to include additional hangars for servicing more aircraft, including paint hangar. Equipped with latest aircraft maintenance technology, including overhead tele platforms, cranes, universal docking systems, and the largest vertical lift hangar doors in the country, this MRO facility will be setting a new standard in aviation maintenance at par with any MRO in the world.

The Bengaluru MRO facility, expansion of in-housed Line Maintenance (routine maintenance of aircraft in operation) facilities across the network, and the recently refurbished wide body aircraft hangar in Mumbai, will make Air India more self-reliant in the maintenance of its entire fleet from 2025.

The ground-breaking ceremony was attended by Gunjan Krishna, Commissioner for Industrial Development & Director, Department of Industries & Commerce, Government of Karnataka, Hari Marar, Managing Director and CEO of Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), Chin Yau Seng, CEO, SIA Engineering Company, along with a senior leadership team of India leadership.

Gunjan Krishna, Commissioner for Industrial Development and Director, Department of Industries & Commerce, Government of Karnataka, said, “It is heartening to see the quick turnaround that Air India has made in starting work for the MRO. This is not only a milestone for Indian aviation, which is growing at a rapid pace, but also for the state of Karnataka, which is taking a lead in the aviation sector with Bengaluru set to emerge as an important global aviation hub in the coming years.”

Campbell Wilson, Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director, Air India, said, “India’s aviation sector is on a growth trajectory and Air India is playing a leading role in this. The Bengaluru MRO facility is coming up at an opportune time to help strengthen India’s aviation ecosystem, while enhancing our in-house capabilities to maintain our fleet. This is a step ahead in our mission to make Air India a world-class airline.”

Hari Marar, Managing Director and CEO of Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), said, “As we work towards developing the Airport into a major aviation hub, this marks an important step towards strengthening the fleet maintenance capabilities and infrastructure offering. This development will not only enhance regional connectivity and drive economic growth but also create valuable opportunities for local talent and businesses, reinforcing Bengaluru’s position as an important player in the aviation ecosystem.”

Air India also plans to build a new wide body hangar in Delhi to cater to Line Maintenance requirements. This will help develop a complete maintenance ecosystem at all major airports. Air India is also ensuring availability of trained type-rated personnel for maintenance function of different type of fleet by obtaining approval for CAR-147 for its training academy.

Besides, Air India plans to open a Basic Maintenance Training Organisation (BMTO) in 2025, in Bengaluru, to ensure continuous inflow of trained personnel for aircraft maintenance and engineering activities. This will create opportunities for engineering students to receive training to become type-rated engineer for certification.

source/content: traveltrendstoday.in (headline edited)

NATIONAL: KARNATAKA: SWIMMING RECORDS: Bengaluru’s Siddhartha Agarwal becomes oldest Indian to swim solo across English Channel

Siddhartha Agarwal, a 49-year-old swimmer from Bengaluru, has made history by becoming the oldest Indian to swim across the English Channel. Agarwal successfully navigated the 42-km stretch between England and France on August 29, completing the grueling swim in an impressive 15 hours and six minutes.

Reflecting on his achievement, Agarwal said he wasn’t sure about achieving this feat.

Agarwal’s quest in the freezing waters of the English Channel first began in 2018 when he crossed the Channel as part of an eight-member relay team. Incidentally, this was the same year when Srikaanth Viswanathan, also from Bengaluru, entered the Limca Book of Records for becoming the oldest to swim the English Channel solo at the age of 46.

Six years later, Agarwal, affectionately known as “Sid” in the swimming community, surpassed his compatriot’s record. The final 10 km of his swim presented the greatest challenge, as he battled rigid conditions and high tides, exacerbated by winds reaching approximately 25 miles per hour. Despite these obstacles, Agarwal successfully completed the swim, solidifying his place in the record books.

“Until I actually completed the swim, I never believed that I could actually do this. It took me a while for it to sink in. What worked for me was that I trusted my coach, I believed in the process and just focused on what I needed to do that week and that month,” Siddhartha was quoted as saying in a release from Swim Life.

It was the mammoth preparations for the solo swim under a taskmaster of a coach Satish Kumar, a former international swimmer himself, that was the most challenging.

“I was never a swimmer; at best I would splash around in the pool at my school as a kid. To inculcate the discipline and clock those regular hours in the pool despite my role as an entrepreneur in real estate and family commitments was the real challenge that excited me,” Agarwal said.

“The preparations would start with 3km swims, at a pace of 2min 15secs per 100m. The distance would increase and the pace would reduce as we got closer to the date of the solo swim. Satish was a real taskmaster, his rules were simple: If you can’t achieve that day’s target of distance and pace, he would cancel out the enter session as invalid and start afresh the following day,” he added.

With the growing popularity of endurance sports among Indians across age groups, open water swimming is truly catching on with professional set-ups like Swim Life opening doors for amateur swimmers to take up a new challenge and pursue a fitness regime that promises a lifestyle change.

Satish, who trained Siddhartha, believes this feat will inspire several others to take up open water swimming.

“Sid is really a man on a mission when he sets his sight on a goal. It wasn’t easy swimming the channel. Though the swim was for 15 hours, the training was for 15 months. We had trained and mastered every aspect of the channel before the swim,” Satish said.

“With his incredible discipline and dedication, Sid could fight the most challenging situations in the sea on that day. This success comes as a huge inspiration for amateur swimmers, regardless of their age, who are dreaming of achieving similar feat in their lifetime.”

source/content: ddnews.gov.in (headline edited)

NATIONAL: SPORTS-SWIMING: S Sharanya Wins 04 gold medals at National Aquatic Championship 2024, Bhubaneswar-Odisha

S. Sharanya, a native of Uginahalli in K.R. Nagar taluk of Mandya district, has secured gold medals in four categories of the 40th Sub-Junior and 50th Junior National Aquatic Championship-2024 (Swimming) held at Bhubaneswar in Odisha recently.

He won the first place in 1,500 mts Freestyle (16.45.40 minutes), 800 mts Freestyle (8.53.89 minutes), 400 mts Freestyle (4.14.63 minutes) and 4×100 mts Freestyle (3.45.86 minutes).

A 9th standard student of Jain Heritage School at Kampapura in Bengaluru, Sharanya had previously won gold medals in Khelo India Swimming Championship and Swimming Contest held at Rajkot in Gujarat.

Sharanya is the son of Sridhar, a Computer Engineer and Dr. H.K. Lakshmi, a Gynaecologist at Manipal Hospital in Bengaluru.

source/content: starofmysore.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: SPORTS-ATHLETE: A silver lining. Para-athlete Nishad Kumar clinches ‘Silver in Men’s High Jump T47 , Paris Paralympics 2024

Para-athlete Nishad Kumar, who lost his right hand in an accident at a very young age, talks about clinching the silver medal in the men’s high jump T47 event at the Paris Paralympics 2024.

Reflecting on his silver medal in the men’s high jump T47 at the Paris Paralympics, Nishad Kumar recalls focusing on staying calm and composed just before the competition.

Although aware of the expectations, he tried to ‘shut all the noise in his head to focus on himself.’ “I was not trying to overthink and was keeping myself calm. I was going through all that we had planned and where to take the jump. I had prepped well; at that point, I was just focusing on implementing all that I had learned from training,” says Kumar, speaking to us from Paris.

The 24-year-old, who trains in Bengaluru, achieved a season-best jump of 2.04 metres, finishing behind the USA’s Roderick Townsend. “I was never intimidated by anyone. I knew where I stood and was hoping for a silver. Anything more than that would have been a pleasant surprise, but I am quite happy,” says Kumar, who trained in the USA under coach Jeremy Fischer, coach of Olympic medallist Will Claye, before the Paris Paralympics.

Among the long list of congratulatory messages that followed his podium finish was one from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who took to X to hail Kumar’s achievement, calling it a ‘remarkable’ at the ongoing Paralympics.

Kumar, originally from Badaun village near Amb in Himachal Pradesh, called his mother after clinching the medal. “They were happy and quite proud. My mother promised to make kheer when I returned home; that’s my favourite dessert. Now I am looking forward to reaching home,” says Kumar.

The 6-foot-4-inch para-athlete credits his success not only to his coaches but also to his mother, who never gave up on him after he lost his right hand to a freak accident in 2007 involving a fodder-cutting machine. As a young child, Kumar had always wanted to serve his country and aspired to join the Indian Army.

Although that dream was cut short by the accident, it did not stop him from achieving his goal of representing the country. “It is always an honour to represent India. You become the face of the nation at that point, and that is not something small. I cherish it,” says Kumar, who also won silver at the Tokyo Paralympics three years ago.

Kumar plans to stay in Paris until September 9 before returning to India for a grand welcome. “I am planning to first go to my village to meet my mother. But before that, I am looking forward to climbing the Eiffel Tower,” says Kumar.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)