Records, Bengaluru (Bangalore) – Page 8

GLOBAL: AVIATION : MANUFACTURING – MAKE IN INDIA: PM Narendra Modi inaugurates in Bengaluru Largest Aerospace Engineering Facility of Boeing outside the United States

The state-of-the-art Boeing India Engineering and Technology Center (BIETC) is built with an investment of ₹1,600 crore.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Boeing India Engineering and Technology Center (BIETC) campus in Bengaluru along with the Boeing Sukanya Program, on January 19.

The state-of-the-art BIETC is built with an investment of ₹1,600 crore. It is located in a 43-acre campus, and is the American aerospace major’s largest such investment outside the U.S.

Boeing said that the BIETC will become a cornerstone for partnering with India on next generation products and services for the global aerospace and defence industry.

The Prime Minister also launched the Boeing Sukanya Program that aims to support the entry of more girl children from across India into the country’s growing aviation sector.

The program will provide opportunities for girls and women from across India to learn critical skills in the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields, and train for jobs in the aviation sector.

For young girls, the program will create STEM labs at 150 planned locations to help spark interest in STEM careers. It will also provide scholarships to women who are training to be pilots. Investments will support flight training curriculum, obtaining certifications, funding for simulator trainings, and career development programs.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

KARNATAKA: TELECOMMUNICATIONS & AERIAL TECHNOLOGY / SATELLITES: Pixxel Unveils New Facility to Manufacture & Integrate Satellites, making it the First Spacecraft Manufacturing Facility in Bengaluru

This state-of-the-art facility spans over 30,000 square feet and is designed to streamline the satellite manufacturing process from conceptualisation to launch readiness.

In Short

The facility boasts the capacity to manage over twenty satellites concurrently
It will have a turnaround time of six months per satellite
The facility includes advanced camera integration labs

Pixxel, a space data company known for its cutting-edge hyperspectral earth-imaging technology, has inaugurated its first Spacecraft Manufacturing Facility, MegaPixxel, in Bengaluru.

This state-of-the-art facility spans over 30,000 square feet and is designed to streamline the satellite manufacturing process from conceptualisation to launch readiness.

The MegaPixxel facility will ensure spacecraft assembly, integration and testing (AIT), allowing Pixxel’s satellites to be crafted, integrated, and tested against the rigors of launch conditions before being dispatched to their respective launch sites.

“As we approach our fifth anniversary, the opening of this new facility is a significant achievement for Pixxel. It enhances our capability to act as the planet’s health monitor, increasing our satellite production capacity and enabling us to supply vital data to our clients more rapidly. This data is crucial for informed decision-making across various sectors, including agriculture, energy, forestry, and environmental monitoring,” Awais Ahmed, CEO of Pixxel, said in a statement.

The MegaPixxel facility boasts the capacity to manage over twenty satellites concurrently , with a turnaround time of six months per satellite. This impressive throughput could see up to forty large satellites produced annually.

The facility is uniquely equipped with two modern clean rooms rated at ISO Class 7 and ISO Class 8 to prevent contamination that could compromise satellite functionality during assembly and integration.

In addition to the clean rooms, the facility includes advanced camera integration labs, electronics R&D, electrical assembly areas, a mechanical workshop, a mission control room, and office space capable of accommodating over 200 employees.

MegaPixxel is fitted with smart heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems to optimise energy efficiency and minimize the carbon footprint.

Pixxel is the second private company to open its facility after Skyroot Aerospace, which unveiled its newly developed HQ in Hyderabad last year.

source/content: indiatoday.in (headline edited)

NATIONAL: KARNATAKA: Bengaluru BEATS Delhi, Becomes Top Indian City With Highest Number Of Private Cars

Bengaluru has overtaken Delhi to become the Indian city with the highest number of private cars.

Bengaluru, the Silicon City of India, is famous for its food and friendly people, but it is also infamous for its kilometer-long traffic jams. According to recent data from the Delhi Statistical Handbook 2023, Bengaluru has surpassed the national capital to become the Indian city with the highest number of private cars. Delhi has a total of 79.5 lakh vehicles, with 20.7 lakh being private cars, according to TOI’s report. In recent years, Delhi’s transport department has decided to deregister and scrap overaged vehicles, citing the surging pollution levels in the city.

Reasons Behind Bengaluru’s Traffic

The biggest reasons for frequent traffic congestion in Bengaluru are rain and festivals due to which the city has secured the second position in the global traffic congestion ranking in 2022. The commuters here took an average of 20 minutes and 10 seconds to cover only 10 km distance with an average speed of 18 kmph. These reports were collected by Dutch location technology specialist TomTom, who disclosed the impact of traffic snarls on the daily lives of Bengaluru people.

People Of Bengaluru Living With Traffic

Notably, in 2022, people in Bengaluru spent a massive amount of time navigating through traffic, wasting a total of 260 hours which is equal to 10 days of driving, with 134 hours attributed to congestion-related delays.

The figures showcased the massive impact of traffic congestion on the daily lives of residents.

source/content: india.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: KARNATAKA: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGLY / VACCINES : IISc Develops Heat-Tolerant Covid-19 Vaccine

A team of scientists has completed pre-clinical trials and is now gearing up for human testing .

India could soon have a new vaccine for the mutating COVID-19 virus to keep the virus at bay. Scientists at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have been working on developing a heat-tolerant vaccine that can offer protection against different strains of SARS-CoV-2 which includes both current and future variants. The team has completed pre-clinical trials and is gearing up for the human testing of the vaccine candidate.

According to scientists the evolving nature of the virus and different mutations, they are not sure if the current vaccines can be helpful. Raghavan Varadarajan, Professor at the Molecular Biophysics Unit (MBU) has been leading this research project in collaboration with Mynvax, a startup since the beginning of the pandemic.

After analysing various proteins found in the virus, researchers selected two parts of SARS-CoV-2’s spike protein – the S2 subunit and the Receptor Binding Domain (RBD) – for the new vaccine. The S2 subunit is highly conserved – it mutates much less than the S1 subunit, which is the target of most current vaccines. Scientists have also known that the RBD can provoke a strong immune response in the host. The team created a hybrid protein called RS2 by combining these two components, read a statement released by IISc.

The researchers used mammalian cell lines to study the expression of the hybrid protein. “The protein showed very high levels of expression, and initially I thought that the experiment was not working properly,” said Nidhi Mittal, PhD student at MBU and first author of the study. Further research by Mittal showed that this protein potentially be produced in large quantities.

The team then tested the effects of the protein in both mice and hamster models. They found that the hybrid protein triggered a strong immune response and provided better protection when compared to vaccines containing the whole spike protein.

Varadarajan told TNIE that RS2 has better coverage compared to other vaccines. This could be India’s first homegrown vaccine for the JB.1 variant and others as Covaxin developed for the mutation has become inactive. “Post clinical trials the vaccine can be administered to everyone, starting with healthy human bodies. So far in our animal testing we have not seen any side effects but will have to wait for results on humans,” added Varadarajan.

The RS2 antigen can also be stored at room temperature for a month without the need for cold storage, unlike many vaccines in the market which require mandatory cold storage. This would make the distribution and storage of these vaccine candidates much more economical.

Varadarajan said the vaccine candidate can be tailored to incorporate the RBD region of any new variant of SARS-CoV-2 that might emerge. Its high levels of expression and stability at room temperature can greatly reduce production and distribution costs, making it well-suited for combating COVID-19. “If need be, the vaccine can also be updated as and when the mutation develops over the years,” he added.

source/content: newindianexpess.com (headline edited0

NATIONAL: KARNATAKA: RECORDS: Bengaluru Most Favoured Office Space Market in Country

Quality office space supply in Bengaluru has driven rentals upward in the market. The average transacted rentals in Bengaluru grew by 6.6% year-on-year (YoY) to Rs 86.4/sq ft/month in 2023.

Bengaluru registered an office transaction volume of 12.5 million square feet in 2023, the highest transaction volume recorded amongst the leading cities in India, according to a report by Knight Frank India released on Wednesday.

In its latest report titled ‘India Real Estate: Residential and Office (July-December 2023)’, Global Capability Centres (GCC), flex spaces and India-facing occupiers supported the office leasing momentum in Bengaluru while there was a moderation from the tech occupiers. During 2023, flex space occupiers and GCCs dominated the leasing activity in Bengaluru, each accounting for 30% of the total transactions in the city.

The growing occupier interest and the quality office space supply in Bengaluru have driven rentals upward in the market. The average transacted rentals in Bengaluru grew by 6.6% year-on-year (YoY) to Rs 86.4/sq ft/month in 2023, according to the report.

As per the report, in 2023, the Bengaluru market witnessed a new supply infusion of 13.4 mnsqft, leading to a stock accumulation of 215 mnsqft. The market contains an adequate inventory to fulfil occupier demands in the near future.

Shantanu Mazumder, Executive Director, Bengaluru, Knight Frank India, said, “The moderate leasing activity by third-party IT was positively cushioned by the market share consolidation by GCC, flex and India-facing businesses. Bengaluru is an attractive market for GCC occupiers as the city is already an established global hub, has a diverse talent pool and a unique ecosystem comprising technology penetration, research and development, start-ups, academia and more. Bengaluru’s office market fundamentals remain strong.

The acceleration of return-to-office by firms and the growth in India-facing businesses along with stable business inflow from the western developed markets into India should support the growth in the office market demand in the near term.”

According to the report, in 2023, Bengaluru registered a nine-year high sales volume of residential units at 54,046. The North Bengaluru micro-market is an emerging and one of the fastest-growing clusters in the city. In 2023, the micro-market witnessed 22% of sales, with a sharp rise in absolute volumes.

The city witnessed new launches of 51,126 units, a multi-year high, as the market experienced a strong influx of new project launches in 2023, indicating an 18% year-on-year increase. South Bengaluru micro-market continued to dominate sales comprising a share of 39% of the total sales in the city in 2023. The weighted average price of residential units in Bengaluru increased by 7% YoY to Rs 5,900/sq ft/month.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

KARNATAKA: Bengaluru Press Club Confers ‘Person Of The Year’ Award To DK Shivakumar (DKS)

Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar (DKS) was conferred with ‘Person of the Year’ award by the Press Club of Bengaluru at a programme organised here recently. Also, former Minister Shyamanur Shivashankarappa, Labour Minister Santosh Lad and the CM’s Political Secretary K. Govindaraju were felicitated.

Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that the Constitution is our dharma and following ‘Rajakiya Dharma’ is the best honour that we can give to our Constitution.

Pointing out that the Constitution was implemented after a prolonged and purposeful debate, he said as such, it is the responsibility of every political party to honour and follow the Constitution.

Observing that reporting facts should be the ‘Patrika Dharma’ of newspapers, the CM said expressed disappointment that of late the Press is giving undue coverage to non-issues and issues of little importance or significance. He called upon the journalists to caution the Government whenever it goes on the wrong path.

Siddaramaiah also released the Press Club’s 2024 Diary at the event. Former Supreme Court Judge Shivaraj Patil and others were present.

source/content: starofmysore.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: KARNATAKA: AVIATION & AEROSPACE: ENGINEERING: HAL’s New Design & Test Facility for Aero Engine Research & Development Centre (AERDC) inaugurated

Union Government’s Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane inaugurated a new design and test facility at HAL’s Aero Engine Research and Development Centre (AERDC) in Bengaluru on Friday.

Hailing the important work being done by HAL, Aramane said, “HAL has received applause at the highest levels and the government trusts your capability to deliver and make the country self-reliant. Manufacturing sector is the future of our country and in the coming decades, HAL should focus on mastering technologies for all types of aircraft. Think ahead as the entire paradigm of warfare is changing.”

Thrusting on the role of unmanned aircraft in the future warfare, he encouraged HAL to collaborate with other private companies to develop new platforms.

“HAL is the largest DPSU in India and I want it to become the top ten companies in the world,” he said, adding that he had a look at the manufacturing range of various engines and test beds and also paid a visit to HAL’s Aerospace Division.

C B Ananthakrishnan, CMD (Addl. Charge), HAL said, “The development of this facility marks a key milestone in HAL’s growth trajectory. It is a testimony of HAL’s commitment towards achieving Aatmanirbharta in aero-engine design and development.”

The new facility spanning over 10,000 sq. meters has been established under the modernisation plan.

Dr D K Sunil, Director (Engineering, R&D) outlined the design perspectives of HAL’s R&D initiatives.

The AERDC is currently involved in the design and development of several new engines including two strategic engines — Hindustan Turbo Fan Engine (HTFE) of 25 kN thrust for powering trainers, UAV’s, twin engine small fighter aircraft or regional jets and Hindustan Turbo Shaft Engine (HTSE) of 1200 kN thrust for powering light and medium weight helicopters (3.5 to 6.5 tonnes in single/twin engine configuration).

The new state-of-the-art facility houses special machines, advanced setups leveraging on computational tools, in-house fabrication facility and two test beds for testing HTFE-25 and one test-bed each for testing HTSE-1200 and upcoming JV engine for IMRH to be co-developed by Safran, France and HAL.

In addition, the newly developed facility has setups for testing Air producer of Jaguar, Gas Turbine Starter Unit (GTSU) -110 M2 and 127E of LCA, Auxiliary Power Units of IMRH and AMCA, Gas Turbine Electrical Generator (GTEG)-60 for An-32 aircraft. Setups to carry out various critical tests for engine components and LRUs have also been established within the new facility.

The Centre, established in the 1960s, holds the unique distinction of being the only design house that has developed test beds for engines of both Western and Russian origin. It has successfully developed and certified PTAE-7 engine, the first indigenous turbojet engine of India powering Lakshya (Unmanned Aircraft), Gas Turbine Electrical Generator GTEG-60 for starting An-32 aircraft, Air starter ATS 37 and Air producer for starting Adour-Mk 804E/811 on Jaguar Aircraft and Shakti engine for powering ALH to support Ad804/811 engine of Jaguar aircraft.

Senior officials from HAL, IAF, GTRE. ADA, NAL, CEMILAC and ADE were present on the occasion.

source/content: daijiworld.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: KARNATAKA: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY: ROBOTICS: India’s 01st Edition of ROSCon 2023 energises Robotics Community in country

The event featured seven innovative robotic startup showcases, 14 talks on ROS, and four-panel discussions.

India’s first edition of ROSCon 2023 — a platform that brought together industry experts, researchers and enthusiasts from the Robotics and ROS (Robot Operating System) community — was held in Bengaluru last week. The event witnessed a turnout of 700 participants from within and outside the country.

ARTPARK-IISc, in collaboration with Acceleration Robotics and Rigbetel Labs hosted the first edition of ROSCon India at the JN Tata Auditorium, Indian Institute of Science (IISc). The two-day event held on December 14 and 15 offered a historic platform for ROS developers, encompassing enthusiasts at every level, from beginners to seasoned experts.

The event featured seven innovative robotic startup showcases, 14 talks on ROS, and four-panel discussions. The sessions delved into the evolving landscape of robotics in India, exploring challenges faced by startups in robotics, the significance of edge computing, and the intricacies of securing venture capital funding.

“It was a real eye-opener for us to see the tremendous interest in robotics in general and ROS in particular. This event is part of ARTPARK’s larger goal of catalyzing the innovation ecosystem around robotics and Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its applications to solve problems at scale via creating and supporting startups. The event played a pivotal role in uniting and strengthening the robotics community across the country,” said Prof Bharadwaj Amrutur, Executive Director and Chief Technologist, ARTPARK-IISc.

He added that ROSCon not only marked a momentous occasion in India’s robotics journey but also set the stage for continued collaboration, innovation and advancements in the field. The event received significant support from industry leaders, with Qualcomm, Nvidia, and Analogue Devices India joining as platinum sponsors.

ARTPARK is an AI and Robotics Technology Park promoted by the IISc to foster innovations in AI and robotics by bringing together the best of the startup, industry, research and government ecosystem. It is seed-funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, under the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS) and the Government of Karnataka.

Acceleration Robotics is focused on designing customized hardware, or “brains”, that speed up a robot’s operation. The company creates custom compute architectures for high-performance robots through hardware acceleration solutions. RigBetel Labs aims to bring the nitty-gritty of cutting-edge technologies like robotics, automation, augmented reality, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, machine learning, cloud tech and mobile application to every viable sector.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: ENGINEERING & SCIENCE: DRONES: India closer to New Drone Power as NRT’s Indigenous Solar-Powered Pseudo-Satellite Flies for over 21 hrs

Start-up announced that its prototype had completed flight during Winter Solstice trial. Big fillip to India’s plan of having long-endurance drone capable of flying in stratosphere.

Bengaluru-based NewSpace Research and Technologies Pvt Ltd (NRT) announced Saturday that its long-endurance drone, the solar-powered High Altitude Pseudo-Satellite (HAPS), had carried out its first flight lasting over 21 hours. The development comes as a big fillip to India’s plan to have its own long-endurance drones capable of flying in the stratosphere.

The project is being spearheaded under the Innovation for Defence Excellence (iDEX) initiative of the defence ministry. Under this, NRT has signed a contract for an initial proof-of-concept demonstrator, which targets a solar-powered flight lasting longer than 48 hours.

Sameer Joshi, CEO of the start-up and a former Air Force pilot, announced on X, formerly Twitter, that the company’s prototype completed its flight during a Winter Solstice trial on 22 December.

The Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year, tests the solar-powered Unmanned Aerial Vehicle’s (UAV) endurance at its worst. The next flight will take place on 21 June or the Summer Solstice, when the Sun will be at its brightest.

The IAF has included HAPS under a Rs 1,000 crore ‘Make I project’ of the Government of India. This means that 70 percent of the funding will come from the government.

Upbeat about the NRT feat, defence sources told ThePrint that this was the next big thing in air warfare and that the flight included both day and night flying, with the UAV using solar energy for travel during the day and using its solar-charged battery for flying at night. The sources refused to get into details of what altitude the UAV flew at, but said the plan is to have it fly in the stratosphere at about 65,000 feet, above air traffic.

For context, commercial aircraft typically fly between 31,000 and 38,000 feet, or at about 5.9 to 7.2 miles.

Since the HAPS operates on solar power, it can continue to fly for months.

India’s first stratospheric vehicle?

The HAPS UAV is part of a new genre of solar-powered platforms being designed across the world for persistent surveillance, communications, and specialist science missions.

Both the IAF and the Navy are on board with the project and are looking at acquiring this capability in the short term as well as in the long term.

In India, the National Aerospace Laboratories under the government’s Council of Scientific and Industrial Research is also working on a similar project, but details of its progress are yet unknown.

Defence sources told ThePrint that India does not have a stratospheric vehicle.

Running exclusively on solar power and flying above the weather at 16-20 km autonomously for months at a stretch, a HAPS platform will fill a capability gap between satellites and HALE (High Altitude Long Endurance) UAVs, sources said.

The sources explained that HAPS is ultra-lightweight but has a strong body with the ability to take onboard batteries and other systems. They said that as the battery technology improves, the endurance would also grow.

The intended surveillance payloads for HAPS include electro-optical/ infra-red (EO/IR) solutions, synthetic aperture radars (SAR) besides communication payloads — including range extenders, electronic intelligence (ELINT) and electronic warfare (EW).

The existing technology limits of the ISR payloads for HAPS allow observations of up to 80-100 km from stratospheric altitudes, which is 2-3 times more as offered by MALE (Medium Altitude Long Endurance) UAVs. ISR, or Intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), is vital for military operations.

Sources said the HAPS technology will offset the lack of critical ISR gap felt during the Doklam crisis, the Balakot incident, and the ongoing crisis in Ladakh.

The Navy will be an immediate beneficiary since this allows continuous low-cost manning of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), sources said.

They also explained that the civilian use of HAPS is equally important since it can provide telecommunication connectivity all over India — especially in regions with patchy terrestrial network issues because of the challenges of terrain and costs.

source/content: theprint.in (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: NATIONAL: KARNATAKA: ARTIC RESEARCH: Raman Research Institute Scientists head to Arctic to study ‘Cosmic Dawn’

The 4-member team will be working in the vicinity of the Himadri research station in Norway’s Svalbard archipelago.

A team of scientists from Bengaluru’s Raman Research Institute has been sent to the Arctic Circle for a research expedition. The four-member team, which is led by Girish B S of RRI’S Electronics Engineering Group, will be working in the vicinity of the Himadri research station, located in Norway’s Svalbard archipelago.

The mission, which was flagged off from Delhi on Monday, is set to last until January 15, under the aegis of the Ministry of Earth Sciences. The mission will seek to deploy instruments near Himadri to study radio signals in the 5 to 500 megahertz range. It will assess whether Svalbard is “radio-quiet” enough to deploy Shaped Antenna measurement of the background Radio Spectrum (SARAS) radio telescopes.

The radio telescopes are used in the study of the ‘cosmic dawn’, an era in the development of the universe which saw the formation of the first stars and galaxies.

According to a statement from the RRI, these ancient signals are easily drowned out by modern cell phone towers and other interference.

Girish B S stated that due to rampant urbanisation in recent years, the space for the deployment of scientific experiments for cosmological studies is fast shrinking. “Several places, where low frequency astronomical observations were conducted in the past, are no longer suitable for carrying out precision measurements. And the biggest limitation in achieving the required sensitivity is RFI (radio frequency interference),” he said.

SARAS has previously been deployed in remote parts of Karnataka and Ladakh.

source/content: indianexpress.com (headline edited)