Building grass-roots student innovators

A programme to create tinkering labs is an attempt to augment current systems of education with a vision to nurture a million children to become neoteric innovators     I need to bring my mother’s washing inside every time it starts raining, which is several times every day! Can there be no way to do it automatically?” says a class X student. “Can we biologically purify air in our home, can we grow the good microorganisms in our home to purify home air?” asks another student, this one from class IX. The answers are an unequivocal “yes”. While very few…

NITI Aayog and Atal Innovation Mission launches School of the Month Challenge

NITI Aayog and Atal Innovation Mission launches School of the Month Challenge for all schools with Atal Tinkering Labs. Details below: How will our school management create an innovative culture in your school? How will your tinkering lab be different from your existing science, computer and other labs at schools? How will your tinkering lab create student innovators? Please email your entries to [email protected] by 5pm 30th April 2017.     5 ways to truly create a culture of innovation in your school So, when you’ve still got to deliver high grade exam results, how do you start to create…

Robolab students secured 1st Prize for Robowars at MIET, Uttar Pradesh

  A team from our esteemed client, SunderDeep Groups of Institutions, Ghaziabad participated in the event Robowars which was organised by Meerut Institute of Engineering and Technology, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh.   The team, who had worked tirelessly to build a robust and attacking robot, comprised of the student members of the SunderDeep Centre of Excellence in Robotics and Industrial Automation which was established in February 2016.   They designed a manually controlled robot that demolished the opponent robot in each round and eventually emerged as Champions!   Congratulation to Entire Team SDGI!   Team members are  Ritesh sharma Arkdeep sharma…

MEMS Proportional Control Valves Enable Lightweight Orthoses

Ten research projects out of the Center for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power (CCEFP) were presented at the Fluid Power Innovation and Research Conference(FPIRC) last fall. The projects pertain to five sectors in fluid-power research: human-scale technologies, mobile applications, manufacturing, stationary equipment, and fluids/tribology.   The first project—a Hybrid MEMS Proportional Fluid Control Valve (PDF)—is meant to replace bulky solenoid valves for motion control in orthoses, wearables, and other human-scale technologies. Like most MEMS, which is an acronym for micro-electro mechanical systems, it contains tiny components on a lightweight chip that perform mechanical tasks as part of a larger system….

How College of Engineering Pune rediscovered its past glory under World Bank’s TEQIP

There is a saying that success comes through the path of self-discovery. College of Engineering, Pune (COEP), the grand old technological institute in India, inadvertently reaffirmed the saying by reviving its past glory, albeit with support from government of India and World Bank. One could get a sense of its glory days by stepping into the college’s sprawling 160-year-old campus, with a castle-like building still being used as its administrative wing.   The college, that created alumni like the legendary engineer Sir M Visvesvarayya, saw its radiance dim down after independence, when it was handed over to the government of…

New robotics teaching lab enhances engineers’ skills

In an effort to get students’ minds fully engaged in their learning, a mechanical engineering professor decided he needed to get their hands fully engaged in their learning.   Associate Professor Pinhas Ben-Tzvi teaches undergraduate classes in robotics and automation, specifically, ME4524 and ECE 4704 for juniors and seniors. Citing a disconnect between the academic theory of robotics systems and the lack of a hands-on course that would allow students to see how the theory worked in the real world, Ben-Tzvi created a new lab with robotics equipment to help students learn.   “Given the demands of academia and industry,…

AICTE announces package of measures to improve technical education in India

The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has announced a package of measures to improve technical education in India. AICTE wants to ensure that there is adequate skilled manpower available to guarantee the success of the ‘Make in India’ campaign. The package of measures will be implemented in all technical institutions across the country.   There will now be an extended induction program for every student to reinforce the fundamental concepts and ensure that the student has sufficient language skills necessary for a technical education. Each student is required to go through three internships, each lasting between four to…

How AICTE wants engineering, B-Schools to improve students’ job readiness

From industry-prepared courses to mandatory shop floor training, AICTE is ready with a set of must haves for technical colleges to improve its students’ employability. As per the AICTE plan, every technical college will now be required to have an industry consultation committee to rework the curriculum of each subject taught there.   New Delhi: From industry-prepared courses to mandatory shop floor training to imparting managerial and entrepreneurial knowledge, India’s apex technical education regulator, All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), is now ready with a set of must haves for technical colleges to improve their graduates’ employability.   For…

Rejuvenating one of India’s leaders in technical education, via TEQIP

Since its inclusion under TEQIP in 2003, the CoEP’s TEQIP audit score has shot up from 5 grade points in 2005 to 9.5 in 2009.   Established in 1854, the College of Engineering Pune (CoEP) is one of the oldest in Asia and one of the hallowed leaders in technical education, harnessing some of India’s best and the brightest.   While the CoEP has many firsts to its credit, its inclusion under the Technical Engineering Education Quality Improvement Project (TEQUIP) — supported by the World Bank and implemented by the Ministry of Human Resource Development — has triggered a transformation…

This 12-year-old Indian girl is building robots to save honey bees

New Delhi: Just like any other girl her age, 12-year-old Kavya Vignesh likes to have fun when she is not studying. But unlike many others, she likes to make those moments memorable by creating something that helps solve some real-world problems.   Yes, you read that right. These days, she is busy giving final touches to a robot that has the potential to save honey bees in residential areas — and for making a presentation of her bot at an international robotics event to be held in Denmark next month.   Vignesh, a Class 7 student of Delhi Public School, Vasant…

COEP: changing itself and leading change

Since its inclusion under the World Bank’s TEQIP programme in 2003, the 163-year-old college has reinvented itself   The College of Engineering Pune (CoEP) isn’t just one of the oldest in Asia — it was established in 1854 — it is also a leader in technical education, with some of India’s best and the brightest having passed through its doors.   In 2003, the college was chosen through a nationally competitive process to be one of the 127 engineering and technical institutes supported by the Technical Engineering Education Quality Improvement Project (TEQUIP, the World Bank’s longest-running project in the field…

Robolab makes it to the Top50 EdStartups in India

Robolab makes it to the Top50 EdStartups that will redefine the education system in India! #Disruption2017 #Scoonews #COEP #BIEL  

Open-Source Prototype Turns Any Room Into a 3D Printer

Spring cleaning tip from Sweden: If you’re wondering what to do with that extra space in the garage or den, why not turn the room into a giant 3D printer?   That’s the Swedes for you — always thinking.   Swedish inventor Torbjørn Ludvigsen has spent the last three years developing a new kind of large-format 3D printer that can build furniture-sized objects in any room — surprisingly easily and relatively cheaply. Ludvigsen’s invention, the Hangprinter, employs a system of wires and computer-controlled pulleys anchored to the walls, floor, and ceiling. Once installed, the Hangprinter essentially uses the room itself…

Dr Anil Sahasrabudhe, Chairman AICTE, stresses on Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Education Revolution: #3 Industry Trends that Are Set to Make a Difference

The Indian education sector is currently experiencing a wave of disruption. From e-learning platforms, to the influx of foreign universities – Indian schools and colleges have to amalgamate these latest changes into their curriculum.   However, what continues to remain a constant question is whether these changes are aimed at producing employable candidates. S Vaitheeswaran, CEO of Manipal Global Education, has been aggressively scouting new technology innovations into their system.   Here are some of the key trends that he believes will benefit employability in the near future –   Learning pedagogy is changing There is an exponential change in…

India-based Global Education Institute CEO Bats for Edtech Startups & Smoother Govt Regulations

While running an education empire today, one needs to keep tabs that the graduating students not only have the access to the latest curriculum assets but also ensure that they armed with skills to ensure employability post the education.   Six years into his post, S Vaitheeswaran is the driving force behind Manipal Global Education Services’ aggressive procurement of new technologies into their system. Vaitheeswaran is responsible for identifying and building future growth engines, including new campuses, investments and acquisitions. He has launched major initiatives to expand Manipal Global’s footprint in ASEAN countries with Malaysia as the hub, and in…

40 per cent of engineering graduates get placements: Javadekar

New Delhi, Mar 30 (PTI) Only 40 per cent of engineering graduates got placements after passing out of college.To improve this bleak scenario, the AICTE has decided to introduce summer internships for at least 75 per cent of the students and introduce updated model curriculum, HRD minister Prakash Javadekar said in the Rajya Sabha today.   He said the government has set up a target of making at least 60 per cent of engineering graduates in the country employable in the next 5 years. During the Question Hour, members expressed concerns about the quality of education in engineering and teachers…

AICTE initiates various schemes related to Technical Education

JAMMU, Mar 28: Prof Alok Prakash Mittal, Member Secretary, AICTE, today shared various schemes being initiated by AICTE for the involvement of students in Technical colleges for the development of various projects required by different Ministries of Government of India. He said that the selection process is already midway to award these projects to students with the condition that each group will have at least one female member in them.   Prof Mittal said this while speaking during a one-day seminar on “Role of Technical Education in Shaping New India”, wherein he was invited as chief guest and keynote speaker….

A Gripping Tale

2007-11-01: One of the keys to the advancement of robotics is the development of new and innovative grippers. Welcome to the future. Advancements in robotics are about doing more with less, and about copying human arm movements for maximum efficiency. But robots do more than human arms can – they lift more, faster and tirelessly. Greater flexibility, lighter weight materials, new technical advances in sensors, a finicky retail environment where purchasing managers are buying less but more variety (mixed palletizing), and a move into new industries like food processing (hygienic design) – these are some of the dominant trends in…