120 inventions to be displayed at innovation fair in IIT-Hyderabad

NEW DELHI: Rapid test kit for malaria detection, anti-hail gun for preventing crop destruction and low-cost landslide monitoring and early warning system are among the 120 innovations from higher education institutes which will be displayed at the second edition of the national research and development fair "InvenTiv" at IIT Hyderabad. The fair, which will be held from January 19-20, will be inaugurated by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

"IInvenTiv-2024 will see expanded participation from various institutes. Beyond the 23 IITs, leading higher education institutions such as NITs, IISERs, IIITs, IISc Bangalore, and the top 50 NIRF-ranked engineering institutions in the country will present their exemplary work to both academic and industry stakeholders. The event will feature the top 120 innovations from the 53 participating technical institutions nationwide, BVR Mohan Reddy, Chairman, IInvenTiv-2024 Steering Committee told PTI.

At the two-day event, an instrumented smart shoe insole for quantifying gait; an IoT-enabled uric acid sensor system; a non-invasive Ultrasound Bone Densitometer for estimating bone mineral density and a device to measure respiratory rate in children are among several innovations that will be showcased. “We wanted this edition of the fair to be more inclusive and hence we expanded the horizon to include more institutions.

Also read IIT Gandhinagar, University of San Diego collaborate for joint, dual degree programmes

A total of the 55 projects are from IITs and the rest from different institutions. We are expecting nearly 3,000 industry representatives to attend the event,” said BS Murty, Director, IIT Hyderabad. "In addition to the R&D exhibition, the event will function as a dynamic platform, fostering collaboration between academia and industry to propel technological advancements that tackle real-world challenges,” he said.

"Pursuing this objective, dedicated one-hour panel discussions for each domain will convene experts and thought leaders, delving into the challenges and opportunities that define the future of these vital sectors," Murty said. According to Chandra Shekhar Sharma, Dean (Sponsored Research & Consultancy), Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering at IIT Hyderabad, there are five main themes of the fair.

These themes are -- Affordable Healthcare; Agriculture and Food Processing; Sustainable Technologies including Climate change, E-mobility, Clean Energy; Defence and Space and Industry 4.0. The first edition of IInvenTiv was hosted by IIT Delhi in 2022 where a total of 75 diverse array of technologies encompassing climate change, sustainability, smart city architecture, rural agriculture, affordable healthcare, and drone technology were showcased by 23 IITs. The third edition of the mega fair will be hosted by IIT Madras.