Category: Science & Technology

** An innovation that can better protect power grids

High current surges, if unchecked, cause heating of the wires and perhaps melting and consequent short-circuits and fire accidents

Researchers from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur have come up with an innovation that can help protect power grids against sudden, unexpected current surges. 

Over a period of about three years, Prof. Banerjee and his PhD scholars have developed this “smart” SFCL device which deploys an array of Hall sensors around a basic SFCL. The array of Hall sensors placed around the SFCL constantly “measure and monitor as well as map” the current flowing inside the superconductor.

** Rocketmen from Hyderabad

Skyroot is working simultaneously on different stages of both solid propulsion and liquid propulsion engines

When the new age Skyroot Aerospace successfully tested ‘Dhawan-1’, it became the country’s first privately developed fully cryogenic rocket engine running on two high-performance rocket propellants — Liquid Natural gas (LNG) & Liquid Oxygen (LoX) last month. The indigenous engine was developed using 3D printing with a superalloy.

Before that, the two co-founders and ex-IITians Pawan Kumar C. (Kharagpur 2012 batch) and Naga Bharath D, (Madras, 2012 batch) plan to put its first launch vehicle 20 metre tall ‘Vikram 1’ vehicle based on solid propulsion engine into space. 

The firm has already won a national award for start ups in space research and had an online interaction with Prime Minister Narendra Modi

** India’s first woman psychiatrist, Sarada Menon, passes away at 98

She founded the Schizophrenia Research Foundation in 1984

Sarada Menon, the longest-serving head of the Institute of Mental Health, died in Chennai on Sunday. She was 98.

Born in Mangaluru, she had her education in Chennai. She was a graduate of the Madras Medical College and did her psychiatry training at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences in Bengaluru.

She is the country’s first woman psychiatrist and was honoured with Padma Bhushan in 1992. She founded the Schizophrenia Research Foundation (SCARF India) in 1984 along with psychiatrist R. Thara. “Her death has left a huge void in our lives. I have known her since 1978 and worked with her for 35 years. A great role model and inspiration to all of us. So human at many levels. Until three months ago, she was talking about her passion, the rehabilitation of the mentally ill,” Dr. Thara recalled.

** DU Prof who researched on Parkinson’s made Fellow of National Academy of Sciences

Professor D.S. Rawat of the University of Delhi who did research on Parkinson’s disease has been elected as a Fellow of National Academy of Sciences. He is the third Professor from the Department of Chemistry, DU, to receive this honour in its 100 years of existence.

** Udupi: Bantakal Engineering students win prizes in National Level Event ‘IEEE- EUREKA 2021’

The students of Shri Madhwa Vadiraja Institute of Technology and Management Bantakal have won first, second and third prize in ‘IEEE-EUREKA 2021’, a national level event organized by the IEEE Pune section.

Stream 1: ‘Technologies for Environment, Climate Change and Natural disasters’ Team: Aniketh Shenoy, Anjali Shet, M Sowmitha Pai, Vikram G Thunga. (First Prize)

Stream 2: ‘Technologies for Rural Development and Woman Welfare’ Team: S Sinchana, Shreya Nayak, Vaishak Prabhu, Vivek Shenoy. (First Prize)

Stream 3: ‘Technologies for Agriculture and Food Processing’ Team: Shriraksha, Ramya Deshpande, Shreya M Thantry, Rahamathunnisa. (Second Prize)

Stream 1: ‘Technologies for Environment, Climate Change and Natural disasters’ Team: Sarvesh S P, Varalakshmi, Varshini Acharya, Yashaswini R Amin.

** 7500 patents and counting… How Samsung’s Bangalore centre fires up innovation

Dr Aloknath De, CTO of the Samsung Research Institute Bangalore, tells indianexpress.com how the company’s dedicated research centres have seen a 100% growth over the past four years on patents.

Over 7500 patents globally and 3500 patents just in India. This is not the count of a global university with top of the line research facilities, but the Samsung Research Institute (SRI) in Bangalore, the Korean tech giant’s largest R&D centre outside Korea, which has been able to inculcate a culture of innovation among its engineers.

** Girl from UP wins award for developing app for soil identification

Nandini Kushwaha has been awarded for devising a smart data-based AI tool that identifies the most suitable crop for soil by analysing the various nutritional components present in it.

** Serum Institute of India delivers first Novavax vaccine batch through COVAX

India and the World Health Organisation are yet to approve Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine

Serum Institute of India has sent doses of COVID-19 vaccine to Indonesia, in its first export of the Novavax shot through the COVAX network, Central Government said on Wednesday.

The world’s biggest vaccine maker exported 137,500 doses of Covovax, as it calls the shot, to the Southeast Asian country last week.