Lookback 2006

Techfest '06, the ninth edition of Techfest IIT Bombay's Annual International Science and Technology festival, was held from the 20^th - 22^nd January 2006. In a clear departure from the stereotypical festival, Techfest '06 concentrated on the various aspects of technology rather than engineering fields as is the norm. With science and technology developing at a rapid pace, the lines between the different branches are blurring and what stands out is technology - an interdisciplinary product.

At the heart of Techfest '06 were 6 themes - A.I (Artificial Intelligence), Sixth Gear (Automobile and Aviation Technology), Cosmos (Space Exploration Technology), Smart Tech (Smart Technologies), e - Rustique (Emerging Rural Technologies) and CONCREaTE (Modern Structural Engineering). These themes were chosen to represent the most happening areas of technology, fields that are looked upon as the fundamentals of tomorrow.

Each of these themes was covered in detail interwoven with Competitions, Lectures, Exhibitions and Workshops. In Competitions this year, the bar was raised further and Techfest '06 saw four International problem statements each with prize money of USD 1000. The Workshops gave participants a hands-on experience while the lectures provided an insight into the thoughts and works of eminent personalities. The Exhibitions showcased some of the modern and cutting edge technologies being developed across the globe.

Cosmos

Man has always wondered what lies beyond terra firma. The sky is no longer the limit and man's insatiable quest for knowledge about the universe has seen major technology developments from artificial satellites, man in space to the building of the International Space Station. Cosmos was a tribute to man's journey of the universe.

Exhibitions

Arizona State University's Mars Rover Exhibition

Arizona State University (ASU) has been collaborating with NASA on the Mars Rover Project and this exhibition was a golden opportunity for everyone to know more about the red planet. Making this exhibition all the more special was the fact that it was being held outside USA for just the second time. On display were scaled down models of spacecrafts and rovers used by NASA, fist sized meteorites from the Martian surface, "story boards" detailing the various aspects of the mission to name a few. Further more, videos of Martian terrain as well as live feed from their cameras on Mars were shown on giant screens. Accompanying the exhibition were five senior researchers from ASU to share their first hand information about the project and they held interactive sessions with the visitors to the exhibition as well as special technical lectures on the finer points of the mission.

ISRO: India in Space

The most talked about issue in space circles is India's forthcoming moon mission. Chandrayaan - 1, the name given to the unmanned moon mission by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), was the main highlight of the ISRO exhibition at Techfest '06. Dr. Jayati Datta, Program Manager of Chandrayaan - 1 also delivered a lecture at Techfest, talking about the objectives and the importance of the mission. Alongside Chandrayaan - 1, on display were models of other Indian space crafts as well as "story boards" and videos that detailed India's and ISRO's glorious history in space. Interactive sessions with the leading scientists at ISRO were also a standard feature of the exhibition.

Lecture Series

Mr. Mark Shuttleworth, the second space tourist, delivered a lecture on the changing face of space technology and the reasons why India should have a strong space program. Mr. Shuttleworth is a technology entrepreneur who founded Thawte (later sold to VeriSign) and is currently involved with Ubuntu. His lifelong dream of flying in space was realized when he traveled aboard the Soyuz TM 34 to the International Space Station and in the process becoming only the second space tourist. Mr. Shuttleworth talked about his experiences at the ISS as well as his non profit organization, The Shuttleworth Foundation, which promotes development through the use of technology.

Competitions

G.R.I.P - Galactic Recovery Instrumental Probe was one of the four USD 1000 problem statements. Set in the backdrop of the International Space Station, participants had to design a machine called the G.R.I.P to save the ISS from an impending catastrophe. The machines had to traverse a grid of cylindrical pipes, collect a cylindrical object and place it in a specified slot. What's more the machines had to accomplish the task in the fastest time possible in a one-on-one competition which provided the additional element of fun.

Black Box - a competition in which participants had to build a device that could expand under the application of an electrical/mechanical impulse and Mission Moon 2030 - an online event that asked participants to submit a detailed report on how to establish a permanent settlement on moon were the other competitions under Cosmos.

e - Rustique

Technology may be developing at a rapid pace but in developing countries like India technology has not been able to permeate to all sections of society especially the rural countryside. Inspired by Hon'ble President A.P.J Abdul Kalam's Providing Urban amenities to Rural Areas (PURA) mission, e - Rustique looked at how rural India can be empowered with technology ranging from newer farming techniques to multi purpose village kiosks.

Lecture Series

Dr. Anil Gupta, Executive Vice-Chair, National Innovation Foundation (NIF) and Chief Coordinator, Honey Bee Network also holds the Kasturbhai Lalbhai Chair in Entrepreneurship at IIM Ahmedabad. Dr. Gupta's talk dealt with innovations that have been developed indigenously by individuals rather than large corporations and how they have made life simpler for the common man especially the rural folk. In a very interactive lecture, Dr. Gupta discussed possible ideas as well as problems faced and how the NIF is working on improving the lives of the villagers.
Mr. Sam Pitroda is best known as the man behind the telecom revolution that swept India. Currently he is the Chairman, National Knowledge Commission and CEO of World - Tel Limited. Mr. Pitroda's lecture, via video conference, focused on how the ICT revolution sweeping urban India could make a significant impact for the whole nation if its presence is made felt in rural India also. A social thinker also, Mr. Pitroda spoke about issues like food, clean water, health systems and the need to improve upon these aspects also.

Competitions

The Simple Life v1.1 was an event in which participants had to design software that could be used in village kiosks. The software was modeled upon a given rural scenario and developed by analyzing the different scenarios given. The final development of the project happened with assistance from the industry. The Simple Life v1.1 was one of the four USD 1000 problem statements and it received a tremendous response with a number of innovative entries pouring in. Some of the winning entries were Mobile Phone Solutions for Kiosks, Weather Monitoring and Forecasting Systems, Integrated Information and Service Providers, Language Translators and Information Channels.

Going one step ahead of the conventional seed planters, Agrobot called for participants to build a machine that could plant saplings, an idea that could simplify reforestation drives in the future, while Innovision required participants to use their ingenuity, improvise and innovate to come up with solutions for problems faced by rural India. Some of the ideas that came up included lifting of water from the rivers by non conventional sources of energy and sustainable farming with modulations in waste and water management.

Exhibitions

e - Rustique saw a special exhibition by the National Innovation Foundation (NIF) that showcased a number of indigenous innovations developed by ordinary people from across the country. On display were potter wheels run by pedals, generation of electricity by pedaling and a number of other innovations that are now promoted by the NIF for use in rural India.

Smart Tech

Today technology has become an integral part of our lives and we can't imagine ourselves without the gadgets and gizmos that surround us. As technology develops, smarter and more intelligent devices come into being and what seemed fantasy a few years ago is now fact. Smart Tech at Techfest '06 provided a peek into the world of "Smart Technology", at devices and ideas that will be prevalent in our lives for the years to come.

Competitions

Techfest in association with National Association for the Blind (NAB) and Happy Hours Centre (HHC) held Prayaas - an effort by students to develop aids for the physically challenged to make their lives more comfortable. Prayaas was an initiative to combine the imagination of students with technology to solve a socially relevant problem. The winning entry at Prayaas was a low cost prosthetic arm. Other entries included indoor navigation system for the visually challenged, hands free web browser, talking taxi meter, Braille for computers and the internet and hands free page turners.

Industry Defined Problems (IDP), as the name suggests, give participants a chance to solve problems faced by the Industry. Techfest ' 06 had an IDP floated by GE that asked participants to design an eco friendly and energy efficient desalination device for household use. Participants in iClean had to design an autonomous machine that could pick up dirt (puffed rice) scattered on the arena while navigating obstacles and then dump it in a specified zone. Home Alive saw participants making a paper presentation on smart homes for the future complete with smart security systems, lighting and electrical systems, gadgets for comfort and convenience as well as smart entertainment systems.

Lecture Series

Dr. Amar G. Bose is the Chairman of the Board and Technical Director of Bose Corporation. Dr. Bose delivered a lecture at Techfest ’06 via videoconference from his office in USA. More of an interactive Q&A session rather than a lecture, Dr. Bose asked the audience what they wanted to know and proceeded to answer the number of queries posed to him. He spoke about his experiences as a Professor at MIT, his research on acoustics and the founding of Bose Corporation that is renowned today for its small but extremely powerful sound systems.

Workshop

Codec was a one day Workshop on Video Coding, the field that deals with finding efficient compression formats for digital video. Starting from the basics of video coding, the Workshop went on to cover details of video encoding and decoding as well as image processing. Held in two sessions, the second session was a hands-on experience for the participants to learn about the implementation of the video compression algorithms.

A.I

A.I at Techfest '06 was an attempt to show how much the gap between man and machine has been bridged. Intelligent machines are becoming the order of the day. Moving away from the much maligned man v/s machine issue, A.I showed how man and machine can work together and the benefits to mankind with thinking machines. Artificial intelligence is surely the field of the future.

Competitions

The premier competition under A.I was Micromouse with USD 1000 as prize money. Micromouse is a renowned robotics competition at all international level festivals in which participants have to build an autonomous machine that can navigate its way to the centre of a maze. Being able to identify inputs independently is the first step towards the making of an intelligent machine and Character Recognition tested different softwares for their ability to identify mouse drawn / stylus written characters. Other Competitions included Core War - an online game in which codes fight against one another to gain sole control of a machine and Crux - a technical paper presentation on artificial intelligence.

Lecture Series

Dr. Rodney Brooks, Director of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab (CSAIL) at MIT as well as Chairman and Chief Technical Officer of iRobot, delivered a lecture on artificial intelligence and robotics. A leading expert on subsumption architecture, he spoke about the various robots built by his team as well as the future prospects of humanoid robots. The lecture delivered in a very easy to understand style was a great hit with the audience and had to be held a second time to meet the strong public demand.

Workshop

Grey Circuits was a Workshop aimed at introducing the most happening areas under artificial intelligence like Fuzzy Logic and Artificial Neural Networks. Held over the three days of the fest, the Workshop comprised theory as well as practical sessions in which participants got an opportunity to apply these concepts to different streams of engineering using MATLAB.

Sixth Gear

Sixth Gear dealt with automobile and aviation technology. What started off with a simple rolling wheel has gone to become a multi billion dollar industry associated with some of the best and the most modern technology. Man's dream of universal motorization - on land, water and air has been realized and it is this dream that was recreated by Sixth Gear.

Competitions

Full Throttle, the dragster making competition was the star attraction at Techfest ’06. And why not? Cars fitted with I.C engines roaring down a specially created track and with USD 1000 at stake for the podium finishers, Full Throttle provided both participants and viewers with the adrenaline rush that only a drag race can give. FlyHigh saw participants designing air ships, blimps and zeppelins to fly across a given air path in the fastest time while Future Flight was an online competition for participants to come up with designs for flying cars detailing the technology used as well as the practical feasibility and other aspects of such ideas.

With the idea of “Catch ‘em Young” Techfest has Junior, a competition meant only for school students up to 10+2. This year Hover Junior witnessed school children design hovercrafts that could travel over land and water and accomplish specified tasks. Hover Junior saw tremendous participation from school students in Bombay as well as select other cities across India like Pune and New Delhi.

Workshop

RoboTRIx, held in association with The Robotics Institute (TRI), was a Workshop for all robotics enthusiasts. Over the years while interest in robotics has increased there has been no platform for enthusiasts to come together and learn with hands-on sessions. roboTRIx provided a solution to this problem and the Workshop at Techfest, which has played a major role in promoting robotics, taught participants how to build a complete robot in just three days!!! Participants were provided with take home kits and taught different concepts like mechanisms, designs, gadgetry arrangement and even tackling last minute difficulties.

Iterations was a Workshop on Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) conducted with the help of Department of Aerospace Engineering, Zeus Numerix and C-DAC. The lectures talked about the basics of CFD, different tools in CFD technology as well its use across the world. Hands-on sessions were then held for both amateurs and advanced users and there was even a special competition in which participants had to solve fluid dynamics problems using CFD technology taught to them.

CONCREaTE

Synonymous with development of civilizations has been architecture and building technology. From the Pyramids of Giza to the Petronas Towers, structures have undergone a massive revolution not just in material but also in aspects like design. CONCREaTE was a glimpse into the world of construction technology going right from our past to what the future holds in store for us.

Competitions

Bridged was a competition that called for tenders to build a bridge right from scratch. Apart from testing the knowledge of the participants, it also taught them a professional approach to handling projects. The tenders submitted consisted of designs as well as cost and time estimates. Select entries were called to IIT Bombay where after a presentation they were provided with the required material to build their bridge. H was another competition that tested the design and structural concepts of participants by asking them to build a helipad using only Popsicle (ice cream) sticks and threads. The structure was then tested on strength to weight ratio. Connecting… was an online competition in which a cost efficient bridge had to be designed with a given software such that it could withstand a simulated load test.

Workshop

CreateCAD was a Workshop on Computer Aided Design (CAD). CAD has not only transformed the way civil engineering drawing is done but also revolutionized the whole concept of design. This Workshop introduced participants to the basics of CAD through lectures and hands-on session and then followed it up with a presentation on the advancements as well as the future prospects of CAD.

Technoholix

Air Force Exhibition by the Indian Air Force show cased the latest technologies used by our armed forces. On display were the Indira radars and the Pichora missile systems accompanied by Air Force personnel who interacted with the crowds talking about the technologies in use. The Akash Ganga team of the Indian Air Force also demonstrated their skydiving skills. A ballooning display was also given by the Army Adventure Wing at the Gymkhana grounds and included take off, flight and landing of a balloon.

A regular at Techfest has been SciTech – Inter Collegiate Quiz. It is one of the toughest quizzes across the country, a treat for the fastest and sharpest minds of the nation. The finals were hosted by the renowned quiz master Barry O’ Brien in a jam packed Open Air Theatre and the winners walked away with fantastic cash prizes and lovely trophies. The Gaming Zone at Techfest is one of the biggest draws with avid gamers from across the city competing to win in games likes Counter Strike and Need for Speed: Most Wanted.

A special addition to Techfest this year was the institution of the Technovision Awards. These awards were given for the best innovations in science and engineering with the hope that recognition on a major platform like Techfest will play an important role in the further development of the idea to fruition.

Techfest ’06 aimed at providing visitors and participants a complete picture of the major technologies and the response indicated that this radically different approach was well accepted. At the end of the day Techfest ’06 was another success just like all its predecessors despite having walked the unconventional path.