Train your robot without programming
AIHRO, the humanoid robot, can adapt to and perform several tasks including cleaning tables and washing plates. It can also respond to normal interactions, for example, it can tell you the current time when you ask for it.
Why innovative: Training of the robot does not require rewriting the programs. It can be trained using gestures (wear the specialised band on your hand and AIHRO mimics your actions) and smartphones (define the required movement using arrows). This makes it easy for even inexperienced people to use this robot.
College: Adi Shankara Institute of Engineering Technology, Kalady
Cross-platform adaptive headlights
Adaptive lighting is not exclusive to high-end cars any more. This prototype senses the steering of the car and automatically angles the headlight towards the direction in which the car is turning. It can be installed on all types of vehicles.
Why innovative:
- It is a cross-platform solution that can be used in low-end vehicle models as well.
- The team created its own angle sensors at a low cost, instead of using the expensive angle sensors available in the market.
College: Medi-Caps Group of Institutions, Indore
Converting digital texts to Braille
This handheld device lets the visually-impaired to read ebooks and other digital texts in Braille language. It can currently read the documents in *.txt format either from an SD card that can be plugged into the slot on the device or from a smartphone, tablet or laptop via Bluetooth.
Why innovative: The basic components of this device are a rotating motor and a belt that has Braille characters inscribed on. As each character is detected, the motor rotates to the position of the equivalent Braille character, which is then displayed at a small window to be read by the user. This avoids the use of costly neodymium magnets and actuators found in usual Braille displays, and brings down the price of the device to as low as ₹1500.
College: Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology, Nagpur
Interactive, portable Snoezelen bubble tube therapy
The Snoezelen bubble tube is a well-known sensory therapy for development disabilities like autism. This team developed a portable and efficient device with simple circuitry for this purpose.
Why innovative:
- Voice activation is available.
- The device is portable.
- A simple circuit with simple components makes the device’s cost as low as ₹1200.
College: Shri Vishnu Engineering College for Women, Bhimavaram
