Exhibition on innovations by IIT-Delhi on Saturday

Waterless urinals and fibre hinge joints for polio patients are among a number of innovation projects developed by the IIT Delhi which has filed for patents for 40 scientific inventions in the past one year, showcasing high standards in research.

The elite institute will exhibit the innovative projects on Saturday at its sixth annual open house - I2 Tech 2010.

"So far, IIT-Delhi has been granted with 61 patents of scientific inventions, while over 205 more applications have been filed. About 40 applications have been filed in the past one year only," its Director Prof Surendra Prasad told reporters here.

The annual open house is an attempt by the premier institution to demonstrate some of the most innovative and path-breaking projects to the public.

"Waterless urinals is a water conserving invention which can save between 50,000 to 1,00,000 litre of water per year. A polymeric coating to be applied on pans to prevent odour, microbial and fungal growth has been developed also," said Prof VM Acharya, under whose name the invention has been patented.

"What is most special about the technique is that it is reusable, can be retrofitted to any urinals, and also comes very cheap," Acharya said.

The other highlights of the event will include the display of the latest research projects like fibre hinge joints for polio patients, Gramin Radio Inter Networking System and Machine readable systems.

"The basic idea of the one-stop show is to create an interactive platform for the IIT-D fraternity, giving them an opportunity to showcase the best of their work to technology enthusiasts, students and colleagues from other technical institutes, industries and general public," Prasad said.

"Entering into the sixth year, I2Tech still promises to be a real treat to the eyes of the connoisseurs by presenting finest of the projects," he said.

The premier institute has also created a special centre -- Foundation for Innovation and Technology Transfer (FITT) --for marketing these innovations.

"Our students and faculty members themselves also contact with industries for the transfer of technology. We have launched FITT to sell the inventions by our staff and students," he said.