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| Edited By: Mihika Basu |Source: DNA |Updated: Jan 17, 2010, 11:46 PM IST
From glimpses of what the future holds for us to wonders of nature to flying, swimming, and climbing robots — Techfest 2010, the 13th science and technology festival of IIT Bombay — promises to leave audiences addicted to technology.
Held in association with DNA, The three-day festival from January 22 will showcase 25 exhibits from 15 countries.
Eyewriter: Writing by eye movement might just become a reality. The Eyewriter is a collaborative research effort to empower people who are suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). It is a low-cost eye-tracking apparatus and custom software which enables graffiti writers and artists — suffering from paralysis resulting from ALS — to draw using only their eyes. It is a part of the ‘nature and life sciences’ exhibits.
Techtronix: Robots with the ability to perform diverse tasks will be seen under one roof. “Naro copies bodily movement of a fish and could be the future of underwater scientific research,” said Nikhil Kashid, media manager, Techfest 2010.
From highly advanced humanoid and animal-like robots called Robotis, to Shrimp, an autonomous robot that can perform difficult outdoor tasks and is said to be the future of planetary rovers, Techtronix promises to be a visual treat. “Alice, an efficient robot smaller than a ping-pong ball, can study collective behaviour of machines,” said Kashid. “Reely, a project that aims to develop a flying film reel for entertainment is also part of Techtronix.”
Quantum of Sol and Nos Gwawr: The next generation of solar cells will be showcased as a part of the ‘future and beyond’ section. The efficiency of solar cells is around 15% to 18%, but this method can raise the efficiency to around 41%. Winners of the Panasonic World Solar Challenge Environmental Awareness Award 2007 are making a new solar car (Nos Gwawr-II).
Isro and Indian Navy exhibits: Audiences will get to see research and developments taking place at the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro). “Isro will display prototypes of rockets and brass models of satellites,” said Kashid. The Indian Navy will showcase surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles. Torpedoes will also be on display.
NDMA: A first-of-its-kind exhibit, it will talk about fire, earthquake, flood and chemical disaster management. The National Disaster Management Authority will showcase rescue operations, including helicopter rescue, on January 22. While collapsed structure search, rescue and dog obedience and search operations will be displayed on January 23, a high-rise building rescue with rappelling skills will be shown on the last day.
