Programmers develop industry-scale hardware solutions at IIT-KGP hackathon

Kharagpur: Young programmers from different parts of the state designed and developed hardware prototypes, which could be employed to address various industrial challenges, during a five-day hackathon here.

Altogether 93 participants from seven states displayed sensor-enabled models, which can track assets, prevent thefts and save lives during crisis, at 'Smart India Hackathon 2019- Hardware edition' at IIT-Kharagpur, one of the 18 nodal centres in the country where the event was held between July 8 and 12, a statement issued by the institute said.

Shailendra K Varshney, a coordinator of the hackathon at IIT KGP, said the annual event, supported by the Union government, gives young minds an opportunity to think creatively and showcase talent on a national platform.

"Smart India Hackathon is an innovative platform to ignite young minds to think and solve problems with the help of technology. It is learning through innovation!" he said.

Five winners received an award of Rs 1 Lakh each from the Union Ministry of Coal for their prototypes.

Among them, Team Gravity Plus from Lingaya's Vidyapeeth, Faridabad, developed a sensor to locate victims trapped under mining or building debris.

Another team from Sri Ramakrishna Engineering Colleges, Coimbatore, received Rs 50,000 from Garden Reach Shipbuilding Yard for its hardware solution in insulating auxiliary and deck machinery motors in naval ships.

Ambudhi Shukla, deputy manager, Garden Reach Shipbuilding Yard, said, "Students bring into play new concepts. They have worked well and devised cost-effective, simple solutions which can be implemented industrially."

The statement issued by IIT-KGP said the event aimed at bridging the gap between industry and academia to improve competitiveness of Indian goods and services in global market.

"What started as an initiative to playfully involve students to think creatively has emerged as a major initiative which has seen youth from all over India think hard and come up with solutions for problems facing the country today," Sriman Kumar Bhattacharyya, the officiating director of IIT- KGP, said.