At the Photonics Laboratory in IIT Bombay, we are developing various photonic devices based on different spectroscopic techniques. They are tailored for various opto-electronic and sensing applications in the agricultural, healthcare and environmental sector.

Motivation    

 ■ A need for a healthcare monitoring system with fast detection response and reduced device footprint which is non-destructive for the sample, and also immune to external electromagnetic interference

Novelty
 

Mountainous land is widely distributed throughout the world and the soils in such area are subjected to many construction projects. The long term durability and fitness of the projects depend upon the soundness of the engineering behaviour of the soil. Due to the inferior geotechnical properties, sometimes mountainous soil poses serious threats on the projects during and/or after the construction. To improve their properties, lime can be utilised as it is cost-effective and easily available additive.

A helmet is an essential safety device but, lugging around a bulky helmet is so inconvenient that many two wheeler riders and their pillions would chose to go without one—even though this may be a fatal choice. While rules have come into place for enforcing helmet usage, there have been no noticeable design interventions for improving the Indian two-wheeler driver and pillions helmet experience. This is in spite of many improvements available in materials and technologies over the years.

As tradition, all of us visit temples for worship, but we never appreciate the beauty and efforts taken in building these lovely artifacts. Lighting that can enhance heritage temples and forts by night – is currently done in a fairly insensitive manner. Nails are driven into century old stone walls, irreparably damaging the sculptures, murals and inscriptions inside the temples. The

The Vaishno Devi Palki has been redesigned for improving the conditions in which Palkhi bearers make a livelihood. The existing heavy Palkhi which is 65 kg rests upon their shoulders causing injury and long term muscle damage in the Palkhi bearers.

Our team has designed a new Palkhi in stainless steel for the Shree Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board. This has a longer life and nil maintenance issues compared to the previous palkhi.

If we want non renewable energies to make real, large scale impact, they need to get integrated into modern lifestyle. For example, if we want the space-starved, time constrained urban dweller to adopt solar energy, it should be made as convenient for them as switching on their microwave ovens.With this aim, our team is developing the ‘window mounted solar oven’. It utilises solar energy for cooking and dyeing in a user friendly way.

Brick manufacturing in India is a traditional and unorganised industry. Of late, due to rapid urbanisation, high rise metropolises and a spurt in real estate development, brick making has become one of the most flourishing and booming industries. There are more than 22,000 brick kilns in India engaging more than 3 million (30 lakhs) workers. The brick kiln industry is an unorganised sector in India where most of the jobs are performed manually.

Byclip, a bicycle parking rack, is a solution to the need for organising large number of bicycles and prevent their lateral fall because of random parking practices. Bicycles falling atop one another result in damage to bicycle frames, wheels, components, etc. Such damages further deter cyclists from using such parking spaces especially in large campuses like institutes, software complexes, apartment complexes, etc.

In India, a large number of people are suffering from paraplegia, which is impairment in motor or sensory function of the lower extremities. Their limited mobility ultimately leads to underprivileged livelihood. This hand-tricycle is the result of our efforts towards paraplegic population and provide them with an attractive and self reliant mobility solution. With the support of Ministry of Human Resource Development, we have designed this human-powered mobility vehicle which is light weight, modular and weatherproof.

The project started with a strong motivation based on the catastrophic effect of floods in Assam and Kashmir in the year 2014. It claimed the lives of more than three hundred people and affected thousands. It was realised that there are limited ways by which people can be rescued in floods. Especially in places like Kashmir which got hit by such a severe scale of flood for the first time in the history.Based on interaction with the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team, we have designed a special purpose vehicle.

Our team’s movie, ‘Hum Chitra Banate Hain’ is the recipient of National Film Award 2016 for the best animation film. It has also won the grand prize the ‘Light of Asia’ - at the Indie Anifest-2016, Seoul, Korea and the Jury’s Special Mention Award at the SiGNS Festival, Kerala.

The Cell for Indian Science and Technology in Sanskrit (CISTS) at IIT Bombay investigates the scientific literature extant in the Sanskrit language, and publishes the findings in a way that is palatable to a modern reader. In pursuit of our work at CISTS, we have long felt hampered by the limited tools available for the typesetting and

Municipal solid waste is not a severe problem in rural areas but in urban areas there is not enough land available to allow it to degrade on its own. The waste such as garden waste has low density (75-100 kg/m3 ) and hence occupies a lot of space in landfills, and is difficult to compost due to high ash content of leaves. The incineration option is better but expensive to build, operate and maintain in developing countries as the moisture content is high in wastes.

India’s performance in the field of maternal and child health has been poorer than expected irrespective of the tremendous economic growth the nation has seen. The latest National Family Health Survey - 4 (NFHS-4) data shows that 34.4 % children under the age of 5 are stunted in the state of Maharashtra. This is more particularly so in regions with high tribal population.

Quality and the quantum of energy consumption is a barometer of the progress of any society, today. Household energy consumption is an important subset of this and within it the household electricity consumption. The nature of this consumption can be studied at four distinct levels; access, availability, adequacy and quality. Is the electricity accessible in the first place? If accessible, is the electricity available for consumption when needed and is it adequate for the purpose at hand?

In India, marginal farmers account for more than 75 % of the total farming population operating about 30 % of the total agriculture area operated and their number is growing. Ironically, while large farmers have capitalised on cheaper sources like canal marginal farmers are mostly saddled with oversized diesel / electrical pumps along with conventional irrigation methods (flood / furrow). Access to affordable and efficient irrigation is vital to reduce input cost in cultivation, enhance their productivity, and net income from farming.

We all enjoy a healthy, tasty and refreshing glass of pomegranate juice. Some of us prefer the juice over eating the arils as we may not like biting into the tasteless seeds. But do you know that the seeds are a source of a very healthy oil?  In a study, Prof. Amit Arora and his team from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay have proposed a new cost-effective, zero-waste method of extracting oil from pomegranate seeds, which also yields high-quality protein and dietary fibres.

It is well documented that there is a dearth of affordable housing units in urban India. The real estate prices in cities like Mumbai and Kolkata have soared, forcing the middle-class to move to adjacent areas, in search of houses they can pay for. There is a growing consensus that development of ‘new towns’ like Navi Mumbai, adjacent to Mumbai, and Rajarhat near Kolkata can not only relieve parent city of infrastructure pressure but also address the housing crisis.  But, how effective are these new towns in solving the problem of affordable housing?

Urban-rural transition zones are a breeding ground for unexpected changes in resources and livelihood, shows study from IIT Bombay

Increasing demand for space in cities are forcing people to move to surrounding rural regions, which are more affordable. These areas, called peri-urban regions, have a mix of rural and urban elements. In a study, researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay) have observed that the natural resources were stressed and livelihoods changed to non-agricultural means in the  peri-urban regions around Mumbai.  

Floods in Mumbai due to heavy rains on 26th July 2005 took a toll of more than 400 lives and resulted in economic loss of over Rs. 5000 crore. The events of that day highlighted the importance of designing constructions for floods. A flood model that can predict the amount of flooding in a region could be of great utility in minimising the damages.