Monday, January 28, 2019

Oracle CEO: All cloud apps to include AI as standard by 2025

Mark Hurd used the firm's EMEA conference to make predictions around the union between disruptive tech such as AI and the cloud

Artificial intelligence will be seamlessly integrated into all cloud apps by 2025 rather than being introduced as an afterthought, according to Oracle CEO Mark Hurd.

During the same time frame, as the world of business shifts further towards this increased use of AI and automation, there will be mass job creation rather than annihilation. Indeed, claims Hurd, some 60% of the IT jobs that will be required come 2025 don't actually exist today.

"The reality is cloud adoption is moving faster than predicted. Cloud is not just a technology. Cloud is a strategy, cloud is a business model," Hurd told delegates in attendance at the firm's Oracle OpenWorld event in London.

What's more, AI and robots will need to be managed and monitored in a way not too dissimilar to current, human employee/employer relationships.

"There will be a supervisor for these robots. Just like we all have bosses, the robot will have a boss," Hurd said.

Hurd also made other predictions about where things are headed, with a particular focus on data and security.

"The economy is a little less than $80 trillion. IT is a very small percentage of that - about 3%. IT then splits into two sections. One is consumer IT and the other is B2B IT. This is the first year I think we will see that consumer IT is bigger.

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"One of the big battlegrounds going forward is going to be about data, about AI, about security... The disruption is constant. Most of the data in the world is owned by two companies: Facebook and Google," he added, suggesting people would want greater ownership in the future and stressing that cloud would be both fundamental and foundational as the shift occurs.

Leo Johnson, disruption lead for PwC and co-presenter of Radio 4's FutureProofing served as the warm-up act for Hurd - who joined the conference by video link from the US as a lack of passport and inability to get a temp one due to the gov shutdown had prevented him from flying - also gave us a peek as to what the future of work could look like.

"Are we moving to a new wave of technology? Not just a set of innovative technologies, but to the deployment of it?" he said.

Source: https://www.cloudpro.co.uk/business-intelligence/7908/aws-releases-neo-ai-code-to-the-open-source-world (Accessed on January 28, 2019)

AWS releases Neo-AI code to the open-source world

Opening the platform up means developers and AI experts to develop cross-device AI tools

AWS has released its Neo-AI code as an open source project, encouraging developers and other AI experts to contribute to the platform.

The company explained that usually, ensuring a machine learning model works across a variety of hardware platforms (especially those running on edge networks) is difficult because there are so many factors and limitations to consider.

Even in less complicated devices, there are so many software variations that it can be tricky to make sure machine learning works across all of them. As a result, manufacturers and vendors are being limited by which companies they can work with to provide machine learning tools they require.

With AWS’s Neo-AI, machine learning models are automatically optimised for use TensorFlow, MXNet, PyTorch, ONNX, and XGBoost models, converting them into common formats to work on a wider variety of devices. The models can be run at a faster pace as well because Neo-AI uses a compact runtime, limiting the resources a framework would typically consume.

Even if edge devices are being constrained by resources, this is irrelevant, because Neo-AI will shrink down the resources needed to run. Neo-AI currently supports platforms from Intel, NVIDIA, and ARM, with support for Xilinx, Cadence, and Qualcomm arriving later in the year.

“To derive value from AI, we must ensure that deep learning models can be deployed just as easily in the data center and in the cloud as on devices at the edge,” said Naveen Rao, general manager of the artificial intelligence products group at Intel.

“Intel is pleased to expand the initiative that it started with nGraph by contributing those efforts to Neo-AI. Using Neo, device makers and system vendors can get better performance for models developed in almost any framework on platforms based on all Intel compute platforms.”

Source: https://www.cloudpro.co.uk/business-intelligence/7908/aws-releases-neo-ai-code-to-the-open-source-world (Accessed on January 28, 2019)

TCS becomes third most-valued IT company in the world

India's Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has been ranked third most-valued IT services brand globally in 2018-19, after Accenture and IBM, according to a report by Brand Finance. Four Indian IT services companies -- TCS, Infosys, HCL and Wipro -- clinched spots in the top-10 global tally.

Valued at $26.3 billion, Accenture took the title of the world's most-valued IT services brand. The tag was previously held by IBM, which now occupied the second place with a brand value of $20.4 billion, according to the report.

"Holding steady in third place is India's largest IT services conglomerate, TCS, up 23% to $12.8 billion, with a value bolstered by the brand's disciplined focus on the market's increased demand for digital services," it added.

Brand Finance said TCS is also the first Indian IT services brand to achieve success in the Japanese market and has positioned itself as a leader in providing a superior all-round customer experience, leveraging artificial intelligence and robotic automation across its transformation programmes.

Wipro entered the top-10 list for the first time this year, said the report, which was released at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland.

"Up 25% to $4 billion, Wipro's significant investments in digital transformation capabilities, niche acquisitions, and a recent brand refresh, have propelled it to be the third fastest-growing brand in the segment," the report noted.

American brand Cognizant (brand value up 12% to $8.7 billion) and India's Infosys (brand value up 8% to $6.5 billion) held onto their last year's ranking of fourth and fifth positions, respectively.

The report pointed out that although Cognizant is headquartered in New Jersey, US, it holds a major employee base in Chennai and has offices in Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Pune, and Cochin.

Others in the top-10 list included Capgemini, DXC Technology and NTT Data.

"There is a reason why Bangalore is known as the Silicon Valley of India. As more IT services brands ramp up their outsourcing outposts across the country, it is the skilled workforce, world class facilities and infrastructure that makes India such an attractive location and ultimately a global powerhouse," Brand Finance Chief Executive Officer David Haigh said.

The index is based on Brand Finance's analysis of marketing investments, stakeholder equity and business performance of these companies.

"2018 was a year of celebrations at TCS, marking the completion of five decades of industry-leading customer satisfaction, business performance, and community impact," TCS Chief Marketing Officer Ravi Viswanathan said in a statement.

He added that the past year was characterised by momentum and milestones for TCS, including reaching $100 billion in market capitalisation, and securing record-level new customer partnerships in digital services.

In a separate statement, Wipro President (Marketing, Innovation and Technology) Milan Rao said the recognition is a testament to the company's rich technology heritage, sustained investments in building digital transformation capabilities, and deep domain and consulting expertise.

"As we further bolster our innovation ecosystem and capabilities for the digital era, we are confident that our brand value will go from strength and strength," he added. SR HRS

Source: https://www.gadgetsnow.com/it-services/tcs-becomes-third-most-valued-it-company-in-the-world/articleshowprint/67661188.cms (Accessed on January 28, 2019)

Tuesday, January 22, 2019

इंजिनीअरिंग कॉलेजांचे मूल्यांकन होणार सुलभ

Source: Maharashtra Times (Mumbai edition) Marathi dated January 22, 2019 (Accessed on January 22, 2019)

IIT Hyderabad Introduces India’s First B.Tech. in Artificial Intelligence Programme

HIGHLIGHTS

The course will include study of algorithms, signal processing, robotics
It will also teach the ethical impact of AI and related technologies
B.Tech. in Artificial Intelligence will be offered from 2019-2020

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Hyderabad is introducing a new B. Tech. course in Artificial Intelligence that will be available to the students beginning the coming academic year (2019-2020). It is the first such full-fledged B. Tech. programme to be offered by an Indian university. Even internationally, only select institutions like Carnegie Mellon University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are currently offering similar courses, claimed IIT Hyderabad in a press release.

According to a report in NDTV, the B.Tech. in Artificial Intelligence course will intake 20 students each year, who will be selected through the JEE Advanced entrance examination that the students across the country take every year to get admission in the graduate courses at the IITs.

Commenting on the new course, Prof U.B. Desai, Director, IIT Hyderabad, said, “The basic aim is to create a complete ecosystem for Artificial Intelligence Academics and Research at IIT Hyderabad. This involves B.Tech., M.Tech. and different Minor Programs in AI. Moreover, the R&D will be strongly entwined with academics.”

The B.Tech. in Artificial Intelligence course will include study of algorithms, signal processing, robotics and mathematical foundations. It will also focus on application verticals such as healthcare, agriculture, smart mobility, and more. IIT Hyderabad notes that ethical impact of AI and related technologies on areas such as privacy, bias, and related issues will also taught to the students.

The institute hopes that the new programme will allow the students to become leaders in the field and help meet the growing demand for artificial intelligence and machine learning experts in the industry.

"AI solutions are particularly promising for India (given the availability of a large corpus of data) where it can have a major positive impact on several critical domains such as healthcare, crop and soil management, weather prediction, surveillance and security, and defence. However, the demand for professionals trained in this area far exceeds the current supply. The BTech program in AI is a step in the direction of addressing this highly skewed demand-supply scenario," said Dr. Sumohana Channappayya, Dean (Research and Development).

The IIT Hyderabad already offers a M.Tech. course in Machine Learning.

Source: https://gadgets.ndtv.com/science/news/iit-hyderabad-introduces-india-s-first-b-tech-in-artificial-intelligence-programme-1980185 (Accessed on January 22, 2019)

What makes India rank among the top 3 countries in Artificial Intelligence skills

In the past few years, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has remained in the limelight with countries like China and the US leading the way. But, did you know that India too has joined the AI bandwagon? According to a latest LinkedIn report, India ranks third in the global front with respect to the penetration of AI skills (46%) just after China (48%) and the US (46%)! Exciting, isn’t it?

Stating that AI is ushering in a new era of digital revolution, the report highlighted three key points:

With an increase of 190% between 2015-17, AI skills are one of the most widely growing skills on LinkedIn.
The industries incorporating more AI skills within their workforce are the most dynamic industries.
The countries that record the highest usage of skills in and around AI are China, the USA, Israel, and Germany.

Another study titled The Augmented Human Enterprise (a collaborative study by Goldsmiths, the University of London, and Automation Anywhere) reinforces India’s stand as one among the top five countries in the world to have the highest penetration of AI skills. In a survey of four markets, this study established that India has the highest proportion of AI penetration with nearly 71% of the Indian respondents stated that their employees integrated both AI-based augmentation and Robotic Process Automation to the optimum potential.

So, how did India come to the forefront as being one of the leading countries in the world with AI skills?

The reasons behind India emerging as a forerunner of AI skills are many with a major push coming from the $143 billion outsourcing industry. For a long time, Indian IT and Consultancy magnates such as Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys, and Wipro have been providing their services to global magnates including the US Army, Microsoft, IBM, and Deutsche Bank, to name a few.

Another impetus for AI comes from the Indian government’s Digital India and Make in India campaigns both of which focus on making India a digitally savvy and self-sufficient nation.

An excellent case in point is the NITI Aayog. In the June 2018 discussion paper titled ‘National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence’, NITI Aayog seeks to embark on a mission - #AIforAll - with special focus being on five sectors - agriculture, healthcare, education, smart cities and infrastructure, and smart mobility and transportation.

India has become a hotbed for startups and with the government’s efforts to digitize India, the startup scene is further blossoming. In just a matter of a few years, the AI-based startups in India have generated around $36 million in funding from philanthropic investors like Ratan Tata and also from VC firms such as Sequoia Capital.

At present, the trend is towards developing smart AI solutions in the country itself and Indian tech giants are fast catching up with the other two global leaders (China and the US). For instance, Tata Consultancy Services is now laying increased emphasis on building a strong market for its state-of-the-art AI product, Ignio. Infosys and Wipro, too, have joined TCS in the AI race. Infosys is working on its AI platform Nia which is based on its first AI platform Mana. The aim behind developing Nia is to promote data-driven business decisions by helping businesses dive into customer and market data to understand consumer behavior, market revenue patterns, predict compliance and fraudulent issues, among others. Wipro is focusing on leveraging Holmes (Wipro’s AI platform) to automate various mundane and routine facets of fixed-price projects with the aim of boosting the efficiency of the Software Engineers while also allowing them to focus on more important tasks that demand human intelligence. In the process, Wipro aims to save around $46.5 million!

Coming to the job front, job site Indeed maintains that between June 2016-June 2018, there has been a whopping 179% increase in the number of AI-related job searches in India. The report further maintains that since the very beginning of 2018, the demand for AI skills has been at an all-time high in India.

In the 2018 Boston Consulting Group (BCG) study it was found that although companies across the globe are planning to implement AI and other related technologies with their operational infrastructure, China and India hold the greatest chances of implementing AI in the short-term. Experts suggest that a primary reason behind this is that China and India being developing nations, the impact of any technological change on such economies is always of a greater magnitude than that in a developed nation. Let’s look at the case of smartphones. China and India are two of the largest global consumers of smartphones. Why? Because consumers in a developing nation are quick to adopt the latest technological trends. And with India being one of the fasted-growing economies backed by a huge population (the second largest in the world), the Indian market is ripe for AI-penetration.

How To Gear Up For India’s Emerging AI-Driven Economy?

The most important thing that you need to do in this rapidly advancing technological age is to Upskill! Make active learning a part of your upskilling routine. Learning as you go will not only increase your knowledge base but it will also increase your chances of being hired by top tech companies (the World Economic Forum maintains that today ‘active learning’ is a key in-demand skill). By learning the in-demand skills you can maintain your relevancy with the ever-changing needs of the job industry.

Upskilling has become quite easy today, thanks to the numerous online platforms offering excellent artificial intelligence courses. Taught by the leading industry experts and academicians, the most advantageous point of learning from an online platform is that you get to learn at your own pace and convenience.

So, are you ready to gear for India’s rapidly growing AI market?

Source: https://www.indiatimes.com/trending/here-s-why-india-ranked-third-in-artificial-intelligence-research-across-the-world-360738.html (Accessed on January 22, 2019)

Booklet Guy - Amrut Deshmukh

Mumbai-based Amrut Deshmukh is gaining popularity for summarising the bestselling books, in just 20 minutes. He shares the book briefs as text or audio messages via WhatsApp.

To read more about him and his mission, do have a look at the following websites:

https://www.edexlive.com/people/2018/apr/19/amrut-deshmukhs-booklet-app-lets-you-read-a-book-in-20-minutes-2511.html (Accessed on January 22, 2019)

Do watch his interviews on YouTube at:

Amrut & Amit - Zapatlepan Te Janatepan - YouTube

Making India Read | Amrut Deshmukh | TEDxNayapura - YouTube

Download "Booklet App" by Amrut Deshmukh from https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.booklet.app&hl=en_IN

NPTEL Online Course on Deep Learning

A total of 118 Videos created by NPTEL on Deep Learning. Visit the below URL for the entire playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyqSpQzTE6M9gCgajvQbc68Hk_JKGBAYT (Accessed on January 22, 2019)

Deep Learning Basics: Introduction and Overview - MIT

An introductory lecture overviewing the basics of deep learning including a few key ideas, subfields, and the big picture of why neural networks have inspired and energized an entire new generation of researchers. For more lecture videos visit our website or follow code tutorials on our GitHub repo. INFO: Website: https://deeplearning.mit.edu GitHub: https://github.com/lexfridman/mit-dee... Slides: http://bit.ly/deep-learning-basics-sl... Playlist: http://bit.ly/deep-learning-playlist OUTLINE: 0:00 - Introduction 0:53 - Deep learning in one slide 4:55 - History of ideas and tools 9:43 - Simple example in TensorFlow 11:36 - TensorFlow in one slide 13:32 - Deep learning is representation learning 16:02 - Why deep learning (and why not) 22:00 - Challenges for supervised learning 38:27 - Key low-level concepts 46:15 - Higher-level methods 1:06:00 - Toward artificial general intelligence

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5xeyoRL95U (Accessed on January 22, 2019)

Deep Learning State of the Art (2019) - MIT

New lecture on recent developments in deep learning is defined in the state of the art in our field (algorithms, applications, and tools). This is a complete list, but hopefully a good sampling of new exciting ideas. For more lecture videos visit our website or follow code tutorials on our GitHub repo. INFO: Website: https://deeplearning.mit.edu GitHub: https: //github.com/lexfridman/mit-dee ... Slides: http://bit.ly/2HiZyvP Playlist: http: // bit ly / deep-learning-playlist OUTLINE: 0:00 - Introduction 2:00 - BERT and Natural Language Processing 14:00 - Tesla Autopilot Hardware v2 +: Neural Networks at Scale 16:25- AdaNet: AutoML with Ensembles 18:32 - AutoAugment: Deep RL Data Augmentation 22:53 - Training Deep Networks with Synthetic Data 24:37 - Segmentation Annotation with Polygon-RNN ++ 26:39 - DAWNBench: Training Fast and Cheap 29:06 - BigGAN: State of the Art in Image Synthesis 30:14 - Video-to-Video Synthesis 32:12 - Semantic Segmentation 36:03 - AlphaZero & OpenI Five 43:34 - Deep Learning Frameworks 44:40 - 2019 and beyond CONNECT: - If you enjoyed this video, please subscribe to this channel. - Twitter: https://twitter.com/lexfridman-LinkedIn :https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexfridman

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53YvP6gdD7U (Accessed on January 22, 2019)

Accelerating The Power of Deep Learning with Neural Networks and GPUs

Deep learning capabilities are driving powerful new opportunities for AI.

Deep learning using neural networks and Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) is starting to surpass machine learning for image recognition and other applications. Deep neural networks are helping to advance self-driving cars, faster development of new drugs, and real-time multiple-language translation for online chats.

Find out more about:

Machine learning versus deep learning
The power of inference
GPUs delivering near real-time performance

To read the full-text, visit the following URL:

https://www.tcs.com/content/dam/tcs/pdf/technologies/artificial-intelligence/abstract/Deep-learning-with-neural-networks-and-GPUs-0917-1.pdf

Source: https://www.tcs.com/accelerating-the-power-of-deep-learning (Accessed on January 22, 2019)

Monday, January 21, 2019

Riding the artificial intelligence wave

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been the talk of the start-up town for a while now. E-commerce major Flipkart plans to create an AI unit called AIForIndia. Online transportation network company Ola recently rolled out an AI-based real-time tracking mechanism for passenger safety. But Unicorns and established players aren't the only ones bullish on this technology. There is a clutch of newbie ventures that have focused their business models primarily around AI.

From leveraging artificial intelligence for those in search of a life partner to deploying it for curating gourmet and healthy food menus, start-ups are utilising the much-in-demand technology in the most unique ways.

AI offers tremendous growth potential for start-ups, with private sector investment scaling up over the years. As per industry estimates, more than $150 million has been invested across 400 AI-focused start-ups in India over the last few years. Meanwhile, private sector investments in AI in the US have been $18 billion. In Europe, they have totalled $2.6 billion and approximately $1.8 billion in Israel in the recent past.

Despite AI-focused investments in India appearing minuscule in front of the western countries, there is scope for growth for start-ups, say experts.

Sanmati Pande, founder and CEO, Growfitter, says, “AI helps in scaling up a business quickly irrespective of geographical boundaries. AI tools help to organise the raw data, which is compiled in specific formats and with deep learning techniques, provides detailed insights and statistics to stakeholders. AI-based start-ups are witnessing a keen interest from investors. AI can produce precise results with minimal resources and the scalability of the business can be achieved through an asset-light model with the help of AI techniques, which play a vital role for investors.”

Fitness and health-focused start-up Growfitter has built an AI-based preventive healthcare platform which is used by fitness centres, insurance companies and corporates. Their AI-powered app helps in tracking a customer's workout time and assess the fitness level, which helps in delving into the customer's health behaviour and generating a health score based on a proprietary algorithm. “Earlier, gyms witnessed renewal rates of around 25% and an average customer attendance of 100 days in a year. We have boosted the renewal rate to three times the current trend, while attendance has gone up to 175 days,'' says Pande.

A start-up like Betterhalf.ai is built around leveraging AI to help professionals find their life partners through compatibility scores based on multiple relationship dimensions and their interactions on the product. This marks a shift from traditional matchmaking which has been designed around physical, educational and caste-related traits of an individual. “We capture through AI an individual's personality in different relationship personality dimensions like emotional, social, intellectual, physical and values. We further curate through AI up to 10 relevant matches for them, cutting down 80% of the time they would have otherwise spent through traditional matchmaking,'' says Pawan Gupta, co-founder and CEO, Betterhalf.ai.

Meanwhile InnerChef, which curates ready-to-eat meals, healthy eats, gourmet experiences, indulgent desserts and detox cleanses, uses AI in building customised menus, for sales forecasting, capturing food trends and for consumer food recommendations.

Rajesh Sawhney, founder and CEO, InnerChef, says the venture has grown by 100% in the last one year. “We have plans to accelerate growth further and achieve three times revenue growth. We are currently in the National Capital Region, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Mumbai. We are looking to expand our shared kitchen platform in new geographies this year.”

Growfitter, says Pande, witnessed attained $4.5 million in gross revenues in FY18, a 300% jump. “In the current fiscal, through the launch of our AI-based Incentivised Wellness Programme, our annualised revenue run rate for FY19 shall be $10 million. We have already launched operations in Indonesia and shall enter other South-East Asian countries soon.”

Betterhalf.ai, which has over 11,000 users across India, North America, Europe, South Africa and the UAE, is aiming to attain a user base of one million in the next two years. “10% users invite other users to the product. We expect this to shoot up to over 30% as the product and the AI matching algorithm becomes even more effective,'' says Gupta.

Source: https://www.dnaindia.com/business/report-riding-the-artificial-intelligence-wave-2710165 (Accessed on January 21, 2019)

Tiny, smart robots can swim through blood vessels to deliver drugs

The researchers from Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) and ETH Zurich in Switzerland drew inspiration from bacteria to design the highly flexible biocompatible micro-robots.

HIGHLIGHTS

·         Scientists have developed tiny, smart robots that can swim through blood vessels

·         These devices can pass through narrow blood vessels

·         The robots can be either controlled using an electromagnetic field or left to navigate

Scientists have developed tiny, smart robots that can swim through blood vessels, paving the way for ingestible machines that could deliver drugs directly to diseased tissue in the future.

The researchers from Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) and ETH Zurich in Switzerland drew inspiration from bacteria to design the highly flexible biocompatible micro-robots.

Since these devices are able to swim through fluids and modify their shape when needed, they can pass through narrow blood vessels and intricate systems without compromising on speed or manoeuvrability.

They are made of hydrogel nanocomposites that contain magnetic nanoparticles, allowing them to be controlled via an electromagnetic field, researchers said.

The study, published in the journal Science Advances, describes a method for programming the robot's shape so that it can easily travel through fluids that are dense, viscous or moving at rapid speeds.

Fabricating miniaturised robots presents a host of challenges, which the scientists addressed using an origami-based folding method.

Their novel locomotion strategy employs embodied intelligence, which is an alternative to the classical computation paradigm that is performed by embedded electronic systems.

Source: https://www.indiatoday.in/science/story/tiny-smart-robots-can-swim-through-blood-vessels-to-deliver-drugs-1435196-2019-01-20 (Accessed on January 21, 2019)

Ensure all students have Aadhaar cards: Edu dept to Maha schools

SCHOOLS HAVE BEEN GIVEN THE TASK OF HANDING OUT AADHAAR CARD REGISTRATION FORMS TO PARENTS STARTING NEXT WEEK

MUMBAI: Schools across Maharashtra have been asked to ensure that no student is left without an Aadhaar card.

The education department recently received 816 machines from the government, which will be installed at schools across 408 talukas in the coming days.

The circular issued by the education department reads: “While the card is not required for school admissions, it is still an essential document for midday meal, scholarships, etc. It is thus important for students to get the card to avail these facilities.”

An official from the state education department said school staff will be trained for the task in the coming days.

Students who have an Aadhaar card but are yet to update their biometric details on the portal also need to complete the process soon.

Schools have been given the task of handing out forms to parents from the next week. After students register , schools have been asked to update their details on the government’s SARAL portal.

Prashant Redij, spokesperson of the Mumbai Principals Association, said the government should not shift the responsibility of ensuring that everyone has an Aadhaar card on schools.

“While 90%of students in most schools have the card, the others have not got them owing to some technical issues. It should be the responsibility of the government and the parents to ensure that children have their Aadhaar cards,” he added.

A suburban school principal said the initiative would add to the data entry work the school teachers have to do every day.

“When will we get the time to teach?” the principal added.

Source: Hindustan Times dated January 21, 2019

College kids design solutions to end city’s commuting woes

Solutions were presented at Mumbai By Design, a festival organised by a city-based academy

From building sensors to gauging traffic congestion in an area to magnetically levitated pods providing public transport, college students came up with innovative design-based solutions for transport-related problems in the city.

The solutions were presented at Mumbai By Design, a festival organised by Pearl Academy — an education institute from Andheri — last week to celebrate the diversity and distinct cultural influences in the city.

One of the competitions titled ‘Design Intervention’ invited design-led innovations to solve daily issues such as traffic management and rail efficiency. Students from 15 institutes present innovative measures and futuristic ideas to address these problems.

Rajat Kushwaha, a student of the Industrial Design Centre at Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay (IIT-B) suggested installing electromagnetic induced charging for electric cars on roads.

“We are using fossil fuels, even though the future belongs to electric vehicles. However, there are no charging stations available electric vehicles. It is possible to charge such vehicles wirelessly through a magnetic field on the city roads. The vehicles won’t even need to stop to recharge,” he said.

Experts welcomed the initiative and said the ideas were very much doable.

“We need new ideas, which may not necessarily come from experts. Even offbeat ideas can solve some of the pressing transport problems in the city. The ideas presented by the students are doable. In fact, they can be implemented in as less than 10 years,” said Ashutosh Atre, a transport expert

Chandrakant Naik, a student from VIVA School of Architecture, Virar, suggested creating multi-storied railway stations to make commute comfortable and efficient. “The city’s population will swell in the coming years. This design will accommodate more people,” he said.

Similarly, Naba Usmani, a student at Pearl Academy, suggested basic modifications to the existing infrastructure and monitoring systems such as digital speed limit boards and thermal and pressure recognition belts for managing pedestrians and traffic.

“The sensors will calculate traffic congestion and send information to a control unit. This information will be used to alter speed limit on certain sections of the road to ensure a smoother flow of traffic,” she said.

Nidhip Mehta, dean of the School of Design, Pearl Academy, said, “A good design has the potential to bring a sense of order to the lives of Mumbaikars while still keeping true to the city’s passion and energy. Mumbai By Design can offer a glimpse of a city that can be systematic, efficient, and full of life and energy.”