Date:17/12/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/17/stories/2008121750360200.htm

Karnataka

MIT teams bag top two prizes at ‘Innovation challenge’

Staff Correspondent

160 teams submitted their innovative proposals in three challenges
Ten teams were shortlisted for the final round held on December 12 in Bangalore

Manipal: The Manipal Institute of Technology (MIT) bagged the first and second prizes at the “Innovation challenge” competition, organised by Schneider Electric Global Technology Centre, Bangalore, recently. They had to beat 160 teams from throughout the country, including IITs and NITs.

A press release issued by the Manipal University here said the Schneider Electric Global Technology Centre, Bangalore, had been organising the annual contest, “Innovation challenge”, for engineering students for the last three years. The contest aimed at prompting the young engineering students to think out of the box while finding solutions to key issues, the release said.

In the 2008 contest, 160 teams from throughout the country submitted their innovative proposals in three challenges — rural electrification at low cost, innovative methods optimise energy usage, and web and wireless technologies to measure, monitor and control energy. An elite panel of seven judges from different technical sectors evaluated the entries on the basis of quality, technical feasibility, alignment to the contest theme and proof of concept given by the team.

Ten teams were short-listed from the three challenges for the final round of the contest held on December 12 at Schneider Electric, Bangalore. Among them were the teams from IIT Kharagpur, IIIT Hyderabad, NIT Rourkela, BITS Pilani, MSRIT Bangalore and others, including two from MIT, Manipal. In the finals, MIT bagged the first prize of Rs. 1 lakh and the second of Rs. 75,000.

Earlier, MIT had won third prize in 2006 and first prize in 2007 competitions.

The two-member MIT team, Photon, comprising Arpit Gandhi of BE second year (E&E) and Mrityunjai Tiwari of BE second year (E&C), had been guided by associate director Radhakrishna S. Aithal. This team presented “Solar-powered embedded LED streetlamp”, a reliable, smart, intelligent, highly energy-efficient model with auto adjust circuit. This eco-friendly approach to counter energy crisis was given the first prize.

The three-member MIT team, Reset, comprising Rupan Sarkar of BE final (E&C), Mrityunjai Tiwari of BE final (E&C) and Pranab Purkayastha of BE pre-final (E&C), presented “Wireless energy meter”, a tamper-proof energy management system, using micro-controllers that can check power thefts and provide accurate display of energy consumption and cost details, using internet software database. This versatile, user-friendly, reliable, remote metering and controlling concept was awarded the second prize.