Startups incubated at the Indian Institute of Technol og y, Delhi ’s Technology Business Incubator (TBI) could be the future IBMs of the world, says its director, V Ramgopal Rao.
Currently, the institute harbours about 20 startups at its Foundation for Innovative and Technology Transfer (FITT). ET takes a peek at four innovations that are part of 30 startups being showcased at the institute’s 14th open house this Saturday. Apart from being incubated at IIT-Delhi, these have another thing in common: they are on the lookout for investors to fund their expansion plans. These startups have either received patents or filed for those.
Pocket-Friendly
DEVICE
Prizm—a low-cost spectrophotometer device for soil and field diagnostic testing by TestRight Nanosystems
Prizm is a pocket molecular sensor called spectrophotometer, which finds out the molecular composition of any material. Its applications include water and soil testing to diagnostics. This solution is currently being used by laboratories at schools and colleges.
Prizm, which is available for Rs 35,999, replaces traditional devices that are big as two printers and costs Rs 6-7 lakh. “Finally, we will be making a point-and-shoot device which can be used to find out if a jacket is made up of genuine leather or milk is unadulterated simply by shining light on it,” said Shubham Rathore, CEO of TestRight Nanosystems, which has developed the device.
Going Green
SOLUTION
An eco-friendly process to convert agro-waste into pulp Kriya Labs has come up with a cost-effective solution to crop residue burning that is blamed for the smog that blankets parts of North India including Delhi during winters.
Kriya Labs has developed a process to convert agro-waste into pulp. This pulp can be used to make bioethanol (a fuel), paper, tableware, etc. This would help farmers generate income from their agrowaste, instead of burning it off.
“This can help reduce the air pollution in and around Delhi and North India, especially during winters, besides providing an alternative income-generating stream for farmers,” said Neetu Singh, an IITDelhi faculty member. The solvent system developed by the startup for the process is also completely biodegradable, non-volatile, made of natural products and safe to use, Singh said.
Clean Battery
DEVICE
Renewable redox flow battery that uses solar energy with a long life
This is a flow battery or Vanadium Redox Flow Battery developed by IIT-Delhi students and faculty members, which uses solar energy to produce renewable energy that can be stored and used in remote areas. “About four startups and one PSU have approached IIT-Delhi to buy this technology,” said Anil Verma, the faculty member heading this project. This technology is based on a battery that works using a chemical called vanadium.
The power to charge the liquid (vanadium) comes from solar panels.
This energy is used to charge the reactant which is vanadium salt solution to generate electrical power.
The waste product can be recharged to 15,000 cycles, making this technology renewable and clean. This type of battery can be used to store a large amount of energy and can be used for providing electricity to farflung villages. According to Verma, a patent has been applied for and a prototype has been developed.
For Weavers
SOLUTION
Pre-looming solution for weavers that reduces repetitive physical action The solution developed by IITDelhi replaces the initial technology that involves moving a heavy brush on strands of yarn for a distance of around 50 feet and repeating this cycle four times on one side. This whole cycle is repeated after the set of yarns are reversed.
This process, also known as street sizing, is repetitive, cumbersome and inefficient. “Our solution to this problem is aimed at improving the brushing action,” said Samrat Mukhopadhyay, an associate professor at the institute’s department of textile.
With the new design in place, several repetitive physical actions are removed such as the lifting of the heavy brush (now the brush is stationary, doesn’t needs to be touched), running to and fro across 15 metres of length for three hours is also done away with. “Right now, we are working towards finalising one fully functioning model which can replace the existing process.
After this, we aim to install five more such devices in Chirala village. We will seek funding from the ministry of textiles, if required,” said Mukhopadhyay.
Currently, the institute harbours about 20 startups at its Foundation for Innovative and Technology Transfer (FITT). ET takes a peek at four innovations that are part of 30 startups being showcased at the institute’s 14th open house this Saturday. Apart from being incubated at IIT-Delhi, these have another thing in common: they are on the lookout for investors to fund their expansion plans. These startups have either received patents or filed for those.
Pocket-Friendly
DEVICE
Prizm—a low-cost spectrophotometer device for soil and field diagnostic testing by TestRight Nanosystems
Prizm is a pocket molecular sensor called spectrophotometer, which finds out the molecular composition of any material. Its applications include water and soil testing to diagnostics. This solution is currently being used by laboratories at schools and colleges.
Prizm, which is available for Rs 35,999, replaces traditional devices that are big as two printers and costs Rs 6-7 lakh. “Finally, we will be making a point-and-shoot device which can be used to find out if a jacket is made up of genuine leather or milk is unadulterated simply by shining light on it,” said Shubham Rathore, CEO of TestRight Nanosystems, which has developed the device.
Going Green
SOLUTION
An eco-friendly process to convert agro-waste into pulp Kriya Labs has come up with a cost-effective solution to crop residue burning that is blamed for the smog that blankets parts of North India including Delhi during winters.
Kriya Labs has developed a process to convert agro-waste into pulp. This pulp can be used to make bioethanol (a fuel), paper, tableware, etc. This would help farmers generate income from their agrowaste, instead of burning it off.
“This can help reduce the air pollution in and around Delhi and North India, especially during winters, besides providing an alternative income-generating stream for farmers,” said Neetu Singh, an IITDelhi faculty member. The solvent system developed by the startup for the process is also completely biodegradable, non-volatile, made of natural products and safe to use, Singh said.
Clean Battery
DEVICE
Renewable redox flow battery that uses solar energy with a long life
This is a flow battery or Vanadium Redox Flow Battery developed by IIT-Delhi students and faculty members, which uses solar energy to produce renewable energy that can be stored and used in remote areas. “About four startups and one PSU have approached IIT-Delhi to buy this technology,” said Anil Verma, the faculty member heading this project. This technology is based on a battery that works using a chemical called vanadium.
The power to charge the liquid (vanadium) comes from solar panels.
This energy is used to charge the reactant which is vanadium salt solution to generate electrical power.
The waste product can be recharged to 15,000 cycles, making this technology renewable and clean. This type of battery can be used to store a large amount of energy and can be used for providing electricity to farflung villages. According to Verma, a patent has been applied for and a prototype has been developed.
For Weavers
SOLUTION
Pre-looming solution for weavers that reduces repetitive physical action The solution developed by IITDelhi replaces the initial technology that involves moving a heavy brush on strands of yarn for a distance of around 50 feet and repeating this cycle four times on one side. This whole cycle is repeated after the set of yarns are reversed.
This process, also known as street sizing, is repetitive, cumbersome and inefficient. “Our solution to this problem is aimed at improving the brushing action,” said Samrat Mukhopadhyay, an associate professor at the institute’s department of textile.
With the new design in place, several repetitive physical actions are removed such as the lifting of the heavy brush (now the brush is stationary, doesn’t needs to be touched), running to and fro across 15 metres of length for three hours is also done away with. “Right now, we are working towards finalising one fully functioning model which can replace the existing process.
After this, we aim to install five more such devices in Chirala village. We will seek funding from the ministry of textiles, if required,” said Mukhopadhyay.
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