PUNE: KPIT Technologies, a global technology company specializing in IT consulting and product engineering, has announced the winners of KPIT Sparkle 2018, a national design and development innovation contest for engineering and science students. KPIT Sparkle is an initiative by the company’s Innovation Council—chaired by Dr. R. A. Mashelkar—which focuses on the promotion of innovation within and outside the organization.
KPIT Sparkle 2018, with the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, as its knowledge partner, invited students to develop next-generation technologies—applying artificial intelligence, new materials, and cybersecurity—to make products in the energy and transportation sectors greener, safer, and user-convenient. It received more than 12,000 registrations from more than 600 engineering and science colleges including 28 premier institutes like IIT (Indian Institute of Technology) and NIT (National Institutes of Technology) in the pre-qualification stage and shortlisted 30 of the 1,500+ teams for the finals based on the novelty, affordability, and commercial viability of their proposed ideas.
The finalists exhibited their projects at a grand public exhibition, hosted by the academic partner, Pimpri Chinchwad College of Engineering (PCCOE), Akurdi, Pune on February 18 and were evaluated by international jurors consisting of eminent industry experts, technologists, academicians, and business leaders.
THE WINNERS
- Team Electrodes from Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, won the platinum award (Rs 10,00,000) for developing a flexible and disposable battery by using bacteria from sewage water.
- Team SmartGear from Sahyadri College of Engineering & Management, Mangalore won the Gold prize for developing a smart helmet for motorcycles, which provides accident alerts along with details of the location to emergency contact lists saved in the app. They won a cash prize of Rs 5,00,000.
The Silver prizes were won by the following:
- Team Nanoknocks from Pune Vidyarthi Griha’s College of Engineering for developing a solution that solves the problem of massive oil spills and filtering the water up to drinkable level by using new material.
- Team Thermo from D.Y.Patil College of Engineering and Pimpri Chinchwad College of Engineering, Pune for developing a device that converts waste heat from kitchen stoves into electricity using thermoelectric modules (TEG).
The teams won a cash prize of Rs 2,50,000 each.
- Team PathPredictor from National Institute of Technology, Hamirpur, won the most popular award for developing an en-routing and accident prevention self-learning system. They were selected based on public voting from across the country. They won a cash prize of Rs 1 Lakh.
The winners were felicitated with cash prizes and medals in the august presence of Dr. K. Radhakrishnan, former chairman, Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and Harkesh Mittal, Adviser, Member Secretary, National Science & Technology Entrepreneurship Development Board (NSTEDB).
Ravi Pandit, Co-founder, Chairman & Group CEO, KPIT said, “Sparkle is setting new benchmarks in creativity and inventiveness every year. The ideas that we have been receiving from the participants bring tremendous potential in transforming the energy and transportation landscape of the country, which is aiming to significantly lower the carbon footprint and make cities smarter with cleaner, greener, and intelligent technologies.” He added, “Through Sparkle, we will provide opportunities for budding innovators to access incubation centers to convert their ideas into viable products. KPIT will also look at incubating some of the promising ideas.
