Month: June 2021

** Innovation award for Index App

The city’s Index App, which was developed following the outbreak of COVID-19, has been recognised for using technology to set up the COVID-19 war room. It has been adjudged the winner in the third round of the COVID-19 Innovation Award in the India Smart Cities Awards Contest (ISAC) 2020.

The results of ISAC 2020 along with Climate Smart Cities Assessment Results 2.0 were announced by Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri in New Delhi on Friday. Bengaluru bagged three stars with an overall score of 1,271 out of 2,800. It fared fairly well and bagged three stars each in the areas of energy and green building (330/600) and urban planning, green cover and biodiversity (244/500).

The city also bagged four stars in waste management (395/600), but fared poorly in the areas of mobility and air quality (two stars; 187/500) and water management (one star; 115/600). Tumakuru’s Digital Library Solution also bagged third place in ISAC 2020 under the social aspects category.

** Trials for India’s first medical drone delivery service begins in Karnataka

India’s first drone delivery service, that specialises in medical supplies, will begin operating in Karnataka soon. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation’s green signal is awaited, Throttle Aerospace Systems (TAS) CEO Nagendran Kandasamy said.

The trial, which started on Monday and continued till Tuesday, was successful, Kandasamy said. He said India’s first official beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) medical drone delivery experiment started in Sembhukha Nagar of Gowribidanur taluk in Chikballapur and the trial will continue for 30 to 40 days.

** IBM, IISc. set up Hybrid Cloud Lab

IBM and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc.) on Wednesday launched the IBM-IISc Hybrid Cloud Lab to advance research in hybrid cloud technologies and drive breakthrough innovations.

** Bengaluru students make it to screens at New York’s Times Square

All interns were able to savour their moment of fame as part of a marketing initiative by Morgan Stanley called ‘India Interns Lights on Broadway’.

Tejaswini was among 277 college students from India who landed an internship with financial services giant Morgan Stanley, whose individual photos were beamed on a screen at the firm’s headquarters, which it says is very visible to Wall Street.

IIT-B scientist gets DCGI nod to launch algo-based Covid-19 testing tool

Called Tapestry, the new testing tool is developed by the startup launched by IIT-Bombay professor Manoj Gopalkrishnan.

Bengaluru-based tech startup Algorithmic Biologics has received regulatory approvals to launch its Covid-19 testing method that can help scale up testing for the deadly virus infection at half the prevailing cost and one-tenth of the time.

** Mysuru man designs world’s smallest rideable electric bike

Known for bringing innovation to bikes, Santhosh’s bike is just 145 mm (lesser than that of a pencil), a wheelbase of 130 mm weighing 2.5 kg which can withstand over 65 kg load.

Love and passion for machines have resulted in a Mysuru-based pharma company employee designing the world’s smallest rideable electric bike.

Meet Santhosh who has designed and developed ‘Mooshiqk3’, the world’s smallest rideable electric bike, which has now entered the golden book of world records.

** Israel model of farming to be implemented in Kalaburagi district

As part of his ambitious Kalaburagi Vision 2050, a 30-year programme for changing the backward scenario in different economic sectors in Kalaburagi district, Mines and Geology Minister Murugesh Nirani said that Israel model of farming would be implemented in all taluks of the district. The Israel model is known for high productivity with limited resources.

“Israel is known for its unique methods of farming using advanced technologies to achieve high productivity with limited resources. We are planning to implement such farming on 100 acres in each taluk of Kalaburagi district on a pilot basis. We can expand to other areas after assessing the results,” he told mediapersons at the Aiwan-e-Shahi Guest House in Kalaburagi on Tuesday.

** Technology weaves a stronger silk supply chain

Silk occupies a prime position in our country’s sartorial profile. The Indian wardrobe is rarely complete without silk garments, especially saris, that function like a cultural calling card for the country’s weaving communities. Places like Mysore, Kanchipuram, Tirubhuvanam, Varanasi, Bhagalpur and Chanderi are famous for their silks even among those who may have not visited them.

India is the only country that produces all the five known commercial silks — mulberry, tropical tussar, oak tussar, eri and the distinctive gold-tinted muga. Of these, mulberry silk is the most widely produced, with 25,345 metric tonnes produced in 2018-19.

** 3D, laser mapping of 125 monuments in 8 districts completed

The 3D and laser mapping of 125 monuments spread over 8 districts in south Karnataka region under the jurisdiction of the Department of Archaeology and Museums, Government of Karnataka, have been completed.

The exercise was taken by the Karnataka State Council for Science and Technology (KSCST) under the Karnataka Digital Heritage project. This entails 3D mapping of 844 protected monuments across Karnataka coming under the State Department of Archaeology.

While the report pertaining to105 monuments spread over 9 districts coming under Bengaluru division was submitted last year, the report on 125 monuments under Mysuru division was submitted recently.