Engineering and Technology Updates
IIT Bombay Researchers Develop High-Precision AI System to Predict Flood Depths
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay has developed a sophisticated artificial intelligence (AI)-based system that can predict flood susceptibility and estimate flood water depths at a 30-meter resolution across South India’s vulnerable Western Ghats region. The initiative aims to address the growing threat of floods, which claim lives and displace lakhs of people due to flash floods triggered by heavy rainfall. By combining satellite radar data with advanced machine learning, researchers at IIT Bombay have developed a high-resolution flood mapping system that identifies flood-prone zones with over 93 per cent accuracy. The system covers an area of around 55,000 square kilometres, stretching from Tadri in Karnataka’s Uttara Kannada district to Kanyakumari along the Western Ghats coast in southern India. According to the researchers, the framework could help protect millions living in some of India’s most flood-vulnerable coastal regions. The IIT Bombay team adopted a pattern-recognition approach by analysing multiple conditioning factors instead of depending solely on rainfall data. The study found that surface runoff is a more reliable predictor of flooding than rainfall volume alone. The lead researcher said that while rainfall is the primary driver of flood events, it does not directly translate into inundation at a given location. Surface runoff represents the integrated hydrological response of the landscape, capturing the combined effects of rainfall intensity, soil moisture, land use, infiltration capacity, and drainage characteristics.
IIT Guwahati researchers unveil brain-inspired AI model for energy-efficient long-range data processing
Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IIT Guwahati) researchers are working on developing a novel brain-inspired Artificial Intelligence model designed to efficiently process long sequences of data while consuming significantly less energy than many conventional AI approaches. The research has significant potential across sectors where continuous data analysis must be performed efficiently. These include wearable health monitoring systems, Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, smart manufacturing, environmental monitoring, autonomous systems, and long-term forecasting applications. In these fields, reducing computational load can extend battery life and enable AI directly on devices without relying heavily on cloud computing. A lead researcher said, “Modern AI systems increasingly rely on analysing long streams of sequential data such as health signals from wearable devices, environmental sensor readings, industrial monitoring data, and weather or traffic forecasts. However, widely used AI architectures often become computationally expensive as the length of data increases, making them less suitable for battery-powered and resource-constrained devices” To address this challenge, the IIT Guwahati team developed SH²RFSSM, a brain-inspired AI architecture that mimics the event-driven communication of biological neurons. Highlighting the unique aspects of this model, Kartikay Agrawal, PhD Research Scholar, Mehta Family School of Data Science and AI, IIT Guwahati, said, “Unlike conventional neural networks that continuously process information, spiking neural networks activate only when meaningful events occur, enabling sparse and energy-efficient computation. We combined this principle with advanced state space modelling, allowing the system to learn long-range patterns without the heavy computational cost associated with traditional sequence models.”A distinctive feature of the model is neuronal heterogeneity, where individual artificial neurons are allowed to possess different characteristics rather than behaving identically. This diversity improves the model’s ability to capture complex temporal patterns found in real-world sequential data. The researchers evaluated the AI model across 17 benchmark datasets spanning long-range sequence classification, regression, human activity recognition, and long-term forecasting. The model delivered performance comparable to state-of-the-art sequence models while demonstrating substantially lower estimated energy consumption, making it particularly promising for edge AI applications.
This IIT-developed device makes older diesel vehicles almost BS6 compliant
The Union Road Transport Minister has announced that owners of older diesel trucks and buses will soon be allowed to get their vehicles retrofitted with a low-cost emission-control device. The device, which costs between ₹4,000-5,000, is based on an innovation from IIT Delhi. It can reduce particulate matter emissions by up to 90% and nitrogen oxide emissions by 60%, bringing older BS-III and BS-IV diesel vehicles closer to BS-VI emission standards. The retrofit emission-control device (RECD) is a cost-effective solution for bringing older diesel vehicles in line with stricter BS-VI standards. Union Road Transport Minister has announced that owners of older diesel trucks and buses will soon be allowed to get their announced the development at an event hosted by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM). He said that the technology has been successfully tested and is now ready for commercial use on BS-III, BS-IV, and other older diesel vehicles. The retrofit device is part of a wider strategy to tackle pollution from old heavy vehicles. It will complement the government’s existing scheme to scrap and replace heavily polluting ones. Truck and bus owners who are not yet due for scrapping now have an affordable way to reduce their emissions and keep their vehicles compliant with new standards. To ensure a uniform rollout of the retrofit devices, the road transport ministry is working on notifying Automotive Industry Standard 228. The standard will define the technical specifications and performance requirements that these devices will have to meet before they can be commercially fitted. This move is aimed at ensuring that all retrofitted vehicles meet the same emission standards.
Manufacturing Building Bricks from Foundry Silica Sand
Waste to Wealth is a program identified by CSIR, Government of India under the theme Industrial Solids Waste Management. Manufacturing building bricks from foundry silica sand is an innovative technology developed in NIIST for the complete utilization of foundry mould silica sand. This technology utilizes over 55% foundry silica sand to produce a wide range of construction products through cost-effective compression moulding technique. The process technology involved mixing of sand with required raw materials and compressed into bricks, and blocks. The technology produced durable compressed bricks with the density of 1.8 to 2.1 kg/cm3, water absorption 15 to 18% and the strength of > 5 MPa. The advantages are:
o Sustainable solution:
o The process uses industrial waste material and produces no CO2 emissions, as it does not involve firing
o Cost-effective: Minimal cement usage and simple compression molding significantly reduce material and production costs
o High-performance products: The resulting bricks have high compressive and wet strength, ensuring durability in various building applications
o Versatility: The technology enables the production of a wide range of construction products, including bricks, blocks, and panels
Commercial Status: Already Commercialised
Technology Readiness Level: Market Launch Industrial Application:
Description: More than 55% industrial silica sand utilization; Wide range of products [Bricks, Blocks and Panels]; Cost-effective Compression Moulding Technology; Use of Hybrid Silicate Binders; Compressive Strength above 5 MPa and Weight 19 kg; Cement is only < 8
Source https://www.niist.res.in/manufacturing-building-bricks-foundry-silica-sand
NIT Rourkela patents hybrid energy storage system to extend EV battery life
National Institute of Technology Rourkela (NIT Rourkela) has recently developed and patented a hybrid energy storage system designed to reduce stress on electric vehicle (EV) batteries during sudden acceleration, braking and changes in speed. The system is optimised for low voltage EV platforms operating in the 24V to 60V direct current range, including electric scooters, motorcycles, e-rickshaws, cargo tricycles and campus and industrial utility vehicles. The researchers are open to collaboration with EV original equipment manufacturers, powertrain system integrators, fleet operators and EV retrofit start-ups. The development comes as India’s electric mobility market expands and battery performance becomes increasingly important for vehicle efficiency, operating costs and service life. EVs rely on battery packs made up of thousands of individual rechargeable cells. Conventional battery packs face limitations such as low power density, limited cycle life and thermal stress when exposed to rapid current spikes, according to the NIT researchers. These stresses can be particularly significant in urban driving conditions, where frequent starting and stopping and rapid acceleration and deceleration place repeated demands on the battery. The NIT Rourkela system combined the battery pack with a supercapacitor to create a hybrid energy storage system (HESS). Unlike batteries, supercapacitors store charge electrostatically and can charge and discharge within seconds. Their specific power can be an order of magnitude higher than that of conventional batteries, while their cycle life typically exceeds one million charge and discharge cycles with negligible degradation. In the proposed configuration, the supercapacitor absorbs or supplies transient power during sudden acceleration, deceleration and regenerative braking. This reduces the exposure of the battery to high-rate current stress, with the intended effect of extending battery service life. Battery and supercapacitor systems can generally be connected through passive, semi-active or active configurations. In a passive configuration, the supercapacitor has limited ability to respond rapidly to changing power requirements. Active configurations use separate electronic converters to manage the battery and supercapacitor, but add components and increase system complexity. NIT Rourkela’s architecture seeks to address these limitations with a smaller number of components. A researcher said the system consists of three main components: One converter connecting the battery and supercapacitor to the vehicle’s electrical system, an inductor placed in the electrical path and a single control system to manage power flow. The common converter reduces the number of switches and control components, while the inductor protects against sudden current surges. The single control system manages power flow during both acceleration and deceleration, reducing hardware requirements. The researchers tested the system under sudden braking and rapid acceleration and deceleration. During the tests, it maintained a stable 48 V voltage, enabled smoother changes in battery current and allowed the supercapacitor to handle sudden changes in power efficiently. For India’s electric mobility transition, the technology addressed a component-level challenge that becomes more relevant as EV deployment expands: Managing short-duration, high power demands without repeatedly subjecting the main battery pack to high current stress. Its stated focus on low voltage vehicles places the technology primarily within the rapidly expanding segment of light electric mobility rather than high voltage passenger or commercial EV platforms. The press release, however, does not provide comparative figures for battery life extension, efficiency gains, cost reduction or energy savings from the patented system.
How DRDO’s New 500-Watt Laser Technology That Could Make Indian Missiles More Deadly
India has achieved a major defence technology milestone as DRDO developed the 500-Watt pulsed laser diode stacks for QRSAM And NGARM missile systems. The development strengthens the country’s indigenous missile capabilities and supports the government’s push for self-reliance in critical defence technologies. The achievement was announced through official DRDO sources and involves advanced laser components that will be used in modern missile proximity fuzes. The technology has been developed by the Solid State Physics Laboratory (SSPL), a DRDO laboratory based in Delhi. The newly developed laser diode stacks are expected to enhance the effectiveness and precision of Indian missile systems. The Solid State Physics Laboratory (SSPL) has successfully designed and packaged 500-watt pulsed laser diode stacks operating at a wavelength of 905 nanometres (nm). These are high-power laser components used in advanced laser proximity fuze systems. According to DRDO, these laser diode stacks are critical for the functioning of proximity fuzes used in several missile systems, including the Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile (QRSAM) and the Next-Generation Anti-Radiation Missile (NGARM). A laser proximity fuze is an electronic system that helps a missile determine how close it is to a target. The fuze emits laser beams and measures the reflected signals from the target. Based on this information, the missile can calculate the ideal moment to detonate its warhead. This technology allows a missile to explode at the most effective distance rather than requiring a direct hit. As a result, the chances of destroying fast-moving aircraft, drones, radar systems, and other airborne threats increase significantly. The Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile (QRSAM) is an indigenous air defence system developed by DRDO for the Indian Army. It is designed to quickly detect, track, and engage aerial threats under all-weather conditions. The Next-Generation Anti-Radiation Missile (NGARM), also known as Rudram, is designed to destroy enemy radar installations and air defence systems. The new laser diode stacks will contribute to improving the missile’s fuze performance and operational effectiveness. As part of the development program, SSPL has delivered 50 prototype laser diode stacks to the Instruments Research and Development Establishment (IRDE) in Dehradun. The prototypes will undergo detailed trials and evaluation before their integration into operational systems. The 500-watt output has been achieved by stacking multiple laser diode chips together in a compact configuration. This design enables the system to generate high-power laser pulses while maintaining reliability and efficiency. The components have undergone extensive characterisation and testing to ensure consistent performance under demanding operational conditions. The successful development reduces dependence on imported defence technologies. High-quality proximity fuzes play a vital role in missile effectiveness. The indigenous laser diode stacks are expected to improve target engagement accuracy and increase the operational capability of future missile systems. A laser proximity fuze measures the distance between a missile and its target and triggers detonation at the most effective point for maximum damage. DRDO’s Solid State Physics Laboratory has developed 500-watt pulsed laser diode stacks that will be used in laser proximity fuzes for QRSAM, NGARM, and other missile systems.
DRDO conducts successful flight-test of Pinaka Long Range Guided Rocket
Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in July 2026 conducted a successful flight-test of Pinaka Long Range Guided Rocket (LRGR) at the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur in Odisha. Defence Ministry said that the rocket was tested for a user-defined minimum range of 60 kilometres. The Pinaka LRGR rocket is designed by Armament Research and Development Establishment in association with High Energy Materials Research Laboratory, with support from Defence Research and Development Laboratory and Research Centre Imarat. The rocket was launched from the in-service Pinaka launcher demonstrating its versatility and providing launch capability of Pinaka variants of different ranges from the same launcher.
Source https://newsonair.gov.in/drdo-successfully-flight-tests-pinaka-long-range-guided-rocket/
IIT Jodhpur Scientists Build Futuristic ‘Wonder Materials’ Atom by Atom for Energy, Sensors, and Self-Glowing Roads
Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Jodhpur are redefining materials science by engineering advanced materials atom by atom, with potential impacts on energy storage, environmental sensing, smart infrastructure, and next-generation electronics. The team pioneers research on futuristic two-dimensional (2D) materials – ultra-thin structures only a few atoms thick – that exhibit extraordinary electrical, optical, and mechanical properties. While graphene dominates global conversations on advanced materials, IIT Jodhpur researchers are advancing the frontier with borophene, a metallic 2D material made entirely of boron atoms. Unlike graphene, which behaves as a semi-metal, borophene is intrinsically metallic and extremely lightweight, making it highly attractive for ultra-fast energy storage devices. A researcher explained that borophene’s metallic nature, lightweight structure, and exceptional electronic properties make it a compelling candidate for future batteries, supercapacitors, and sensing technologies. The NanoSense Lab has successfully synthesized borophene as a freestanding 2D material—a major scientific achievement in itself. The team is also studying hematene, graphene, and graphene oxide for applications in spintronics, hydrogen generation, coatings, and electronic devices. One of the most remarkable aspects of IIT Jodhpur’s research is its transition from small laboratory experiments to scalable industrial production. Under Dr. Ranjan’s leadership, the NanoSense Lab actively pursues “Lab-to-Fab” translation – converting cutting-edge scientific discoveries into commercially viable technologies. The team has established a strategic collaboration with the New Materials Division of the Tata Group to scale up production of advanced 2D materials including borophene, graphene, hematene, and graphene oxide. The collaboration focuses on indigenous material development for defence, electronics, and energy storage sectors, strengthening India’s push toward technological self-reliance. Among the most publicly relatable innovations from the NanoSense Lab is a self-glowing paint technology developed with Marudhar Paints and Polymers. The paint absorbs sunlight during the day and emits a visible glow at night through phosphorescence – requiring no electricity, batteries, or external power source.The technology has undergone temperature and humidity testing and is being prepared for industrial-scale deployment. Potential applications include highway dividers, road curves, public safety markings, emergency exits, and low-energy urban infrastructure.
DAE Inaugurates World’s First Hydrogen Production Facility Based on Copper–Chlorine Thermochemical Cycle Using Nuclear Heat from Fast Breeder Test Reactor
In a landmark achievement for India’s clean energy and advanced nuclear technology programme, the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) in June 2026 inaugurated the world’s first Hydrogen Production Facility based on the Copper–Chlorine (Cu–Cl) Thermochemical Cycle utilizing nuclear process heat generated from the Fast Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR) at the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR), Kalpakkam. The facility has been established as a technology demonstrator to validate the production of hydrogen using nuclear energy through the Cu–Cl thermochemical process developed indigenously by Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Mumbai. The successful integration of nuclear process heat with hydrogen generation marks a pioneering technological breakthrough and opens a promising pathway for large-scale, carbon-free hydrogen production using advanced nuclear reactors. Hydrogen is widely regarded as a key energy carrier for the future and is expected to play a pivotal role in the global transition towards clean and sustainable energy systems. Among the various hydrogen production technologies under development worldwide, the Cu–Cl thermochemical cycle is considered one of the most promising due to its relatively lower operating temperatures and higher thermodynamic efficiency. By harnessing nuclear heat from fast reactors, the process significantly reduces dependence on fossil fuels and eliminates greenhouse gas emissions associated with conventional hydrogen production methods. The commissioning of the facility represents the culmination of extensive research, process development, engineering design, equipment fabrication, installation, testing and commissioning efforts undertaken jointly by BARC and IGCAR. The plant will provide valuable operational experience, facilitate further optimization of the Cu–Cl process and support future research aimed at scaling up nuclear-assisted hydrogen production technologies for commercial deployment. Over the years, IGCAR has established internationally recognised capabilities in reactor physics, thermal hydraulics, advanced materials, sodium technology, fuel cycle research, instrumentation and control systems, remote handling, non-destructive evaluation and high-temperature engineering. Its contributions continue to strengthen India’s technological self-reliance and reinforce the nation’s position among the global leaders in advanced nuclear technologies.
The inauguration of the facility marks a major step towards realizing the vision of AtmaNirbhar Bharat through the convergence of nuclear energy and clean hydrogen technologies. It demonstrates DAE’s continued commitment to indigenous innovation and reinforces India’s resolve to build a sustainable, secure and low-carbon energy future for Viksit Bharat.
IIT Delhi Secures Top Three Awards at Sanrachna 2026: National Product Development & Design Hackathon for Technical Textiles
The Department of Textile & Fiber Engineering, IIT Delhi, has achieved a remarkable milestone at the Sanrachna 2026: Product Development & Design Hackathon, organized by TBD Campus in collaboration with the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India, under the National Technical Textiles Mission (NTTM). Among 700+ applicants and 31 finalists from across India, three research-driven innovations developed were recognized among the Top Three Innovative Ideas, highlighting IIT Delhi’s excellence in translating advanced research into impactful, industry-ready technical textile solutions. One innovation focuses on an ultra-lightweight aerogel-based sleeping bag and mattress system for soldiers, disaster response teams, and mountaineers operating in extreme cold conditions. By integrating hydrophobic silica aerogel with multilayer functional textiles, the system provides thermal protection down to −60°C while remaining lightweight, breathable, waterproof, washable, and portable. The technology offers a high-performance indigenous alternative for defense and outdoor applications. Another innovation KISAN-SHIELD: Multifunctional Protective Textile for Indian Farmers, presented by Mr. Sambhaskar Singh (M.Tech. Graduate), addresses occupational hazards such as heat stress, UV radiation, rain, humidity, and insect exposure. The proposed multifunctional textile integrates passive thermal comfort, water resistance, UV protection, breathability, moisture management, and insect repellency into a single protective garment. It has been designed using aerogel-inspired insulation and solar radiation management principles; the technology aims to enhance farmers’ safety, comfort, and productivity while promoting sustainable agricultural protective clothing. The Grand Finale of the hackathon was held during Bharat Tex 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, from 14th to 17th July 2026, bringing together some of the country’s most promising innovations in technical textiles.
Source https://home.iitd.ac.in/show.php?id=915&in_sections=News
