Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, launched the Centre for Intelligent Cyber Physical Systems (CICPS), aimed at developing indigenous technologies. The centre will target developing a minimum of five technologies a year. These technologies will be developed indigenously and will generate direct and indirect employment opportunities.
As many as 13 PhD students and 18 MTech students have already joined the CICPS and these students will particularly work on the technologies for underwater exploration. The TIH–IIT Guwahati will fund the centre for the first five years, after which it is intended to become self-sustaining.
Addressing the inaugural function of the Centre, Prof TG Sitharam, Director, IIT Guwahati, said, “The CICPS will have major academic, human resources and technology development components with focus to develop products and technologies for underwater exploration which is an untouched research area in the contour.”
The CICPS will have five major components:
- Technology Development
- Center of Excellence
- Human Resource Development
- Technology Business Incubation
- MTech Program in Robotics and Artificial Intelligence
Presently, 41 members of IIT Guwahati are involved in this center from the Departments of Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science and Engineering, Design, Chemical Engineering and Chemistry. The center will consist of nine laboratories including an Underwater Natural Resources Lab, Product Development Laboratory, Reverse Engineering Laboratory, Fabrication Laboratory, Virtual & Augmented Reality Laboratory, E-Mobility Laboratory, Internet of Things Laboratory, Product Testing Laboratory, and Sensor & Actuator Fabrication Laboratory.
Remembering Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya, the event Chief Guest Prof Indranil Manna, Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, IIT Kharagpur, said, “Science is pursuing the truth relentlessly, regardless of necessity or immediate scope of application. Science extends as far as imagination goes. Science never fails, scientists can. Engineering is all about enabling and providing solutions borrowing from the fundamentals of science.”
Further, Prof Manna, also the President of Indian National Academy of Engineering, said, “How Science, Engineering and Technology in India complement each other and flourish together so that the society soon can achieve the desired culture, growth and prosperity.”
The Human Resource Development and Skill Development programs in the CICPS will provide Fellowships for Doctoral, Post-Doctoral, and Faculties. It will provide a platform for organising the preliminary and advanced skill development workshops.
Robotics and Artificial Intelligence is a major enabler for Industry 4.0. It is a blend of almost all the engineering streams and science. The new Master’s program, initiated at CICPS, is designed to address advanced engineering topics and help to meet the growing need for industries.
Graduates will be able to use scientific methods to solve complex problems in both research and practice, particularly for industrial automation, to improve productivity significantly. The involved technological development will lead to the establishment of training schools related to manufacturing and robotics
Speaking on the occasion, Prof M Jagadish Kumar, Vice-Chancellor, Jawaharlal Nehru University, said, “For being an innovative and creative engineer, whatever we do for living, whatever tool we use for living, whatever we study, structures we build, they all are results of complex set of process, idea and practices.”
Kumar further said, “Knowing about the contributions and life of our predecessor as innovators and engineers, I am sure we will provide an opportunity to know about how our life experience is different from our predecessor and how similar our goals and values are different in building new societies. The event and causes took place in the past continue to shape our present.”
