Strength in manufacturing, application of deep technologies, and willingness of students to work towards progress and development made Tamil Nadu, an unique place for innovation, Ashutosh Dutt Sharma, Chief Executive Officer of IHFC – I-Hub Foundation for Cobotics (Technology Innovation Hub of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi), said on Thursday, March 13.
Speaking at an event to mark the launch of Co-Innovation Centre at Crescent Innovation and Incubation Council (CIIC) at BS Abdur Rahman Crescent Institute of Science and Technology (BSACIST), Ashutosh Dutt Sharma said that Tamil Nadu had a very strong ecosystem in manufacturing and hardware that made it ideal from the perspective of the field of robotics.
“There is huge potential, and I see in Tamil Nadu students the willingness to work in this direction,” Sharma added. Such Co Innovation Centres – 10 of them all over India, including the one launched at B Abdur Rahman Crescent Institute Of Science And Technology - CIIC today, have been established under the Government of India’s National Mission on Inter-Disciplinary Cyber Physical Systems.
They were also working with Class XI students as part of a project to train them on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and related advanced technology, and when a few students get excited about such new technologies, many of them go on to specialise in their respective choice of study during their graduation.
This and many other initiatives are aimed at exposing youth to a vibrant ecosystem and access to global standards and work, according to a press release from the institute. Cobotics, Sharma said, was collaborative robotics and held tremendous potential where robots, operated by humans, could find wide applications, and also lauded the management of BSACIST and CIIC team for creating a platform for students to innovate and arrive at solutions for problems.
He also handed over prizes to students who had won in technical competitions.
Speaking on occasion, Abdul Qadir, Pro-Chancellor of BSACIST, said there were plenty of opportunities for students and India was a huge market for new products.
Among others who spoke on the occasion included MS Kumar, Chief Information Officer, IIT Madras Pravartak; Akash Sondhi, GM, Head Consulting and Campus Engagements, IHFC; Anbu Nedunchezhian, GM, Operations Caterpillar India; Dr T Murugesan, Vice-Chancellor, and Raja Hussain, Registrar respectively of BSACIST, and Parvez Alam, Executive Director, CIIC.
Dr Nisha Mukund, CEO, CIIC, thanked the gathering.
