Driverless car to mutant fly: IISER Science fest brings innovative science experiments to Pune

At the exhibition held on Saturday, various organisations came forward to present innovative and futuristic experiments and prototypes of models which offer solutions to modern problems

A prototype of a self-driven industrial vehicle stole the show on the first day of the India Science Fest at Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) held on Saturday.

Students exhibit a driverless vehicle by ATI at India Science festival at IISER, Pashan on Saturday.(Sanket Wankhade/HT PHOTO)

The self-driven industrial vehicle offers shifting of material from one place to another at the moment. Another exhibition will be organised on Sunday, January 12. At the exhibition held on Saturday, various organisations came forward to present innovative and futuristic experiments and prototypes of models which offer solutions to modern problems.

Another highlight of the exhibition was a mutant fly which could possibly be a replacement for mice in pharmaceutical experiments, according to the exhibitors.

Aspiring Minds, an assessment firm, is hosting the India Science Fest 2020 at IISER, Pune. This year’s major themes are artificial intelligence and neuroscience with additional focus on life sciences, astronomy, quantum physics, policy and popular fiction. The festival will host discussions, exhibitions, experiments, and more on topics related to the history of science, women in science, science and the arts, and India’s place in the world of science. Several hands-on demonstrations at the festival will include artificial-intelligence-generated art, autonomous vehicles, and brain-controlled helicopters, to name a few. The festival holds various workshops for students and adults.

The festival is a non-profit initiative of Aspiring Minds and the brainchild of its co-founder and chief technology officer (CTO), Varun Aggarwal, who envisioned putting the corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds of his tech-company to the most productive use for the society: to help the youth engage with the latest in Science from across the world, fuelling curiosity and demystifying the scientific career path.

“Indian science is a sleeping giant! We wish to wake it up,” says Aggarwal. He added, “We wish to bring students, professionals, and the general public face-to-face with the world’s top scientists, to hear about the latest discoveries and see cutting-edge inventions. This will be truly disruptive and influential in ways we cannot imagine. At the least, it will enthuse people about Science: how it can transform society and provide role models. Moreover, all of these scientists under a single roof for two days is a big asset. We wish to engage them in a variety of policy discussions and make connections for future collaborations.”

VS Ramachandran, Indian neuroscientist and one of TIME Magazine’s 100 most influential people of 2011; Manish Gupta, director of Google AI Research; Harvard’s Venkatesh Murthy; Indian prodigy of MIT Arnav Kapur, chairman of AICTE Anil Sahasrabudhe; filmmaker Prahlad Kakkar and the youngest CBFC member Vani Tripathi and celebrated comedian Nishant Tanwar and 50 other influential names would gather this weekend in Pune for the largest festival that India has ever seen.

Self-driving Industrial Vehicle or Ati Sherpa:

· Navigates both indoors and outdoors

· Battery lasts 8 hours

· In place zero radius turn

· Handles rough floor

· 500 kg tow capacity on trolley and 150 carrying capacity