Mr Vic Hayes at IIT Techfest (also pictured Dr Alessandra)
Special thanks to Aditya Sengupta [@sengupta (Blog)] for the interview on behalf of OnlyGizmos
Before attending Lars Rasmussen’s lecture, we attended what turned out to be one of the more technical lectures at Techfest 2010. The ‘Father of Wi-Fi’, Mr. Vic Hayes is a very unassuming man, going so far as to insist that the organizers call him Mister instead of Doctor as was mentioned on the official schedule and posters. We caught up with him before his lecture and asked him a couple of questions. (video below)
He explained how the motivation for WiFi- known then simply as IEEE 802.11- a wireless technical standard- was to enable cash registers to be placed anywhere in retail stores without having to lug wires around each time the floor plan was changed. 802.11 was made possible when the FCC approved spectrum for general use without requiring end user licenses (compare that to the brouhaha over the 3G spectrum licenses). The ubiquitous 2.45GHz frequency radio band- which is used in devices ranging from cordless phones to microwave ovens soon came to connect people across the world in what we are more familiar as WiFi.
He talked about the challenges he faced convincing companies to get on the same page- particularly in an environment where every manufacturer wanted to push its own standards. He then explained the need for the “WiFi” trademark as something distinct from the IEEE 802.11 standard- with a rare jab of humour at how the first press release for (more…)
Technovanza 2010, is the event to watchout for this weekend. Held by VJTI, this one is the most sought, after the IIT’s Techfest. Their theme for this year is “Taking Technology to Society”.
Having promoting technology all these years, this time they are showcasing technology to serve a different purpose. Keeping in with the need of the hour, Technovanza this year will concentrate on technologies that will not only help conserve the environment but also improve it at the same time. Keeping this in mind they have lined up a number of events like Amphi Train and Domotique. Some thing very unique and innovative is the initiative called (more…)
It was our third year at the Techfest and the 72hours at IIT Bombay would certainly be remembered as one my best outings for OnlyGizmos. Over the years I have seen the same journalists and students attending sessions and competitions, just a testimony of the fact as to how addictive the Techfest is. And we must admit while it is tough covering the Techfest on all three days (even with a 5 member team), we find ourselves privileged to have such jobs. A treat for technology enthusiasts it is for sure!
1. Interview with Dr Lars Rasmussen, Co-founder Google Wave – Live Now
2. International Exhibitions at Techfest 2010
3. Interview with Dr Lyn Evans
4. Many more videos and exclusive pictures – Track Flickr / YouTube
Forced advertisement: While we housed team at the great roomno368 over the weekend to get you the latest and the best from Techfest 2010, there was just one source of inspiration igniting the fire of our will power to give Techfest what it deserves … A big thank you to Lara aka @vivekk !!
One of the geekiest setups we saw at the Techfest was for FreeKick. Each participating team had to make 2 autonomous bots that reside on a (mini) football field against its opponents and four plastic balls. Whichever bot scores the maximum goals wins. Simple! But not that easy as it sounds. The bots have no cameras or map loaded on them to known the location of the balls or the size / dimension of the ground. Both teams get a feed from an overhead webcamera and their algorithms have to read the location of the balls from the ground and communicate to the bots. The 4-5 fps at which the feed is delivered to the bots is more than enough for them to play a live football match.
However calibrating the bots to the lighting at the event location was itself a challenge for many teams (20 mins is provided for the same). We spent close to an hour over there, hoping to see some action, but the bots took just too much time for calibration. Nevertheless its nice to see such complex ones amongst the mechanical Full Throttle and Robowars.
“It is not whether you win or lose, but how much you learn that counts!”
After the regular gaming zone Techfest this year came up with a live and interactive game called Lazer Tag. All you had to do was wear the sensor laded suit attached with a deadly Laser gun that would put even the Starwars guys to shame. Once you were ready Bond style, you were put into a dark room full of barriers to cover yourself; in 3 teams of 4 each. Your mission was to shoot the opposition and collect as many points as possible. You shoot in the front you get 50, you shoot at back you get 100 points. For once we proved that Skyn3t is a bad gamer ( ) who finished 9th with a mere accuracy of 8.5%. Although the game lasted only 8 minutes, it was good enough to send you in a tizzy with your heart beat pumping. After personally experiencing this breath taking game, we are confident it will take the gamers by the feet and in no time they would be addicted to it. Its time we say Adios to Counter Strike. Bye -Bye.
Although this one is a regular at the Techfest since years. Till date this has been one of the most popular of all captivating the audience and keeping them engaged from dusk till dawn. Like every year these robotic demons were placed in a glass cage, not to protect them but to save the audience from their destructive capabilities. The external powered robots competed against each other for a limited time in which they had to destroy the other. This year the panel of judges were from Robosoft. Each contest had the crowd going wild with enthusiasm and taking teams, cheering them.
Below is a video of one of the exciting contest. (more…)
Another regular like the Full throttle, this one event has caught the imagination of the IITians. They seem to be not only enjoying it but also getting addicted to it at the same time. Probably one of the reasons they progressed it from just gliding these planes to using motors and propellers to fly them. You must have seen people flying these custom made planes which are normally very clumsy and do not have great controls. But to my surprise the ones used in this competition had amazing controls and full credit goes to the flyers of these planes. They performed breathtaking maneuvers enthralling the audience. I must admit that even I was captivated by these high flying planes and was lost in my own world looking at them. We managed to get a detailed video of one of the high flyers who did very well in the competition and is one of the (more…)
The NDRF (National Disaster Rescue Force) is currently doing a High Rise Rescue Demo at Techfest Day 3 and here we have the live video and pictures for you.
Utkarsh was one of the events of Prayaas (Techfest 2010), an effort for a better tomorrow. This competition gave a platform to the entrepreneurs and their innovations. The participants had to explain their concept along with a scaled model of the actual working model of their innovation. Based on the theme the students came up with briquettes with zero pollution with the help of filters attached to it. Other students came up with different kinds of Chullahs that give you a higher efficiency than others (about 30%). Both claimed that the other wasn’t viable and commercially not implementable. Some other innovations included charging gadgets with the help of dynamos attached to the bicycle. Noticeable was the fact that the students had done thorough research on their projects and the presentations were not that good (understandably though). Overall I was impressed with the ideas and the effort put into the detailing of each project. Such initiatives will definitely help build a better future for the rural villages.
If you are any regular at the IIT Techfest, you would be used to all the terms such as Technololix or Lecture Series, but this year a new segment added to the techfest is “Scintillations”. Proving that we are out of recession there are things in Scintillations like the Eiffel Tower, that does little more than telling us that we are out of recession . On a serious note Scintillations gives you some marvels of technology. Lets see what we had at this new segment @ Techfest 2010. (more…)
FTGP as it was known a couple of years back, this is an annual event at the Techfest. IC engine powered, aluminum cars race across the muddy track and each time they zip through a corner, they remind me of my dirt biking days. The heartbeat of a race and the musical sound of engine is thrilling. Certainly making this one of the must watch at the IIT Techfest 2010, heck – I have been saying that for almost all competitions!
The teams are allowed to source the IC engine and a few allied chips together, however the game lies in the aluminum structure of the car that decides the handling. Controlling the remote is another art and the real challenge lies in giving the best lap times. There are a few who keep crashing across the borders, while some just zip through flying off the bumps. Most cars cost roughly (more…)
Special thanks to @sengupta (Blog) for the interview on behalf of OnlyGizmos
Dr. Ajay Bhatt certainly knows how to use self deprecatory humour well. He began his lecture by screening this clip of him trying to emulate the rockstar image portrayed by the actor playing him in the famous “Our rockstars aren’t like your rockstars” ad.
Though Dr. Ajay Bhatt is the co-inventor of the USB, his lecture at IITB’s TechFest focused primarily on the future of mobile computing. He emphasized the “Complete Mobile Experience” as being one that balances performance, ease of use, software and internet compatibility, battery life, new form factors and connectivity.
He introduced new developments such as Intel’s Turbo Boost- a mechanism that turns off some of the CPU/GPU cores when not required; My WiFi- using WiFi in an ad-hoc mode without the need of an access point; and cooling laptop cores using a jet of air inspired by jet engine technology.
He ended the lecture- as he began- on a hilarious note. He compared Moore’s Law to the automotive industry- saying that if Moore’s Law were applicable to the automotive industry, cars today would cost Rs. 1.36, run at a top speed of 292,044kmph and have a fuel efficiency of 42,514km/l.
We caught up with Dr. Bhatt after the lecture for a short chat. Since he didn’t dwell much on USB, we asked him a couple of questions regarding the topic- particularly the upcoming USB 3.0. We asked him why Intel isn’t pushing it harder considering the work it’s put in. We also talked about Light Peak, his advice for students keen on following his path, wireless charging, multicore computing, the challenges he faced in pushing USB forward and why he doesn’t appear in the Intel Rockstar ads.
IIT Techfest 2010 is bigger than ever before and the Day 1 is full of addictive enthusiasm and amazing energy. Enough for the 6 member OG team to skip lunch and keep hunting for those exclusive footage that we are uploading since morning. By far the highest crowd drawer is the lecture by Dr Ajay Bhatt, the co-inventor of the USB (such was the response from the audience that he had to give back to back lectures) and the ISRO / NDMA (National Defense Management Authority) exhibitions. Not to forget the amazing Heli rescue demo by Natural Disaster Rescue Force. (more…)
There is always a calm before the arrival of the actual storm. People believe that the IIT is all calm before the events actually kickstarts. But hey! This is certainly not the case; its much more chaotic, wilder and crazier than it looks from the outside. The OnlyGizmos team is all set to bring you the latest and the best from the IIT Techfest 2010 (just like we did for the last two years). Here are a couple of cool videos of the MAD Mountbike Stunt Performance(on day zero) that you are going to see at the IIT B Techfest this weekend. Also don’t forget to tune into our live Techfest page for instant updates on the event days between 22nd – 24th Jan.
Common people await the new year hoping that it will bring in newer better brighter things in their lives. Some hope for friends, some for promotions love or what not. But if you are an engineer or a technology freak you definitely await the fest that the new year brings along with it. Yes the TechFest, the carnival of technology, is here. An event which is the horizon of art and science at its astonishing and entertaining best. Since its introduction in 1998 till date it has grown in stature by each passing year. It not only showcases but truly encompasses everything that science and technology can stand for. We @ onlygizmos have been covering it since the last two years. Let me tell you that this is one event which never ceases to amaze us. Year after year we have been dumbstruck and got our jaws dropping looking at stuff we never thought were possible.
From my personal experience I can only say that Techfest has been just like wine. The older it gets the better it is. Indeed no amount of adjectives would suffice the charm of this mesmerizing and dazzling event. Trust me it will never fail to catch your imagination. Right from the highly sophisticated competitions to the enlightening lecture series and exhibitions. The educative workshops to the electrifying shows courtesy Technoholix. It always is better than the last year. Thousands of Participants and excited audiences ranging in lakhs from all over the country and around the world witness this marvel.
Its a global platform that showcases Indian talent to the world over. In the recent years the fest has not only featured technology but also promoted various social initiatives in order to improve our lives and for a better tomorrow; thus ensuring it fulfills its social responsibility at the same time.
Well as always this year promises to be better than the yesters with a whole new bunch of events and initiatives lined up. Pushing green tech and harvesting the idea of efficiency a whole section at Techfest is dedicated to innovative ideas ( as it is called “an effort today for a better tomorrow”). For the more technically inspired folks Techfest 2010 has some of the best science and technology research brains coming over from across thew world. The lecture series would witness the inventor of the USB, co-founder of Google Maps/Wave, the father of Wi-Fi and more! [see lectures]
After the DRDO in 2009, we now have the 25ft long missiles and (more…)
Energy filled three days and 000’s of Techies around; we loved the tech fest as always! All the event details and coverage coming up! Techfest attracts over 15,000 participants and 45,000 visitors every year and this year was no exception. With the extended weekend (adding the Republic day holiday on Monday) the crowd seen at IIT TechFest was huge.
The TechFest 09 Team has worked day and night for the past many months to make this happen. It is estimated that around 800 students from IITB volunteered to organize the TechFest this year. TF09 also saw a record number of lectures this year. From glam sham to tech talks everything is here @ Asia’s biggest TechFest.
DAY 1 of IIT TechFest saw 3Run from UK and the Action Team from Turkey performing. We shall get the videos of the event live as they are processed. Post shall be updated constantly, keep checking …
Chase showing off some of his skills after the show! (more…)
An exciting and engaging 1st Day of the IIT Bombay TechFest 2009 has come to an end and just as we pack our bags and leave from the IIT Campus the action is still in front of my eyes. There is a lot to write about the Day 1 @ IITB TechFest … 100’s of pictures and hours of videos that we have managed is all here and ready for upload.
We would be heading back to the IIT to cover the Day to in less than 8 hours from now; however we shall keep updating the DAY 1 details here … Do come back and check the same in a few hours! (Remember event is live @ twitter)
The entire team of OG has a wonderful weekend while attending the two day Techfest – TaqNeeq. In its very first technical event the students at MPSTME + CSI have done a splendid job. The event was indeed planned meticulously and implemented effortlessly all by the students themselves.
With the goal to close the gap between classroom learning and the practical world for their students CSI-MPSTME (NMIMS University) is all set to kick off its first TechFest – Taqneeq 08. The event looks extremely promising in its first edition itself. In the coming years we hope Taqneeq would lift the bar for Tech fests in India.
Computer Society of India established a Student Activity Center at NMIMS University in 2005-06. From a few students then, the Student Activity Center grew into a Student Branch with a strength of more than 200 members. Our first technical festival TAQNEEQ promises a phenomenal assortment of events for all present at our festival.
Events to watch out for:
Blog IT Up - A blogging contest. We love Taqneeq for this!
Robotics Race: Wired robots competing across different tracks
Hardware Junkyard: Collect junk from a puzzle and make a product on the given theme
Guest Lectures: Senior execs form L&T, Mahindra and Tata communications
Mr Vic Hayes at IIT Techfest (also pictured Dr Alessandra)
) who finished 9th with a mere accuracy of 8.5%. Although the game lasted only 8 minutes, it was good enough to send you in a tizzy with your heart beat pumping. After personally experiencing this breath taking game, we are confident it will take the gamers by the feet and in no time they would be addicted to it. Its time we say Adios to Counter Strike. Bye -Bye.
