Hyderabad, January 28, 2024…..  Telangana's first private University, Anurag University organised TEJAS 2K24 –an Engineering Expo with 140 innovative and social impact projects/products developed by Anurag University Engineering Students.  It was formally inaugurated on Monday at its campus in Dr Abdul Kalam Hall. 

Several school children from private and government schools are invited to check out innovations and get inspired

Prof. William Oakes, known as a relentless advocate for experiential learning and As Assistant Dean for Experiential Learning and Director of the EPICS Program at Purdue University, Sateesh Andra, a remarkable entrepreneur and Managing Director of Endiya Partners, a leading Venture Capital fund; Shanta Thoutam, an innovation enabler, formerly a Chief Innovation Officer of Telangana and Founding Team Member of T-Hub; The Chancellor of Anurag University, Dr. UB Desai and   Dr. P. Rajeshwar Reddy, Chairman of Anurag Group and MLA, Dr Balaji Utla, Registrar and others. 

TEJAS 2K24, a unique project was organised to kindle an innovation culture among engineering students of the University informed Registrar,  Prof.Balaji Utla.  Also, we wanted to celebrate the 75th Republic Day with more than 75 social impact projects and products, he added.

We want to see our students as problem solvers, and not creators.  We don't want to see you as a country of ranters. Instead, we want you to be problem identifiers and solvers.  This 'Project Expo' is the first in the series and is an opportunity created for the students to identify the pain points in the society we live in and then propose a solution.   This is the prized skill that differentiates you from the rest of the world, he told the students. 

 Speaking about TEJAS 2k24', which will be an annual affair thereafter, Prof Balaji said, I gave all the departments an almost impossible task for this project at the last August 15 celebrations.  In response to my call, they have come out with 160 plus ideas of which some 140 are shortlisted.  All these are now being exhibited.

Some of these projects/products developed by students and which are on display include the Smart EV Campus Mobility Car, an Automatic Motorised Cover for two and four-wheelers, Smart Toilets, Anurag Operating Systems(AOS) on the lines of the Windows Operating System; Solar Smart Dustbin; Anurag GPT; an Image Caption Generator; A Smart Chair, Chutney Making Machine, an Effortless Cleaning mechanism of While Boards, Exoskeleton Chair that helps industrial workers and others to move freely, sit anywhere without chair, Helmet that enables compulsory wearing of it while driving,  Hybrid Dry and Wet Floor Cleaning Machine, IoT based smart cradle system and others

Smart EV Campus Mobility Car was an attraction at the campus as it was ferrying VIPs, Guests and others and making campus mobility effortless and smooth.  Developed by students of EEE, this EV carries three plus one and a driver.  It is a five-seater with 1200 kgs motor capacity.  It has a body weight of 450 kg and a load bearing of 750 kg.  It had a test ride of over 100 km on the campus already without any major problems.  It is fitted with a lithium-ion battery and a Smart Battery Management System. One charge can enable 80 km of travel within the campus.  It is made from scrap, Nanya electric parts, and steel rods and fitted with Auto suspension.  The chassis was designed and developed with local help. The idea of the team behind the development is to propose this as the best Campus EV Mobility Vehicle.  The invention has received accolades.  They made this vehicle for Rs 1.8 lakh rupees investment in one and a half months. The 12-member team worked on it. 

Smart Shelter Cover for Two, Three and Four Wheelers is another attraction.  The students named it Automatic Motorized Cover for the Vehicle. It is a multipurpose cover.  Students of ECE have conceptualized it.  It is easy to use, smart, foldable and multipurpose.  It is fitted with sensors. They have used PVC Pipes, SMPS, Window Motor, Micro Controller.  They spent Rs 12000/- to build it. Six team members worked on it for a month.  

AI(Artificial Intelligence)  Based Podium was developed keeping in mind the speaker's encounter.  Static products lack flexibility.  They can not be adjusted as per the height of the speaker.  This can be a problem for speakers of different heights, leading to discomfort and ultimately affecting the delivery of the talk or presentation.  The AI-based podium is equipped with a camera-based system for automatic microphone and height adjustment.  All the problems faced using conventional podiums can be overcome in this.

A low-cost cloth dryer was on display, which is a jugad in the true sense. The project seeks to address a gap in accessible cloth drying technologies. 

Computer Science students of Anurag developed Anurag Operating Systems(AOS) on the lines of the Windows Operating System.  Microsoft Windows is a commercial operating system and purchasing licenses for Windows can add to the overall cost.  Although Microsoft Windows has greatly improved reliability in recent years, it is still considered less reliable than Linux. Anurag Operating System was an attempt to overcome shortcomings in Microsoft Windows and make it more accessible at least cost, said the students associated with the project. 

Some other products on display were Smart toilets for promoting better hygiene by reducing the need for manual contact and ensuring a cleaner toilet environment. It also incorporates water-saving technologies. Students made tiles from coconut coir, plastic waste polyester resin and biosilica. 

 Image caption generation using deep reinforcement learning. This will enable to generate captions from any image with high accuracy

Later in the evening, a panel discussion was held on a fascinating subject “Exploring Experiential  Learning for Startup Innovation” The panelists were Prof. William Oakes, Prof UB Desai, Dr. Balaji Utla, Sateesh Andra and Dr. Shanta Thoutam.  The panel discussion was moderated by Dr D. Balaji Utls.  Sateesh said over 55 years, trillions of money have been invested in millions of startups, but only 10% have succeeded.  The idea alone will not give the startup success. There is much more to the side

Dr UB Desaid said experiential and unstructured learning are very important for innovations.  Further, he added that 30% of learning happens in the classroom and the balance outside the classroom. Shanta said India has grassroots-level challenges, understand them and come out with solutions.  Prof Williams said never cease to think and imagine.  Great ideas can come at any place and at any time.