Robotic Device to Detect Slippery Floor Among Tech Displayed at IIT Open House

A robotic device to detect slippery floorings, a wearable pressure sensor to analyze gait patterns and postural deformities, an engineered microbiome and a digital microscope, are among the key technologies showcased at the annual Open House at Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. 

The 16th edition of the Open House, its flagship event for school students, was conducted on Saturday wherein some of the cutting-edge research works were displayed for them by the institute faculty and students.

"The objective of the Open House is to show school students what IIT Delhi is doing in science and technology and showcase our work in the areas that impact the real world. The whole idea of the Open House, where interactive sessions and lectures were also organised, is to encourage school students to make informed decisions about their future," IIT Delhi Director Rangan Banerjee said.

Around 2,000 school students from more than 40 schools in the Delhi-NCR visited the Open House which exhibited an extensive collection of innovative research and product development projects.

The researchers showcased around 50 functional demos and 100 research posters highlighting cutting-edge technologies.

Kusum Saini, a PhD Scholar Vasant Matsagar (Dogra Chair and Professor) from the Department of Civil Engineering, displayed a new approach developed by them for utilising solid waste like agro-residues for making sustainable and affordable homes to contribute towards the solution of problems above, and to fulfil the vision of India toward a green future, while effectively addressing the air pollution issues, making the construction practices environment friendly, and at-large ensuring sustainability and climate actions.

The Injury Mechanics Lab (DIML) has developed a novel cost-effective, portable and biofidelic floor friction tester to accurately evaluate the effectiveness of the slip resistance ability of floorings.

"This robotic device mimics the actual human slipping motion and calculates the available friction during its motion. The device's structure is highly modular and is fully programmable for its slipping speeds, normal loads, and slipping angles to take into account different slipping scenarios," said Arnab Chanda, Professor at the Centre for Biomedical Engineering.