Engineering and Technology Updates
IIT Guwahati Develops Smart, Naturally Cooling Bricks for Sustainable Architecture that Reduce Indoor Temperatures and Energy Use
Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati have developed energy-efficient bricks designed to keep buildings naturally cool, offering a promising solution for sustainable construction. In modern architecture, most infrastructures rely on air conditioning systems to maintain indoor temperatures, especially during the summer. While these systems are effective, they consume substantial electricity and contribute significantly to carbon emissions and environmental degradation. With a global focus on sustainable living and climate-responsive architecture, researchers worldwide are working towards finding alternative solutions to reduce indoor temperatures without relying on energy-intensive systems. As a significant amount of heat enters the infrastructure through its roof and walls, researchers at IIT Guwahati focused on addressing this challenge by redesigning conventional bricks to minimise heat gain. For the same, the research team, applied Phase Change Materials (PCMs), a type of material that can absorb and release heat during phase transitions. For example, materials such as wax absorb heat as they melt and release it upon solidification. Similarly, when embedded in building components, these PCMs absorb excess heat during the day and release it when the temperature drops. This way, the indoor temperature remains stable throughout the day. Among the various PCMs tested, the research team found OM35 to be the most suitable for the research. This material melts at around 35 degrees Celsius, making it particularly suitable for hot, humid regions where temperatures range from 28 to 38 degrees Celsius. While PCMs have proved to be a suitable choice for developing infrastructures for sustainable living, one primary challenge is their leakage during the melting phase. To address this, the research team developed a composite material by integrating the PCM with biochar. Biochar is a carbon-rich material that serves as a supporting matrix, holding the molten PCM in place and preventing leakage while enhancing thermal conductivity. The bio-composite PCM-filled AAC brick is very convenient to use in construction work. The AAC brick is known for their lightweight and better insulating properties. The integration of biocomposite PCM into AAC bricks further improves the building’s thermal performance. Highlighting the key difference in conventional bricks and PCM-embedded bricks, a researcher said, “PCM-embedded bricks are capable of better thermal management in terms of temperature reduction, as they can absorb and store heat during the day and release it gradually when the temperature drops, helping maintain more stable indoor conditions compared to conventional bricks.” To ensure optimal design of the developed bricks, the research team used advanced computer simulations to track heat transfer through AAC bricks with different PCM configurations. Based on this, the researchers found that the developed bricks can reduce indoor wall temperatures by approximately 3 degrees Celsius. This reduction in indoor temperature can result in a 10 to 20 per cent decrease in cooling energy demand, depending on building design and usage patterns. The estimated cost of the developed bricks is in the range of Rs. 115 to Rs. 130 and is expected to decrease with mass production. As the next step, the research team plans to take this innovation to the commercial stage, likely by setting up a startup. The developed innovation has significant implications for energy savings, especially in hot and humid climates, where cooling accounts for a major share of electricity consumption. The new materials can reduce overall energy consumption and peak electricity demand by reducing reliance on air conditioning. The new method further improves climate sustainability by reducing greenhouse gas emissions from excessive energy use and by fostering energy-efficient, climate-sensitive buildings. Additionally, it supports the global initiatives of low-carbon construction and the sustainable urbanization of cities.
IIIT Delhi students bag first position in student track at AI for Bharat Hackathon
IIIT Delhi’s student team has won the national AI hackathon with Bimasathi, an innovative insurance solution built to improve accessibility and efficiency, highlighting the power of technology in solving real-world challenges. Their winning solution, designed to improve insurance accessibility through AI, showcases how technology can create real impact at scale. Their outstanding coordination, technical expertise, and creative problem-solving helped them outperform nearly 96,000 developers from across India. This category focused on using artificial intelligence to improve accessibility, strengthen public services, and create community-driven solutions. The winning project, Bimasathi, is a WhatsApp-first insurance claim assistant built with voice-enabled and multilingual support features. The platform is designed to simplify and accelerate the insurance claim process, especially for users who face language barriers or digital accessibility challenges. The key features of Bimasathi are as follows: Voice-controlled claim assistance; Multilingual support; Easy WhatsApp integration; Faster insurance claim processing and Secure and user-friendly experience. Inspired by the success of digital payment systems like Unified Payments Interface, Bimasathi aims to bring a similar transformation to the insurance sector. The solution seeks to make insurance claims easier, faster, and more inclusive, particularly for underserved communities and first-time digital users across India.
IIT Bombay Racing Showcases India’s First Driverless Formula Student Car at Formula Bharat 2026
The IIT Bombay Racing Team made a landmark impact at Formula Bharat 2026, achieving an outstanding 3rd Overall Finish while also securing 1st position in the Static Events category. Beyond competitive success, IIT Bombay Racing set a historic milestone for Indian Formula Student teams by unveiling India’s first Driverless Formula Student car at the event. The showcase represented a significant step forward for autonomous vehicle development within the country’s student engineering ecosystem and demonstrated the team’s commitment to pushing technological boundaries beyond conventional racing formats.Formula Bharat, India’s premier Formula Student competition, brings together top engineering institutions from across the nation to design, build, and validate high-performance formula-style race cars. While teams typically compete within predefined categories, IIT Bombay Racing took the initiative to present its driverless platform alongside the competition, offering fellow participants, industry experts, judges, and motorsport enthusiasts an opportunity to experience the future of autonomous mobility firsthand. The driverless vehicle integrates advanced perception, localization, and control systems developed entirely by students. The project reflects months of interdisciplinary collaboration, rigorous testing, and iterative engineering, aligning with global trends where autonomous systems are increasingly shaping the future of motorsport and mobility. By simultaneously excelling in competition and pioneering autonomous racing technology, IIT Bombay Racing has set a new benchmark for student-led innovation in India. The initiative aims not only to advance Formula Student participation but also to contribute to the broader development of autonomous vehicle research and talent within the country.
IIT Guwahati Researchers Develop Low-Cost System to Remove 99% Arsenic from Groundwater
Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati researchers have developed a new system that can effectively remove 99% arsenic from contaminated water at a low cost. The electrocoagulation system has demonstrated the ability to remove contaminants within a few minutes, making it suitable for use in regions with limited access to complex water treatment infrastructure. Due to rapid industrialisation and urban growth, global reliance on groundwater has increased significantly. In many regions, groundwater contains arsenic released from natural rock formations or human activities such as mining and agriculture. Long-term exposure can cause serious health problems, including organ damage and cancer. To address this, many conventional methods have been developed, and while some have been successful, these are difficult to implement in uncontrolled environments. Most methods rely on the addition of chemicals, extensive treatment periods, and sophisticated equipment. Moreover, the methods need to be performed on site and have the potential to create surplus sludge, increasing the time and energy costs to disposal. Electrocoagulation offers a different approach. Instead of adding chemicals from outside, it uses an electric current to release metal ions from electrodes placed in the water. These ions attach to arsenic and other contaminants, allowing them to clump together and be removed from the water through settling or flotation. The process is relatively simple to operate and reduces the need for chemical handling. Traditional electrocoagulation systems use stationary electrodes, which can slow the process and cause deposits to form on the electrode surface over time, reducing efficiency. To overcome many of the noted system inefficiencies, the IIT Guwahati team, configured an electrocoagulation system with a rotating anode and a stationary cathode. Electrocoagulation, combined with a rotating electrode system, offers an efficient solution for arsenic-contaminated water. In this process, a controlled electric current dissolves a sacrificial iron electrode while its rotation enhances mixing and mass transfer, leading to uniform generation of iron coagulant species that effectively bind arsenic present in the water. Simultaneously, fine gas bubbles formed during the process attach to the arsenic-laden flocs and lifts them to the surface for easy separation. According to researchers, the use of rotating iron electrodes significantly improves removal efficiency while maintaining low operational cost, making the technology well suited for arsenic removal under optimised conditions. Laboratory tests using both synthetic water and real groundwater samples showed that the system could treat one cubic meter of contaminated water using only about 0.36 units of electricity. At prevailing electricity tariffs, this translates to a treatment cost of roughly Rs. 8–9 per 1,000 litres. Under optimised conditions, arsenic concentrations were reduced to well below the World Health Organization’s guideline of 10 micrograms per litre within two to three minutes. The rotating anode system also produced significantly less sludge than conventional electrocoagulation setups, with faster settling and easier handling. The EC technology is a cost-effective alternative to conventional membrane and adsorption systems, particularly for arsenic removal. For a small community-scale plant (10–50 kilolitres per day), an EC system typically costs Rs. 8–15 lakh, while a conventional system costs between Rs. 12–20 lakh. At medium-scale capacities (100–500 kilolitres per day), the EC system costs Rs. 30–80 lakh, whereas RO-based systems often exceed Rs. 1–2 crore. Operationally, the EC system does not require expensive membranes or frequent chemical dosing, and maintenance is largely limited to electrode replacement. In contrast, membrane systems include high operating costs due to membrane fouling, replacement, and energy-intensive operations. The developed technology is particularly suitable for rural and semi-urban areas, where affordability, robustness, and ease of operation are critical. As the next step, the team plans to test the developed system in real-field conditions and evaluate its long-term performance in groundwater containing multiple contaminants such as fluoride and iron.
IIT-Madras Develops Indigenous Power System for Plasma Thrusters in Small Satellites
Researchers at Indian Institute of Technology Madras have developed a compact high-voltage electronic system that could help small satellites manoeuvre more efficiently in space while using far less power. Researchers said the technology could reduce the size, cost and complexity of spacecraft propulsion systems while promoting more energy-efficient designs. IIT-Madras has unveiled a pioneering electronic system designed to power Pulsed Plasma Thrusters (PPTs) for small satellites. This development marks a significant stride in India’s efforts to enhance indigenous space technology, particularly in the domain of satellite propulsion. PPTs are compact propulsion devices that use short bursts of plasma to generate thrust, making them ideal for manoeuvring small satellites in orbit. The newly developed system addresses a critical challenge in satellite propulsion: the need for lightweight, efficient, and reliable power sources. Traditional propulsion systems often demand bulky hardware and consume considerable energy, which is impractical for small satellites. By contrast, the IIT-Madras innovation provides a streamlined electronic solution that enables precise control over plasma pulses, thereby improving efficiency and reducing power consumption. This advancement is expected to have wide-ranging applications in the growing small satellite sector. With the increasing demand for CubeSats and nano-satellites in scientific research, communication, and Earth observation, the ability to manoeuvre these satellites effectively is crucial. The electronic system from IIT-Madras could allow Indian satellites to perform orbital adjustments, collision avoidance, and end-of-life de-orbiting with greater ease. The project also reflects India’s broader ambition to strengthen its position in the global space industry. By developing indigenous propulsion technologies, the country reduces reliance on foreign systems and enhances self-reliance in critical space infrastructure. Furthermore, the innovation aligns with the government’s push towards encouraging academic institutions to contribute directly to national space missions. Beyond its immediate technical benefits, the system demonstrates the potential of academic research to produce practical solutions for real-world challenges.
Source: https://www.indiandefensenews.in/2026/03/iit-madras-develops-indigenous-power.html#google_vignette
India approves first Mini/MicroLED fab; can Crystal Matrix deliver on its big semiconductor promise?
India’s first commercial mini and micro light-emitting diode LED display manufacturing facility is set to be built at Dholera, Gujarat, by Hyderabad-based Crystal Matrix Ltd (CML) under the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM). Alongside Crystal Matrix, the government also approved Surat-based Suchi Semicon Private Ltd outsourced semiconductor assembly and test (OSAT) facility focused on power and automotive chips. Mini and micro-LEDs are semiconductor electronic components that are smaller, brighter and more energy-efficient than conventional LED panels. These next-generation display technologies are increasingly finding applications in premium televisions, smartwatches, AR/VR devices, automotive dashboards and wearables. According to the government announcement, the proposed facility will use Gallium Nitride (GaN) technology and target an annual production capacity of 72,000 square metres of display panels and 24,000 RGB wafer sets. The company described its business as the “manufacture and designing of LED, LCD and other display systems,” without explicitly referencing GaN, Mini LED, MicroLED or semiconductor fabrication activities in its filings. While Crystal Matrix currently does not have a visible semiconductor manufacturing track record, the company has two listed South Korean technology partners: Lumens, an LED technology specialist, and Soft-Epi, a GaN epitaxy company. To be sure, the company’s key management and advisory team appear to be taking shape around semiconductor manufacturing expertise. Soft-Epi gives Crystal Matrix the physics advantage, epitaxy and RGB, while Lumens provides the system advantage, display and IP. Together, they make the project credible.
ISRO successfully conducts 2nd integrated air drop test for Gaganyaan mission
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully conducted the second integrated air drop test (IADT-02) for the upcoming Gaganyaan mission at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. The system is essential to ensure safe recovery of the crew module — the capsule in which astronauts sit during a human flight. After the module’s release, a parachute system, comprising 10 parachutes, was deployed, helping the capsule decelerate to a safe splashdown speed. The IADT-02 follows the successful completion of the first IADT, which took place on August 24, 2025, at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. In the first IADT, a 4.8-tonne dummy crew module was dropped from a height of three km by a Chinook helicopter. Air drop tests recreate the last leg of a spacecraft’s return to the Earth. An aircraft or helicopter drops the spacecraft from a height to test various systems under different scenarios. These are the deployment of the parachute system in case the mission is aborted mid-flight, system performance when one parachute fails to open, and the spacecraft’s orientation and safety during splashdown. India’s first human spaceflight is expected to be launched from Sriharikota in 2027.
Scientists discover way to make Aluminium batteries affordable and safer, offering alternative to Lithium
Indian scientists have developed a new composite electrode material that can prevent cracks and damages in aluminium ion batteries and make them affordable, safe and long-lasting, thereby offering a safer and eco-friendlier alternative to lithium-ion batteries, Aluminium-based batteries are gaining increasing attention across the globe. Aluminium is one of the most common metals on Earth, easy to find, inexpensive and having the capacity to store a larger amount of electrical charge than lithium. Aluminium batteries could become an attractive option for future energy storage technologies because of these advantages, but developing practical aluminium batteries has been challenging. The material inside these batteries breaks down quickly during charging and discharging. Over time, the material that stores energy can crack or dissolve into the liquid inside the battery causing the battery to lose its power fast. A popular material called vanadium oxide used for cathode can store a large amount of energy but in water-based aluminium batteries, this tends to dissolve into the battery liquid and as a result the battery loses capacity very quickly and cannot maintain stable performance for long periods. To address this long-standing challenge, a research team from the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences, Bengaluru, worked in collaboration with researchers from Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, Ghaziabad and Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence, Greater Noida. The team combined vanadium oxide with another layered material known as MXene, an extremely thin material that can conduct electricity very efficiently. When these two materials were combined, MXene formed a supportive and conductive network that helped hold the vanadium oxide in place. This design reduced the amount of vanadium that dissolves into the battery liquid by almost 80 percent. The battery was able to operate for a much longer time because of this improved stability. “It demonstrated exceptional stability achieved by suppressing vanadium dissolution, maintaining 73.23 percent capacity after 100 charging cycles and remarkable long-term performance with 59.2 percent retention after 500 cycles,” the researchers said in their study. “We are on the cusp of a new era in energy storage, due to excessive exploitation of oil resources, where alternatives to lithium-ion technology are poised to take the spotlight. One promising contender that has garnered significant interest among researchers is the rechargeable Aluminium-ion batteries, offering a promising substitute to traditional lithium-ion technologies,” the researchers observed.
India marks major nuclear milestone as indigenously built Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor in Tamil Nadu’s Kalpakkam attains criticality
India has recently marked a major milestone in its nuclear energy programme as indigenously designed and built Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) at Kalpakkam in Tamil Nadu attained criticality. The 500 Megawatt electric Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor PFBR is located at Kalpakkam in Tamil Nadu and operated by Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Ltd (BHAVINI). It represents a key component of India’s long-term nuclear strategy. Once fully operational, India will become only the second country after Russia to have a commercial fast breeder reactor. Criticality marks the point at which a nuclear reactor achieves a self-sustaining chain reaction. This is a key milestone before full power generation, indicating that the reactor core is functioning as designed. It strengthens India’s position in advanced nuclear technology and clean energy generation. The project has been built indigenously with contributions from over 200 Indian industries, including several MSMEs, aligning with the government’s push for self-reliance under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative.
First-of-its-kind satellite by Indian start-up flies on SpaceX rocket
An Indian start-up, GalaxEye, rode on a SpaceX on May 4, 2026 to launch a first of its kind satellite that is meant to fill a long-standing gap in space imaging. The satellite, aptly called Drishti, is equipped to take optical images, very much like a normal camera, as well as radar-generated images of the same place at the same time, something that has not been tried before. The optical images ensure clarity and intuitiveness, while radar images, through a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), brings all-weather reliability. For this reason, the company is describing its innovation as Opto-SAR technology. Imaging satellites are generally equipped to take multi-spectral or hyper-spectral (optical) images, or they use SAR. Both of these kinds of satellite data are used extensively. But very often they need to be fused together to get correct information because each one of them has limitations. Multi-spectral images are clear and easy to understand, but they are not effective during cloudy weather or night time, for instance. SAR signals can penetrate clouds and take continuous images, but they are not intuitive. Like X-ray images, they need experts to glean the information. The uniqueness of Drishti is that it has both the sensors that will enable simultaneous imaging. Drishti is the first satellite of GalaxEye, a company started by alumni of IIT Madras. It rode on a Falcon 9 rocket by SpaceX from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, United States, as one of the 45 payloads on the CAS500-2 mission. The launch happened at 1230 pm India time. Drishti, a built-in-India satellite, seeks to solve a familiar problem in space imaging. Users need clear and intuitive images from space that is available at all times. As of now, they often have to use data from multiple satellites, optical data for clarity, and SAR data for continuity and all-weather availability. While the super-imposition of these two datasets often does the needful, it is not without challenges. The two satellites are not watching the same place at the same time, and the angles at which they are watching over a place on Earth can be very different. GalaxEye is one among several Indian space start-ups that are beginning to make their presence felt. Agnikul Cosmos, another start-up from IIT Madras, has built the world’s first 3-D printed rocket engine, while Skyroot has tested India’s first privately built rocket. Companies like Pixxel, Dhruva Space and Bellatrix have been demonstrating impressing innovations in satellite technologies. GalaxEye had to make important technological innovations to ensure that both the imaging sensors are put on the same satellite and operate in sync with each other to produce simultaneous imaging of the same place. The data produced by the satellite will be useful for civilian as well as military purposes.
