During the annual STEM Summit - 2024 in Bengaluru, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur, which is well-known for its innovative technological advances, was presented with the coveted STEM Impact Awards 2024 for their effective technology transfer activities.
The Society for Technology Management, or STEM, is a nonprofit organisation that supports technology transfer processes and the professional growth of technology management experts in a variety of fields, including the life sciences, material sciences, information technology, engineering, and law.
This award has been given to IIT Kanpur for the third time in a row, in appreciation of the socioeconomic impact that the technology transfer of the creation of a "Haptic Smartwatch for the Blind and Visually Impaired" has made.
Alwin Wong, Chairman of the Association of Technology Transfer Professionals, presented the award to Professor Ankush Sharma, Professor in-charge of the IIT Kanpur Start-up Incubation and Innovation Centre, and Professor Siddhartha Panda, Department of Chemical Engineering, Coordinator of the National Centre of Flexible Electronics (NCFlexE), IIT Kanpur, on behalf of the university.
In 2022, Professor Siddhartha Panda of the Department of Chemical Engineering and Coordinator of NCFlexE, along with Vishwaraj Srivastava from NCFlexE, an R&D Centre for Flexible Electronics at IIT Kanpur, invented the Haptic Smartwatch. The invention is a reasonably priced smart wearable gadget that uses vibrations to show information on a touch-sensitive tactile interface. This makes it more appropriate for personal use than other audio-based output devices on the market.
IIT Kanpur has shown that it is committed to having a big social effect by aggressively engaging with possible industry partners. Through opportunities and the promotion of creative technical solutions, the institution hopes to further the country's economic and social progress and support the 'Make in India' campaign.
