A six-pound satellite, designed and built by a team of 50 students at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur was placed into orbit on October 12th by the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle C18 (PSLV-C18) of the India’s Space Research Organization (ISRO). Named Jugnu (firefly), the satellite is just about four...
Combination of lantern and stove addresses needs of India's rural poor
An engineer from my undergraduate school IIT Kanpur who also went to the University of Florida has invented a lantern-cum-stove that lights up a small room while cooking food, an intriguing application of "frugal innovation" for the 600 million rural Indians, many of whom don't have access to reliable electric...
Indian American on National Innovation Council
Fellow IIT Alumnus and friend, Dr. "Desh" Deshpande, was just appointed to the National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship, by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke. The secretary said that the Council will support President Obama's innovation strategy by helping to develop policies that foster entrepreneurship and identifying new...
New currency symbol:more than money for India
No longer will international vendors and consumers alike need to distinguish Indian Currency with “INR.” or "Rs". India’s Finance Ministry has reached a verdict on their national search for a currency symbol. The new symbol, which was submitted by D Udaya Kumar of the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, resembles...
Global Innovation
I was recently asked to moderate a discussion panel on Innovation and Entrepreneurship. The occasion was the Global Alumni Meeting of the Indian Institutes of Technology (www.panIIT2008.org) and the keynote speaker of the day was Bob MacDonald the Chief Operating Officer of Procter & Gamble. My panel had an illustrious...