The Dating Paradigm Edited by- Nithish Kannen Nithish Kannen Designed byHaveen Hrithic and Sharvari Sriram
D
ating in the digital era has made things a lot easier for us, or has it?
The ubiquity of dating apps in today’s world and recent technological developments that favour the same, has made this $5 billion industry a promising breeding ground for hot research. Fascinating things are happening even while you read this. P.s. If you are single, you have more than one reason to read this. Understandably, you might be thinking that you’re getting yourself into a 2-page long rambling about the ‘Tinder Effect’ by the looks of the title. No doubt, Tinder has revolutionised the way people meet potential partners. However, this article, for all its intents and purposes, will keep Tinder out of the mix and instead focus on the bigger picture - with all due respect to the multi-billion-dollar company that has time and again helped us simulate the feeling of being rejected without having to leave the comfort of our house! One technological breakthrough, completely transforms our way of life, only to be outdone by an even better innovation and then become obsolete within the blink of an eye. Such is the nature of the marvellous modern times we are living in. Our digital prowess has enabled us to store and have access to more data than ever before. With more data comes more personalisation! 05 | IIT Tech Ambit / JUNE 2020
Here’s a list of some exciting features that dating apps take into account: Social Circles:
Taste of Music:
A lot of us Indians may find dating strangers unnerving. Incepted to bridge the gap in the Indian market that prefers to have some level of prior trust and connection with their partners, companies are building applications that suggest potential partners from mutual friends circle. This makes online dating much more engaging and adds a level of accountability that’s lacking in the casual and anonymous swiping interface. Research has proved that 7 out of 10 couples in India meet through their mutual friends.
This is arguably one of the foremost things people look for in a match. No doubt we’d prefer our partner vibin’ with us, than not. One dating app that has put this feature into implementation is Bumble. With its partnership with Spotify, Bumble users get matched based on their Spotify history.
Political Inclination: Dating apps such as CandiDate take the user’s political orientation into account to suggest potential partners with similar preferences. These apps are gaining popularity in recent times, owing to the increased political awareness in today’s youth. P.s. - If you’re a Trump supporter, you might find these apps extremely unavailing. It’s not the app; it’s just extremely hard to find someone similar to you.
DNA Matching: Harvard scientists are working on a dating app that can eliminate the human disease for good by matching partners based on their DNA compatibility. Using DNA samples to analyse sexual compatibility between partners is one another hot area of research. Exciting, isn’t it? DNA-based dating apps haven’t yet gone mainstream, but active research is underway, and we just might soon have a robust DNA based recommender. Obviously, this app will not ask you to upload a snap of your DNA or something, so chill!
06 | IIT Tech Ambit / JUNE 2020
The Deep Learning Era There’s almost no field that’s left un-influenced by modern Deep Learning Techniques. Unsurprisingly, Deep Learning has made early inroads to the dating arena as well. It not only manages to give exceptional results when trained on massive datasets, which every big company invariably possesses, it has also helped researchers solve an age-old and classic problem of having to hard code algorithms. Deep learning enables researchers to build a model that, in turn, builds a model that figures how to learn from the dataset by mimicking the human brain.
Understanding the sequence and sentiment of the words used: Sequence models such as RNNs (Recurrent Neural Networks) and LSTMs (Long Short Term Memory Systems) perform an excellent job on data that is sequential,i.e., where prediction requires not only information about the current input, but information of all the previous inputs. Isn’t this how humans form sentences? The next word we are about to say depends not only on the last word but on all the words that we’ve uttered until that point (obviously, I’m talking about just one conversation!). These RNNs are strategic modifications of a simple neural network to accommodate sequential data. These RNNs, when trained on a sufficiently large dataset, can learn to give out a sentiment score of a text.
Here’s how Deep Learning has revolutionized the dating arena:
Chatbots:
Natural Language Processing
Modern-day chatbots use advanced sequential models, which have the capability of remembering a story that it reads and answering questions based on the same. A straightforward version of it uses Memory Networks.
Sentiment analysis is performed on the user’s chat history, and people with similar sentiment quotients are suggested to the user. This is no doubt, an exciting and promising area of research. While chatbots have made a mark in most fields that one can think of, it has come extremely handy to dating app users. These chatbots suggest things the user could say in a live chat. Bam! Let us look at how this is done.
Encoding words into a meaningful vector: Each word is assigned a word embedding, a realvalued vector in high dimensional space, where the similarity between words in terms of meaning translates to closeness in the vector space. These word embeddings help our algorithm to understand the meaning of the words to some extent. When these word vectors are embedded in 3-D space, similar words appear close to each other. There are many state of the art algorithms used to train these word embeddings. One popular method is the Glove Vectorization. 07 | IIT Tech Ambit / JUNE 2020
Recommender Systems It is safe to say that advancement in this technology has single-handedly managed to screw up our sleep cycles to an extent where breakfast is the new dinner. How many times have we got stuck in a seemingly endless loop of Youtube recommendations that neatly coerce us to click on video after video. At times, we try and convince ourselves that it’s just the moonlight shining through our window at 5:30 in the morning! Believe it or not, the simplest of recommender systems used by many dating apps today use an algorithm based on high school mathematics! The user’s interests and history, which are either explicitly collected or implicitly learned by the algorithm, are encoded into a feature vector. Now, the similarity between the feature vectors of two individuals is calculated using the Cosine Similarity, which is simply the dot product of the vectors divided by its magnitudes. Higher the value, greater the match.
Facial Recognition This revolutionary feature has enabled dating apps to understand human facial features. Dating apps can now handpick profiles based on the user’s history of likes and dislikes. This way the user gets suggested profiles tailor-made to suit the facial features that he/she may find appealing. Fake profile detection is at it’s best with state of the art Facial Recognition. Humans can effortlessly process information obtained from multiple sensory inputs and have the ability to recognize individuals even with limited correlation, but how does a computer learn to do the same? Let us dive deep into the technicalities of this groundbreaking technology that can scour thousands of images to find something similar to what you’re looking for:
Face detection: From human analysis, it has been observed that the regions around the eyes and mouth are the most discriminating aspects between 2 individuals. Adaboost or similar face detection methods are used to detect face and eye-mouth coordinates. The detected face region, along with eye-mouth coordinates, serves as the region for feature selection. The innermost circular region is selected based on the triangle connecting the eyesmouth coordinates. Four more regions are selected using the inter-eye distance as the diameter: Inter-Eye Region
Fact:
Left Eye Region
Before it was the video sharing giant it is today, YouTube began as a dating site.
Right Eye Region
One popularly used classifier is the Support Vector Machine(SVM). This algorithm uses an n-dimensional optimal hyperplane to separate the data into two different classes. This way, the algorithm learns to identify the percentage of similarity between 2 faces. Decision(probe) = { Accept, if SVM output > t { Reject, otherwise.
Feature extraction: Neural networks such as CNNs(Convolutional Neural Networks) or GNNs are used for this purpose. These neural networks have thousands of small and interconnected nodes, like the neurons in the brain. With these nodes, the neural networks learn to understand complex interdependencies in the data. For a given face image, the feature extraction process is performed separately for all ten face regions mentioned earlier, i.e., computation of 10 phase features, one for each region. These phase features are stored in the database, and during querying, these features are matched using Hamming distance. The algorithm, then finally generates a match score vector, S( 1*10 vector ), where each element Si, (i = 1, · · ·, 10) is associated with one of the ten face regions. Each of these match scores is in the range [0, 1] where 0 represents perfect accept, and 1 represents ideal reject.
Mouth Region.
Classification: This is the final step in the process. For lookalike cases, different facial regions may provide conflicting decisions. In such cases, a nonlinear classifier is used that can efficiently address these confounding match scores. 08 | IIT Tech Ambit / JUNE 2020
Social Acceptance While we could go on bragging about our technological progress that has enabled us to find our soulmate with a swipe of the mobile screen, millennials often criticize modern dating, comparing it with the way people shop online for goods-in virtual marketplaces, where they can easily filter out features they do and don’t want.
09 | IIT Tech Ambit / JUNE 2020
They claim that human-to-human matches are less predictable, and developing algorithms on trends does not make any sense. They also criticize the breach of privacy protocols in many dating apps. As there are two sides to a coin, there are two schools of thought on this matter. All we can say with surety is that we live in exciting times.
1
2
3
4
5
10
11
14 18
15 19
16
23
26
27
40
28
29
18. 21.
27. 38. 42. 45. 49. 52.
53.
42
@iit_techambit
32
33
36
37
43
44 47
53
48 51
54
55
56
Down
from certain genes of the same name found in bacteria. Hint- You may change the genes of potatoes to make the chips _ _ _ _ _ _ (Acronym) An alternative to Cascading Style Sheets, used in web development which uses a different web design language than that used in CSS. The effects of the hormone Oxytocin were initially attributed to the actions of this Roman God. The hardest of all igneous rocks, formed when lava cools over an incredibly long period of time. Richard Feynman, a Nobel Prize winning physicist was also known for his skill in playing this percussion instrument (singular). A device or computer program which encodes data for transmission or storage and then decodes it when the time comes for viewing. Its name is a portmanteau of the words ‘coder’ and ‘decoder’. An old English word for a violent atmospheric phenomenon involving low barometric pressures and high precipitation. A non-lethal weapon whose name is derived from the phrase ‘Thomas A Swift’s Electric Rifle’, the weapon itself being an ‘Electric Rifle’ of sorts. A delicacy which can be seen riding conveyor belts and in the hands of robots in the Land of the Rising Sun To cut excessively. Ridges of jagged rock, coral, or sand just above or immediately below the surface of the sea. The most famous example is along the coast of Australia. This object used in a popular winter sport moves over snow to create a thin layer of water over it using heat due to friction. It then slides in this thin layer of water, accomplishing speeds of up to 150 kilometres per hour! A word which literally means ‘cause to be’, used to refer to generating a 2D or 3D model using a computer program from inputs given.
IIT Tech Ambit
41
52
Send in submissions to our social media handles!
31
50
Across
16.
25
46
1. A process used to modify genomes, whose name is derived
12.
30
49
Credits: Martin Jose
7.
17
24
45
Tech Ambit Crossword
9 13
35 39
8
21
34
#1
7 12
20
22
38
6
1. An important component of internal combustion engines,
now widely replaced by fuel injectors.
5. This variation of the stick is involved in the rapid 7.
8. 9. 12. 13. 15. 29. 32. 39. 40.
41. 42.
interconversion of potential energy into kinetic energy while in use. A Roman Goddess who has an interplanetary mission of NASA named after her. The mission involves a probe sent to investigate a very large planet named after her husband. A process ID used in SQL Servers, used to identify each process performed by the server (acronym). The active _ _ _ _ is the region in an enzyme where substrate molecules bind and undergo chemical reaction. A component in computers used to store frequently used data so that it can be accessed faster when required. A software which outputs the source code from already compiled code. An individual thing or person regarded as single and completebut which can also form an individual component of a larger or more complex whole. A short form used to refer to a popular German carmaker, whose three-pronged logo is meant to symbolize the company’s dominance over air, land and sea. An action performed in mathematics textbooks whenever someone wants to demonstrate 50% probability. The biological name for a class of warm-blooded feathered vertebrates with beaks. This is an action performed to skip unentertaining portions of media, formerly performed by rolling cassette tape. This action was first given a name by Windows Media Player, which likened it to ‘searching'. A short form used to denote the Imaginary error function in mathematics. A red, painful lump near the edge of the eyelid that may develop when the small glands that line the eyelid get plugged.
https://iit-techambit.in
10 | IIT Tech Ambit / JUNE 2020
Studying the novel virus to create an indigenous bodysuit - SMST, IIT Kharagpur Edited by - Rajdeep Sarkar Designed by - Soumyadeep Nandi & Keerti Charantimath
11 | IIT Tech Ambit / JUNE 2020
Amid the pandemic, almost every research and development institute came forward to contribute and press their full potential into anything that could help the world. We are glad that the Ministry of Human Resource Development has addressed IIT Kharagpur to undertake seven projects that can be executed shortly to fight viral and bacterial diseases, although the main focus will be to resist the present predator of mankind, the novel Coronavirus.
Among the seven projects, one aims at developing a bodysuit for patients to prevent the spread of the infection. Professor Nishant Chakravorty from the School of Medical Science and Technology along with his research scholar Mrs. Lopamudra Das and Dr. Rashmi Sinha, a visiting consultant(Gynecology & Obstetrics) at the prestigious B.C. Roy Technology Hospital are presently working on it. We were fortunate to have interviewed them.
The route to build-up It has been planned so far that the group will primarily focus on indigenous phytochemicals (chemicals derived from plant sources) with potent antiviral and antimicrobial properties. The general idea is to develop an antiviral cocktail that is based on either water or alcohol or organic solvents or oil derivatives depending on the stability, maximum retention time on bodysuit material, and possible inhibition of the infectious agents by utilizing the extracts from various herbs that are native to South Asia. The possible herbal candidates are going to be turmeric (Curcuma longa), tulsi (Ocimum sanctum), and garlic(Allium sativum). These herbs are the main focus because they have shown their deterrent behavior towards several categories of viruses and opens the doors of immense
possibilities to target and combat SARS-CoV 2 in particular. Besides, these herbs will also effectuate a broad range of antimicrobial activities and other health benefits without reflecting any side effects. The plan here is to build a virus protective bodysuit that is to be mustered into three layers;The top layer is going to be a non-absorbable, water repellant, and breathable material. The possible material to be used for fabricating is a spun-bond-polypropylene or polyester. The rationale for selecting such polymeric material is that it will serve as a barrier for a virus or other infectious agents from outside to get absorbed on the surface of the bodysuit. The non-woven spunbond polypropylene provides excellent properties like high strength and durability.
12 | IIT Tech Ambit / JUNE 2020
both the material in a single fabric. To summarize, the idea behind creating different layers of bodysuit for patients is to minimize the spread of infection, creates a protective barricade between patients and the healthcare professionals, and to contain and confine the infectious materials from patients. In order to fight against the pathogenic agents, the antiviral cocktail layer is added to the middle layer. The uniqueness of the bodysuit lies in its layering, if the virus or other microbes breach the top layer and get absorbed, it will reach the antiviral coated layer and get inactivated or will lose its pathogenicity. Similarly, the infective agents released by patients will also get trapped in the mid-layer.
Source: School of Medical Science and Technology, IIT Kharagpur
The mid-layer serves to sustain the coated antiviral agents, and thus plays a role in inactivating the viruses possibly via different mechanisms. The absorbent pads of medical-grade coated with an antiviral cocktail on both sides serve a better purpose. The innermost layer in contact with the patient’s body will be made of comfortable blended material of cotton and other fabrics like hemp or linen with benefits of
13 | IIT Tech Ambit / JUNE 2020
Source: School of Medical Science and Technology, IIT Kharagpur
Novel virus paving a smooth path to interact with the host cells
Source: 2020 The University of Tokyo.
The Infection cycle of coronavirus involves a chain of biological mechanisms. Firstly, the spike proteins present on the surface of the virus, act as a piece of the multifunctional molecular machinery that is solely responsible for mediating the virus into the host cells. Through one of its subunits, it binds to a specific receptor site of the host cell, namely Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). And with another subunit, it successfully fuses the viral and the host membranes and thus enables the RNA to enter into the host cell’s nucleus. As a result of which the viral RNA uses the host cell’s RNA polymerase(an enzyme that synthesizes RNA from a DNA template) to start the replication and proliferation processes. Finally, newly spike proteins generated by translation
of the newly synthesized mRNA(messenger RNA, which carries the genetic sequence of a gene) and RNAs by replication processes are assembled to give new viruses. Likely, the disintegrations of the host cells occur by rupture of the cell membrane to release the viruses.
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Coronavirus_virion_structure.svg
14 | IIT Tech Ambit / JUNE 2020
Availing theAvailing way to block the way to block The prepared blend of extracts from the forementioned indigenous herbs can act as a potential inhibitor against the structural proteins of the coronavirus namely spike, envelope, and membrane either individually or in combinations depending upon the chemical nature of the cocktail and can ostensibly degrade them. The degradation of structural proteins causes inhibition of the virus attachment, fusion of the virus molecules with the host membrane, and finally entry into the host cells which can cause the resistance to the viral infection. The cocktail is potentially enabled to disrupt the viral envelope which initiates the lysis of the virus, fragmenting the envelope causes the virus to lose its functional receptors which are primarily responsible to transfuse its components into the host cell. Since the genome of novel coronavirus is a positive-sense, single-stranded RNA, the antiviral cocktail can function to inactivate its mRNA and thus blocks the replication, reverse transcription(DNA stably stores the genetic material in the nuclei of cells as a reference, transcription is a biological process by which the information in a strand of DNA is
15 | IIT Tech Ambit / JUNE 2020
copied into a new molecule of messenger RNA), and translation(synthesis of proteins in the cell) processes of the virus. Also, as the coronavirus reflects a tricky behavior by applying multiple entry strategies based on host tropism and pathogenicity, accordingly another important task of the remedial product is to clog the protease, which will presumably hinder the replication and pathogenesis of the virus.
Source: School of Medical Science and Technology, IIT Kharagpur
On the commercial path According to the research group, it will be a foundational deed if they successfully present us a promising bodysuit for patients with an ability to contain the infectious agents that will not only fight the deleterious virus but also it will be smoothly available to all the economic layers of the society - vital progress can be made in this regard, as the raw materials are going to be cheap and naturally procurable. The bodysuit for the patient needs to be lightweight, comfortable, and breathable; thus it becomes a primary concern to fabricate a bodysuit with the abovementioned indispensable features in it. Therefore, they are looking up for extremely lightweight synthetic, natural, and blended fabrics with their possible advantages, properties, and applications. For now, they are close to finalizing materials for different layers, but preliminary work related to the optimization of the antiviral cocktail and checking its efficacy needs to perform.
According to the research groups, till the opted material for bodysuit is not available, it’s difficult to comment on the time duration needed to execute the manufacturing process; the main reason for hindering the whole process is the nationwide lockdown. Within such a dire period, a set of strategies has been laid down by them to make the bodysuit more effective for patients once the laboratory activity resumes they will go for testing the optimized antiviral cocktail for its efficacy, toxicity to host cells and possible mode of action on pseudovirus. Once the suit is fabricated and tested in-vitro, they are going to have an insight of its prophylactic demeanor on the patients. On usage, if it prescribes successful indications, then they will send a prototype to the company to do the required modifications in suits and then to various official regulatory bodies for scrutiny, approval, and finally to get it licensed. Once that’s done successfully, they will move ahead for the markets.
16 | IIT Tech Ambit / JUNE 2020
From Planetary Rovers to Microsurgeries– Soft Robotics: Shaping the Future Edited by- Jasmine Jerry & Gargi Das Designed by- Soham Saha & Shalmali Sriram
members under tension are contiguous but members under compression are not). These robots are expected to change their form under different circumstances, depending on the necessity of conditions.
We all remember Baymax, the big white robot
from the movie Big Hero. Ever wondered how cool it would be to have such soft robots all around us? Yes, researchers are working on soft, squishy robots which might bring up a revolution in the robotics industry. In India, IIT Indore, IIT Delhi and IIT Madras have already begun innovation on soft robots. This branch of robotics, called “Soft Robotics” is aimed at building shape-shifting robots from tensegrity structures (characteristic properties of a stable three-dimensional structure where
17 | IIT Tech Ambit / JUNE 2020
Soft robotics is expected to have a vast range of applications stretching from the macro to the micro-level. The Berkeley Emergent Space Tensegrities (BEST) Lab under Dr. Alice Agogino has been funded by NASA to create a shape-shifting tensegrity planetary rover that achieved unique records in the ability to tread on rough terrain in Moon simulations and physical testing on Earth. On the contrary, researchers at MIT have been preparing squishy robots for micro tasks at the living tissue level. A semi-solid robot changing into a fluid substance that can easily fit through gaps, and adjust according to available space like an alien creature in a Hollywood movie, is no longer limited to just fiction!
What are squishy robots made of? It is only imaginable that something like squishy robots will be made of extraordinary and unusual material. There are a few properties that are needed to make efficient robots. Soft jelly-like substances may be easily accommodated, but rigidity is an absolute requirement for picking up things or having
a firm grip. The material should be able to transform itself from a rigid to non-rigid state as required. It would be an inevitable disaster if such robots are damaged in a process and are unable to heal themselves. Thus, such robots should have self-healing properties.
Flexibility of materialState of the art: This might sound a bit complicated, but the researchers at MIT found out a rather simple material, foam in wax. You can simply put a polyurethane foam in a melted wax bath and exploit the properties of foam and wax both. The foam was chosen because of its remarkable compressive properties and wax because it can easily change from hard to soft form depending on temperature, which can be controlled by a wire carrying current. Also, heating the wax would reduce it to liquid form, which will heal any kind of damage in the structure. Notably, this material is also low cost and sounds simple. Annette Hosoi, a professor of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mathematics at MIT, also speaks on the possibility of using unconventional materials like magnetorheological and electrorheological fluids. These are fluids with particles suspended inside and can be changed from solid to liquid forms by applying magnetic and electric fields, respectively.
18 | IIT Tech Ambit / JUNE 2020
Photo credits: https://pin.it/R4MiC1k
Advantages of a soft robot Soft robots are expected to have a wide variety of advantages and use over hard and rigid robots. They can squish, twist, turn, wrap arounad objects, something quite unimaginable with rigid robots. • Adds the feature of tensegrity for impact resistance • Function in rough and uneven terrain without damage • Can fuse data for diagnostic, supervisory and manufacturing control • Applicable in almost all realms Squishy Robotics, a new startup based in Berkeley, claims the HazMat (Hazardous Material) and the CBRNE (Chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive) industry as their target markets. Their technology is a fusion of robotics, mobile sensing, ML, big data fusion and smart IoT (Internet of Things). This emergent technology they believe can be used for space research, disaster management, and remote monitoring. There would be origami robots that can perform surgeries, squeeze through awkward places inside our bodies, without affecting the vital organs, maybe even hold one organ with one arm and perform surgeries with the other arm. Or perhaps a robot that can change form and slide through a door gap. 19 | IIT Tech Ambit / JUNE 2020
Soft Robotics Labs in India IIT Indore develops Jellyfish Type Soft Robot The Mechatronics and Instrumentation lab of Indian Institute of Technology Indore headed by Professor I A Palani, has developed a soft robotic jellyfish that can observe marine life without influencing their behaviour. This robot is noiseless, unlike the hard mechanical robots containing motors. Shape metal alloy (SMA) is the smart material used here, which claims to retain its shape and can recover from induced deformation. We were fortunate to interact with him on his innovation, and he has answered them beautifully. We contacted Prof. I A Palani, of IIT Indore who developed a soft robotic jellyfish in his lab. Here is an excerpt of what he said about his project:
What was the inspiration behind this project? Ans: Conventional bio-inspired robots are made of rigid materials and complicated mechanisms actuated by motors, that limit their performance due to lack of flexibility. Marine life monitoring based on conventional motor-driven bio-inspired robot creates more noise, and it may disturb the marine species. In this project, the alternative actuators based on soft materials have been explored which are capable of producing flexible and complex movements.
What is the advantage of using the jellyfish model over other marine species? Ans: Many different aquatic animals have provided inspiration for novel robot design features, including the octopus, turtle, fish, manta ray, and jellyfish. Among these, jellyfish have been classified as highly efficient swimmers, so they are an excellent candidate for underwater robot design inspiration. 20 | IIT Tech Ambit / JUNE 2020
It has been stated this robot has been specially made to observe without causing any harm to marine life. But what features have the robot been bestowed with in order to protect itself in such high pressure and rough terrains in the ocean bed? Ans: The proposed shape memory alloy-based jellyfish robot is a noiseless actuator which enables it to go near marine species without disturbing it. The proposed SMA/polyimide composite flexible structure can protect itself from high pressure and rough terrains in the ocean bed. The robot has an inbuilt camera in it to capture the rough terrains and objects and send a signal to the remote control location in case of any emergency.
Many marine species are known for being hostile to each other. How will the robot protect itself under such circumstances? How is it designed to react to stimuli? Ans: The SMA wire produces heat during actuation, which can protect itself from other creatures. The inbuilt camera can capture the objects and send a signal to the remote control location in case of any emergency.
21 | IIT Tech Ambit / JUNE 2020
When can we see this wonderful invention be deployed in the realworld (for Naval forces and marine researchers)? Ans: The skeletal structure and its actuation characteristics have been analyzed with varying frequency and varying SMA wire diameter. The SMA/polyimide-based jellyfish robot prototype has been developed and tested its locomotion characteristics in the laboratory level water channel. A detailed hydrodynamic analysis is under progress. It would take another year to deploy and test in the real world.
Where do you see the applications of Soft Robotics to be most useful in the coming years? Ans: Soft robotics is going to have a significant impact on human-robot interaction where human safety is a major concern. The conventional robots made up of rigid links and joints will be replaced with soft structures and smart materials for handling complex shapes and soft objects. It will play an essential role in the development of bio-inspired robots which need soft skeletal structures and flexibility to mimic the living creatures for underwater surveillance applications accurately.
Biomechanics and Soft Robotics Lab, IIT Delhi Professor Sitikantha Roy heads the soft robotics lab at Indian Institute of Technology Delhi. He has worked with his student Vivek Dorli to develop an EMG (Electromyographic) controlled soft-robotic hand-like manipulator. We had the opportunity to ask our queries on this field and its potential in future. We, as a result of this, bring you his enthusiastic replies:
What roadblocks and challenges did your team face while working on it? What is the inspiration behind this project? When did this begin? Ans: When we think of robots working in collaboration with humans or the prospect of wearable robotics, the current hard form factor makes little sense. The human body is soft in nature, and for man-machine to have a proper and useful meaning, a machine needs to be soft in its build. This basically is the motivation to embed automation control into soft material made shape-basically soft robots. Our lab's research expertise is in biomechanics, smart material structure, and soft active material. Soft robotics need all of these in one single place, so naturally, we were inclined to work in this direction from the beginning itself.
Where do you see the potential future of soft robotics? Ans: Huge. Every place wherever you see humans working in collaboration with robots in close proximity, soft robots will come into the picture. Industrial robotics revolution was mostly carried forward by hard robots; the next-generation collaborative robotics will be driven by soft robotics.
Ans: There are a few technical challenges involvedi. Modelling challenge: It is much more complicated than conventional hard robot modelling. Being soft brings material nonlinearity into the picture. The governing equations are space and time-dependent partial differential equations (PDEs). ii. Control system design challenge: Hard robots are a finite degree of freedom system. On the contrary soft robots have infinite DOFs. Naturally, control system design is challenging for inherently under-actuated, nonlinear systems.
Is your lab collaborating with the industry and government on projects? Will we see any labs and private startups and companies that would soon bring soft robotics products into the market? Ans: Yes. We are working with DRDO labs, private hospitals like ISIC etc. There is enormous potential for startups taking soft robotic devices into the market. Wearable robotics, soft medical robotics, and soft robotics in space application are some of the areas of interest in our lab. 22 | IIT Tech Ambit / JUNE 2020
Robotics Lab, IIT Madras Professor Asokan Thondiyath and his student Kumar Surjdeo Singh of Department of Engineering Design, IIT Madras have developed a soft bidirectional actuator for human-robot interactions. Their research paper “Design and Analysis of a soft bidirectional actuator for human-robot interaction” presents a fluid powered actuator that is quite different from the conventional ones used. Pneumatic or hydraulic modes are used to drive it. The advantage of this actuator will be in its capability to provide an extra degree of freedom for the same number of pressure inputs as compared to its conventional counterpart. It is also noteworthy that it can be modified to improve the actuation further. The paper states that the device needs to be “flexible, lightweight, and should be able to accomplish effortless grasping of a variety of objects”. This will prove to be of good use for a user who depends on a robotic device for performing daily activities, such as a person with a partially impaired hand.
Soft Robots influenced by biological models Soft robots can come in different designs and shapes. Many of these come in shapes and styles of different animals and insects. The idea behind such robots was highly motivated by the advantages nature has granted to animals like octopuses and jellyfish. This trend is collectively called bio-inspired designs. 23 | IIT Tech Ambit / JUNE 2020
• Researchers at Wyss Institute, Harvard have developed robots named ‘Robobees’ using bees as an inspiration. They are about the size of a penny and powered by soft artificial muscles. • MIT’s Computer Science & Artificial Intelligence Lab (CSAIL) have developed a soft robotic fish “SoFi”, capable of swimming along with real fish in the ocean. Robot fish can be beneficial in escape manoeuvres and can change direction in a fraction of seconds. • The Octobot is a robot octopus, built by a team at Wyss Institute at Harvard, and it has no rigid parts whatsoever. It is pliable, with no batteries, no circuits, it is totally 3D printed out of silicon rubber. It is 6.7 inches in width and is smaller than an average human palm. It is powered by hydrogen peroxide which starts as a liquid, gradually transforming into gas and filling up the robot-like an inflated balloon. • Researchers at UC Berkeley have created robotic cockroaches that can work for disaster search and rescue. • Robotic worms and threads developed at MIT can crawl inside your bodies and may be used for medical purposes. These can be used to detect and treat blot clots and other surgical procedures. • The X-shaped soft robot created by Whitesides Research Group at Harvard is made of silicon that uses a pneumatic system network embedded inside it. It is controlled by a simple Arduino board and can squirm over a fire, across ice and survive under a car tire.
• Versabal is a gripper forged by the University of Chicago and Cornell University. The main idea behind this is the “jamming transition” which is the jamming of granular objects to form a solid when vacuum packed but remains
mostly liquid otherwise. It is a really efficacious suction cup. This is comparatively simpler than coding for the hand movements for a rigid robot which would also include functions of a finger.
Photo Credits: https://pin.it/8voQacY
Challenges faced by Soft Robots Soft robotics is still a burgeoning field. Although a few robots have left labs and are out in the market, researchers are still anticipating their zenith. It should be noted that the “soft, squishy” robots are not entirely “soft”. Some soft robots still consist of fundamental robot parts like circuits, batteries and other electronic components which are ‘hard’. These components work well and hence are still in use. This has posed a restriction for soft robots. Finding their “soft” alternatives is challenging, and the search is still going on. Besides, it becomes complicated to think of sources of power for delicate and small robots which can be flexible and pliable like the robot itself.
The task of instilling the capability of sensing the environment and reacting to the stimuli accordingly, is challenging, owing to the above point. Even if this is achieved, it would be tricky to manage such a system. There is also a considerable possibility of damage to the robot due to environmental changes. The sole purpose of inventing any new technology is the improvement of the quality of work. The very idea of soft robots came from the necessity of robots that need to be agile and efficient. So apart from sturdy design, efficiency and quality would be a huge driving factor towards the usage of this technology. The immediate target is thus set, not to manufacture completely soft robots but almost soft robots.
24 | IIT Tech Ambit / JUNE 2020
The Indian Electric Vehicle bottleneck - and a startup’s solution
Edited By Archi Banerjee and Piyush Kumar
W
e all know how where the future for the automotive industry lies. Reduced emissions, lesser dependency on fossil fuels, much better performance than the traditional IC (Internal Combustion) Engines place Electric Vehicles (EVs) at a much better position to be adopted as a transportation alternative for the future. Most countries are pursuing this goal seriously - The Netherlands and Norway want to ban the sale of ICE vehicles in favour of EVs by 2025. The UK and France want to phase out ICE vehicles by 2040. The UK has said it won’t even allow vehicles running on traditional fuel to ply on its roads from 2050. India too has been very proactive with regards to phasing out ICE vehicles in favour of EVs. The Government has set the goal of only having Electric Vehicles sold in the Indian market by 2030, as part of its commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions under the Paris Agreement on climate change, and to reduce spending on oil imports, which, according to one
Designed By Chanikya Gupta and Haveen Hrithic
estimate, could double to an annual $300 billion by that year if spending is not reduced. While it is a very ambitious move and a step in the right direction, several industry leaders find this to be an extreme step. The target should be a “little more moderate..,” said Pawan Goenka, managing director of Mahindra, which makes electric cars such as the E20 and e-Verito. India should move a lot more aggressively than others, but be “more moderate than being 100% electric vehicles by 2030”, he said. Amidst all the second thoughts about the state of the industry in India, there is one bright spot that might prove to be an indication of better things to come in the industry - a startup named Ather Energy. But first, let us understand why an electric vehicle is much more than just an environmentally sound choice, and what are the pre existing problems that necessitate the presence of startups like Ather.
The Electric Vehicle on an Indian road A strategic benefita There are reasons for the Government to aggressively pursue the electric vehicle utopia. The environmental benefits of Electric Vehicles are very well known and they make EVs a very viable solution for India’s pollution problem, which has been majorly contributed to by automo-
25 | IIT Tech Ambit / JUNE 2020
bile related emissions. There are scientific benefits as well - EVs are around 3-5 times more efficient than IC engines in utilising energy. EVs can deliver higher torque at low speeds, as a result they deliver far better performance than ICE Vehicles on tricky terrains.
Even considering these significant improvements in several parameters, the fact remains that the Indian EV industry and infrastructure is not yet capable of high end R&D while also mass producing EVs at such a level that they can replace the ICE Vehicle by 2030. Any unprecedented move that is not gradual may upset infant and struggling EV manufacturers across India and may end up reducing the appeal of the market for EVs in India. Then why such an aggressive stance? India has currently the fourth largest automotive industry in the world. The automotive industry contributes over 45% to the manufacturing sector of the GDP. The automotive industry is a driver of growth as it has a strong multiplier effect and has
deep forward and backward linkages with the rest of the industry in transportation and logistics. India has one of the cheapest skilled labour forces in the world, and that could make India a global provider for clean mobility solutaions and induce a much needed spurt in exports. Couple that with the fact that India’s current expenditure on crude oil imports (for 2014-15, $112bn) will be much reduced when EVs pickup steam as the dependency on fossil fuel imports reduce - and we begin to see the major economic advantage that electric vehicles entail, as well as the energy solution they provide. A solid EV industry in place would improve India’s trade balance and also relieve it of its National Fuel Security concerns - a much needed economic and strategic relief.
26 | IIT Tech Ambit / JUNE 2020
Problems in the Electric Vehicle Market and Industry: Despite the ambitions of the government, hurdles remain. The biggest hurdle in the EV market is the lack of demand and a lack of consumer awareness about the benefits of EVs both in terms of personal economy and environmental effects. In India, initially most of the electric
vehicles that were developed and sold had poor consistency, low life, very high cost of the battery and in turn high cost of the vehicle. The only selling point for these expensive vehicles was that these are environmentally a much better choice, which isn’t exactly a major selling point by itself.
The Battery issue On the supply side too, there are several problems. Battery cells account for 55-70% of an EV’s price, and are very expensive. Ideally such a problem can be dealt with a two pronged approach: 1. Designing of low cost batteries via R&D efforts to find cheaper alternative materials which can be found in abundance inside our country, and 2. Localising the supply chain and bringing the manufacturing process inside our country. India currently lacks in both these fields. The preferred choice of batteries are Lithium(Li) ion batteries which have very high energy density and low discharge rate which makes them able to deliver sustained high performance. India here faces a two fold problem: 1. There has been no large enough investment in mining lithium reserves in the country that can provide for its mass mobile electrification plan, 2. This lack of investment and in natural reserves has caused India to procure these batteries at very high import rates, and lack of manufacturing inside the country has resulted in absence of major supply chains and any concerted efforts towards designing cheaper batteries. Worse still, overdependence on imports may further damage the very trade balance that India seeks to restore by making a shift to Electric Vehicles Another major problem in the EV industry is the lack of charging infrastructure. India was reported to have 650 charging stations in 2018, whereas China had over
27 | IIT Tech Ambit / JUNE 2020
456K charging points in the same year. In addition to charging points, the lack of private parking spaces is also noted as a hindrance for electric vehicles adoption, and the lack of affordable renewable energy means charging EVs is putting a toll on the already stressed coal-powered electricity grid. According to auto giant Maruti Suzuki’s research, 60% of Indian customers don’t have their own parking space. “There is no way they can charge the vehicle, therefore they won’t adopt it,” said C V Raman, senior executive director (engineering) of Maruti Suzuki India.
Government EV Policy flip-flops In terms of Government EV policy, while the overall outlook of the Government towards adoption of electric vehicles has been positive and even ambitious at times, their policy has at times been shaky. India unveiled the ‘National Electric Mobility Mission Plan 2020’ in 2013 to address the issues of National energy security, vehicular pollution and growth of domestic manufacturing capabilities. The NEMMP 2020 proposes solutions to several of the problems mentioned above, like boosting R&D capabilities in the country, developing manufacturing units and localised supply chains, creating necessary critical infrastructure to facilitate the operation of these vehicles, and also spurring demand amongst the public. There have been positive steps in the recent past, like proposing to increase customs duty on imports of electric vehicles across all relevant categories, and slashing GST rates on Electric Vehicles from 12 percent to 5 percent. As a part of its NEMMP 2020 roadmap, the government has run the “Faster Adoption and Man-
ufacturing of Electric vehicles” Scheme in two phases, 2015-19 and 2019-22. The second phase of this scheme featured a much higher government spending(10,000 crore Rupees as opposed to 895 crore Rupees in the first phase), more emphasis on localisation and a capping of the extent of subsidy on EV sales to 20% of the cost of vehicles (40% for buses). Under this scheme the government has floated tenders for developing charging infrastructure, and has subsidised the sales of electric vehicles that will be used for commercial purposes. This is in direct contrast to the FAME-I scheme, where the government had subsidised the sales of all electric vehicles, regardless of personal or commercial use. However, this move has come under a lot of criticism from industry leaders, who are saying that the EV industry in India is now learning to operate without government assistance, as about only 10% of EVs sold under the FAME-I scheme were employed in commercial uses. A view that is held by a majority of automobile industry players, is that the government has not shown complete commitment even though it is moving in the right direction.
Ather Energy: Paving the way for the Electric Vehicle Industry in India A major reason for the EV revolution getting delayed in India is because major incumbent players in the automobile industry are iterating the same processes and are going ahead with the same outlook with which they are used to in the traditional ICE Vehicle industry. The automotive industry in India, as in the rest of the world, is a very well established industry that already records still
growing profits from the sale of traditional ICE vehicles. Due to the policy flip flops of the Government , lack of charging infrastructure, lack of consumer awareness, and a host of other reasons, these players are finding it hard to redirect their swelling profits to the majorly unstable Indian EV industry. This makes the relatively fresher auto startups more well suited to take up the challenge of India’s vehicle electrification.
28 | IIT Tech Ambit / JUNE 2020
Here is where Ather Energy enters the scene. Founded in 2013 by IIT Madras alumni Tarun Mehta and Swapnil Jain, this very special startup has offered unique solutions and insights to solve the problems surrounding the EV industry: be it the market appeal of the product, its parameters against its market price, requisite infrastructure and the problem of range anxiety. Ather’s speciality is not just that it brings a better product to the market, it also brings an ecosystem for that product, a model for other startups and players to learn from in this field, and a much needed sheen required to sell any new product. Ather Energy develops all of their technology in house, for example: Battery Management System (AKA the brain of the vehicle) built entirely by the people at Ather, that helps monitor all the cells, voltage, current, load, and temperature. It helps track the performance of the battery pack on a daily basis, and it has inbuilt algorithms that learn continuously about the usage and performance of its battery packs. The software of the BMS can be modified to improve battery life and efficiency by algorithms that learn from one’s driving style and battery
29 | IIT Tech Ambit / JUNE 2020
usage trends. To add to their unorthodox business model that hinges around hardcore engineering, Ather has also come up with their own charging network, and a facilitating app for the same - Ather Grid. As a part of this project, Ather has already established several charging stations in Bangalore and Chennai. Even though a very new player, Ather energy has definitely come up with a very solid plan to make electric vehicles mainstream. They have countless other innovations to boast of - be it the Ather Energy app which leverages IoT to create their own remote diagnostics technology and software upgrade capabilities, or the Ather One ‘service on the go’(an all-inone servicing solution that covers the cost of fuel (the electricity bill), maintenance, consumables, labour charge, and roadside assistance — all for a reasonable INR 700 per month). All of these innovations get this point across: that if at all the electric vehicle industry is to explode someday in India, it has to be through hard and smart engineering, futuristic innovation aimed at capturing the consumer’s mind, and by completely rethinking the structure and integration of the automobile industry.
“The Indian Electric Vehicle trajectory is uncertain. It is imperative that innovative startups like Ather Energy lead the way to a clean future.�
30 | IIT Tech Ambit / JUNE 2020
Tracing Gravitational Waves Deciphering The Stories Cosmic Ripples Tell
Probing the genesis of gravitational waves is the next step
after detecting them. Observations that reveal the fascinating phenomena pose special challenges. Taking up this formidable task is a special group - GROWTH.
Edited by: Abhas Pradhan
Designed by: Soumyadeep Nandi & Avanti Hargude
Probing
the genesis of gravitational waves is next step after detecting them. n 17 august,that 2017reveal a blip the fromfascinating the depths Observations of space was heard by one of the most phenomena pose special challenges. sensitive man has built, Taking instruments up this formidable taskever is special the laser interferometer gravitational-wave group - growth. observatory (LIGO) at louisiana, USA and it’s twin VIRGO in Italy. Ripples travelling On 17 august, 2017 a blip from the depths through the fabric of space-time reached earth of space was heard by one of the most to finally resolve questions which remained sensitive instruments everripples built, unanswered for a longman time.has These the laser interferometer gravitational-wave were gravitational-waves produced from a observatory(ligo) louisiana, usa andfrom it’s very intensive event,atpossibly a collision twin virgo in italy. Ripples travelling through very far away, and were detected when they the fabricanofintricate space-time reached earth to disturbed arrangement of lasers. finally resolve which We know about questions gravitational wavesremained and had unanswered for a long time. These ripples observed the first one back in 2017. were gravitational-waves produced from a very intensive event, possibly a collision from very far away, anddisturbances, were detected After analysing these a when lot of they information disturbed anonintricate arrangement of vital the characteristics of the lasers. We know about gravitational waves source were revealed. But the biggest mystery and remained. had observed thecaused first one in 2017. still What thisback catastrophic event? Where and when did it happen? The source of these waves cannot be traced back After analysing these disturbances, a lot of using LIGO and VIRGO alone and nor can vital information on the characteristics of we know about the aftermath and exact cause the source were revealed. But the biggest of such an event using only interferometers. mystery still remained. What caused this But scientists did figure out these essential catastrophic event? Where and when did it questions and extract more interesting happen? The source of these waves cannot information associated with the event. How be traced back using ligo and virgo alone did they do that? That’s where GROWTH and nor can we know about the aftermath came into picture. and exact cause of such an event using only interferometers. But scientists did figure out these essential questions and extract more interesting information associated with the event. How did they do that? That’s where (growth) came into picture.
O
32 | IIT Tech Ambit / JUNE 2020
G G
ROWTH - global of observatories watching watching rowth - global relayrelay of observatories transient happen is an international collaboration transient happen - is an international collaboration of multiple institutions institutions and and observatories observatories to to track track of multiple transient events. GROWTH aims to document and transient events. Growth aims to document and study the subtle subtle yet yet interesting interesting changes changes in in the the night night study the sky. along with with fifteen fifteen other other sky. The The group, group, led led by by Caltech caltech along institutions spread across the globe, coordinates institutions spread across the globe, coordinates 18 18 observatories observethe the skies skies continuously continuously observatories to toobserve round the clock. Proudly, india is a part of this this elite elite round the clock. Proudly, india is a part of club, with two twomembers; members; from fromiitIIT Bombay club, with bombay andand iia IIA Bengaluru. bengaluru.
What is GROWTH?
Transient events refer to astronomical phenomena which evolve in a short span of time in comparison to the galactic evolution cosmic matter across millions and billions billionsofofyears. years. These include supernovae, These include supernovae, star star mergers and gamma-ray as (sometimes mergers, gamma-ray bursts asbursts (sometimes transits transits and eclipses well).are They are usually and eclipses as well).asThey usually violentviolent deepdeepsky which arelease a hugeofamount of sky eventsevents which release huge amount energy in energy form of electromagnetic radiation, kinetic form ofinelectromagnetic radiation, kinetic energy of energy of occasionally matter andgravitational occasionallywaves gravitational matter and too. To waves too.sources To trace the sourceswaves of gravitational trace the of gravitational we require waves require careful observation andtransients tracking careful we observation and tracking of these of these transients in the sky so that when a
in the sky so that whenisa gravitational is degravitational wave detected, a wave synchronous tected, aof synchronous images rel- to analysis images andanalysis relevantofdata can and be done evant data be of done retrace the waves. origin of the retrace the can origin theto gravitational gravitational waves.
33 | IIT Tech Ambit / JUNE 2020
GROWTH specialises in studying the electroGrowth specialises in studying the electromagnetic magnetic counterparts of such gravitational wave counterparts of such gravitational wave events. events. When gravitational waves are detected When gravitational waves are detected by any by of any of the the detectors, the team immediately the detectors, team immediately responds to responds the event with associate theto eventassociate with the accompanying signalsthe in accompanying signals in the form of gamma the form of light, gamma ray bursts orlight, x-ray flashes. ray bursts or X-ray flashes.
Global Relay of Observatories Watching Transients Happen
34 | IIT Tech Ambit / JUNE 2020
GROWTH How Growth Operates? hat transients can can give give out out em em W hat we we know know is is that that transients radiation in a spectrum which ranges in 15 orders
radiation in a spectrum which ranges in 15 orders of magnitude magnitude of of frequencies, frequencies, covering covering almost almost the the of entire electromagnetic electromagnetic spectrum. spectrum.This Thismeans means that entire that a abigbig range of different types of telescopes have to range of different types of telescopes have to be be employed scanthe thesky. sky.For Forexample, example, the the giant Giant employed to to scan Metrewave Radio Telescope at Khodad, Maharashtra metrewave radio telescope at khodad, maharashtra is india’s India’s eyes eyes on on the the radio radio spectrum spectrum and and has has been been is proved as asone oneofofthe the most significant contributors proved most significant contributors in in many important discoveries.We also have the many important discoveries. Himalayan Chandra telescope in Ladakh operating in the optical-infrared region.Infact, because a lot We also the himalayan chandra in of the EMhave radiation such as X-rays andtelescope UV rays are ladakh operating in the optical-infrared region. not capable of penetrating the earth’s atmosphere, Infact, because lot extra-terrestrial of the em radiation suchNeil as GROWTH has aan pal: the x-rays and uv rays are not capable of penetrating the Gehrels Swift observatory orbiting the Earth. earth’s atmosphere, growth has an extra-terrestrial pal: the neil gehrels swift observatory orbiting the earth. a gravitational wave detected at at an Once Once a gravitational wave is isdetected an interferometer, the observatories observatories across across the the globe globe are alerted to look for transients and em-wave EM-wave accompanying the gravitational gravitational wave. wave. A A list list of of possible candidates is prepared according to the candidates is prepared the spatial and temporal temporalcorrespondence. correspondence.A A side-byside-byside side spectroscopy of these sources is to done spectro copy of these sources is done givetousgive the us the intesities the constituent frequencies of intesities of theof constituent frequencies of the the radiation released. This helpsususknow know about the radiation released. This helps the 35 | IIT Tech Ambit / JUNE 2020
characteristics characteristics of of the the sources sources such as temperature and and constituent constituent material. material. These These help us in spotting the correct sources out of the the correct sources out of thepossible possibleones. ones. Once the the origin origin is is traced, traced, the the observatories observatories are Once are scheduledand and programmed programmed to to coordinately coordinately observe observe scheduled the consequent consequent changes changes that that happen happen after after the the the gravitational wave emerges. Due to the distribution gravitational wave emerges. Due to the distribution of the the telescopes telescopes across across the the planet, planet, the the phenomena of phenomena can be observed without getting blinded by the the day day can be observed without getting blinded by whenthe thesun sunprevents preventssuch suchobservations. observations. when Datafrom from all all these these places places are assembled and studied Data bydifferent different astronomers astronomers and and finally finally the source of an by captivatingevent eventisis traced traced back. back. Once we know what captivating event caused the gravitational event caused the gravitational waves, we can now study what what exactly exactly caused caused the the waves to generate and study how itit was was affected affected by by the properties of the source. how Members ofofthe the GROWTH growth family alsoalso studystudy the fate Members family the of stars andand how fate of stars howthe thesupernovae supernovaeisis characterised in terms of matter and in terms of matter and energies by studying the evolution of of these these cosmic explosions through evolution collaborative inspection inspection in in aa similar fashion. They collaborative alsokeep keepeyes eyesonon small near-earth asteroids and also small near-earth asteroids and how how trajectories their trajectories may change. their may change.
Notable Contributions: Discovering A Cosmic Mine We
know today that the 2017 Gravitational Wave Event was from a binary neutron star merger, which is, two neutron stars spinning rapidly around each other and finally colliding. As exotic as it sounds, it was also a proof of the evidence of such events which were predicted way before this discovery. This event was different from the previous gravitational wave detectors, as the accompanying electromagnetic radiation that flared up was seen by over 70 observatories across the globe. After the two stars collide and liberate gravitational waves throughout space, the energy is also released in the form of light
of different wavelengths. These wavelengths are signatures of how much energy is associated and what are the elements constituting the emitting matter. A continuous observation of a certain wavelength of light would tell us how a certain signature evolves revealing the underlying mechanism. For example, the gamma ray burst emerging from the event was way weaker than anticipated and the subsequent radio wave jet was delayed by several days in comparison to what theories predicted. This meant one has to have a constant gaze on the region of interest in the sky for a prolonged time.
36 | IIT Tech Ambit / JUNE 2020
B
ecause the members of GROWTH were prepared for such an event, their coordinated inspection helped them pinpoint the origin successfully and keep an eye on the evolution thereafter. A celestial light show was seen as the collision of two neutron stars produced light - EM radiation - and well as sound - Gravitational Waves. Collective data from different observatories helped understand the phenomenon from a much broader perspective. Prof Mansi Kasliwal from Caltech, one of the key members of GROWTH, proposed the highly acclaimed cocoon model for such a neutron star merger, in which she explains how a covering of a dense layer of matter slows down the EM radiation counterpart of the gravitational waves.She and her team were able to reconstruct a model of the merger using the data obtained from study of this 37 | IIT Tech Ambit / JUNE 2020
event. These results and theories collectively won the Breakthrough of the Year from Nature. This was a milestone for multi-messenger astronomy, the regime of astronomy which studies the different signals that emerge from the same source but are temporally dispersed as well as in different frequency regimes. Most significantly, this answered one of mankind’s most puzzling mysteries. The event revealed the existence of another hypothesized phenomenon - a kilonova, named so as it briefly shines about a thousand times brighter than a nova. As the two neutron stars merge into each other, they spew neutron rich matter at immense speeds. The force with the neutrons move is enough for them to embed into the atomic nuclei of surrounding matter, hence forming new and heavier elements. In short, the universe performs alchemy with the help of
kilonovas. This is known as the r-process, but it was unknown where such a process takes place. Nuclear physicists had long thought that the origin of elements heavier than iron, which cannot be made from fusion as iron has the most stable nucleus, was probably a r-process nucleosynthesis. The new find shows that the violent conditions can harbour such a process. We now know where the gold in our jewellery and lead in batteries come from; colliding neutron stars. We have discovered a cosmic mine.
waves and are not well understood. One of the first such events was reported last year in august and has been of recent interest to the scientific community. Such unexplored areas will continue to charm us course as and groundbreaking ground breakingdiscoveries discoveriesarearedue due course growth continues to operate studyand the study night sky. as GROWTH continues to and operate the night sky.
Questions that arise and remain are countless. Other violent cosmic events like supernovas also quite often give rise to gravitational waves and studying them would help us understand different types of supernova and the final fate of stars. Black holes colliding with other black holes all produce similar 38 | IIT Tech Ambit / JUNE 2020
GROWTH, GROWTH,INDIA INDIAAND ANDBEYOND BEYOND 39 | IIT Tech Ambit / JUNE 2020
GROWTH has has ananactive activeparticipation participation from its from its InIndian members.The GROWTH conference as well dian members.The GROWTH conference Growth has an active participation from its as indian the Astronomy School were hosted by IIT Bombay members.The growth conference as well the in 2018. school were hosted by iit bombay in 2018. astronomy Prof Varun Bhalerao from IIT Bombay has been Prof Varun from IIT Bombay has been varun Bhalerao bhalerao from iit field bombay has a significant contributor in the of multi-mesasenger contributor inthrough the field field multi significant contributor in the multiastronomy especially theofof collabomessenger astronomyOne especially throughpieces the rations at GROWTH. of his important collaborations at GROWTH. One of his important at growth. One of his important pieces of work was his study on the gravitational waves pieces work his on study the hole gravitational of workofwas hiswas study theaon gravitational waves detected in early 2017 from black merger. waves detected in early 2017 from a black hole detected in early 2017 from He He predicted a Gamma Raya black Burst hole frommerger. the event merger. He predicted a Gamma Ray Burst from predicted a gamma ray burst from the event at about at about a specific time delay from the event and the eventtime at observations about specific time delay from the a specific delay afrom the event coordinated coordinated from theand wide network event and coordinated observations from the wide observations from the wide network of instruments of instruments verified this with ease. This demonnetwork of instruments verified thisand with ease. verified the this with ease. demonstrated the power strated power of This GROWTH how it This can demonstrated the power of GROWTH and how it of growth and how across it can the help transients help study transients EMstudy spectrum with can help transientswith across the greater EM spectrum across thestudy emdetail. spectrum much detail. much greater with much greater detail. Prof Anupama from IIA, Bengaluru and a number Prof anupama from iia, bengaluru and a number of of other scientists from IUCAA, Pune and TIFR, otherAnupama scientists from from IIA iucaa, pune andand tifr, mumbai Prof Bengaluru number Mumbai have been involved in this hugea collabohave been involved in this huge collaboration of the of other scientists from across IUCAA TIFR ration of the best minds thePune globeand to ensure best minds across the globeintothis ensure that we have Mumbai have involved collabration that we have abeen constant gaze upon huge the night skies to aof constant gaze upon the night skies to look for the best minds across the globe to ensure we look for the most superlative phenomenonthat in the the most superlative phenomenon in thetocosmos. have a constant gaze upon the night skies look for cosmos. the most superlative phenomenon in the cosmos.
multi-messenger astronomy astronomy and and The future of multi-messenger cosmology looks looks bright bright with with associated areas of cosmology GROWTH being one the torch bearers. The treasure growth being one the torch bearers. The treasure that lie lie in in space space would would hunt about the wonders that woulddefinitely definitelyplay play an an continue and and GROWTH growth would The quest quest is is ahead ahead isis essential role in this endeavor. The remain to to be be answered answered endless with questions the remain keep increasing as a new new phenomena phenomena isis observed. observed. of the the advancements advancements is is the the What lies at the core of techniques and and data data accompanying observational techniques verify our ourproposed proposedtheories. theories. collected from them to verify GROWTH takes in charge of improving vision Growth takes in charge of improving ourour vision in in the skies and producing novel observational data the skies and producing novel observational data to to test limits of our theories. test thethe limits of our theories. Growth is aistestament ofofhow GROWTH a testament howlarge largescale scale unified unified studies can give us such beautiful insights studies can give us such beautiful insights to to what what the immense universe holds in itself. Bringing the immense universe holds in itself. Bringing the the best best minds minds on on the the planet planet together together to to create create the the best best eyes eyes in in the the sky sky and and unfold unfold the the charm charm the the heavens heavens have is growth’s prime ambition. have is GROWTH’s prime ambition.
40 | IIT Tech Ambit / JUNE 2020
Demystifying the Dark Age Edited by- Pratim Majumdar Designed by- Soham Saha & Renu Sree Pinninti
Dark Age : Defitnition and Significance The Harappan Civilisation is conjectured to have materialised around 3300 BCE, and is presumed to be annihilated by 1300 BCE, while the succeeding Iron Age, typically christened as The Vedic Age, is reckoned to commence around 1000 BCE. The span between the wipeout of The Harappan Civilisation and Iron Age’s inception is vague from the archaeological standpoint, and not much information could be unearthed, thus the causes of the unforeseen eradication of the Harappan Civilisation still is under scrutiny. The archaeologists still strive to answer the query of how did the Bronze Age transit into the Iron Age? Unanticipated natural upheavals such as floods and droughts may be cited as some of the causes of the Harappan destruction, but consensus can be reached only if the Dark Age is deciphered.
Course of Life during The Later Harappan Period The Harappan civilisation was at its zenith during 2600 BC to 1900 BC, with 41| IIT Tech Ambit / JUNE 2020
flourishing agriculture and international trade. A shift in the population density from the west to the east is observed. This may be attributed to changing rainfall pattern due to shifts in the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), a low - pressure area near the equator which affects seasonal patterns. The migration trends were from IndusValley in the west to the Ghaggar - Hakra valley in the east. Such an expansive migration was prevalent in the archaic era, though no other evidence of large-scale migration were found for the later periods.
Delving into some High School Geography ITCZ Is basically defined to be the zone wherein the Northeast Trade Winds and the Southeast Trade Winds merge near the equator. ITCZ is generally the region of maximum rainfall. Seasonal shifts in the ITCZ occur due to change in the angle of sunlight. During June-July, the sun directly beams over the Tropic Of Cancer, hence shifting the ITCZ northwards towards India, hence accounting for the Southwest Monsoon prevalent in India.
Deciphering the Dark age of the Harappan Civilization
42 | IIT Tech Ambit / JUNE 2020
All this suggest that normal rainfall should have occured in the Thar desert too. Thar has transformed into anarid region over many centuries, since it lies parallel is on the leeward side of the Aravalis, and thus is subject to scanty rainfall. Thar lies in the area of east-to west flowing trade winds. These winds are wrenched of all the moisture in the north-eastern areas itself, and by the time these winds reach the Thar, they are entirely devoid of moisture.
Encountering evidences of Life A team of IIT Kharagpur, funded by INFOSYS Foundation, steered by Prof. Anindya Sarkar, Department Of Geology And Geophysics, bolstered by teams from Deccan College, Pune, Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad, University of Kutchh, and University Of Calcutta embarked on conducting geological investigations to clarify climate changes during and after the Harappan Civilisation, and were primarily focussing on the arid areas of Rann Of Kutchh and Thar Desert. They stumbled upon numerous artifacts as pitchers, jars and bull figurines, and also unearthed sustained animal remains as bone and teeth, thus establishing traces of life for the first time in the hyper-arid regions of Karim Shahi and Vigakot. These
43 | IIT Tech Ambit / JUNE 2020
areas are currently devoid of any water sources, and the ground water table is approximately null, but Fossil Molluscan shells are suggestive of an active water source and ample rainfall during the Dark Age, and hence is conclusive of the shift of the populace to these currently uninhabited and arid areas.An 1100 year old Chinese Qingbai porcelain, probably manufactured in Guangdong province of south China, and Sgraffiato potteries of 10th century Persia, were unearthed at Vigakot, unquestionably suggesting that the place was a trade centre on the long-distance trade route between West Asia and China. The scientific research on the sensitive International Borders between India and Pakistan was assisted by the Indian Army.
Illuminating The Dark Age The Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad employed Radiocarbon and Optical Stimulated Luminescence to date the pottery and charcoal findings, and established the era to be approximately around 1200 BC. This has provided a fresh
spectrum to view the Dark Age. Preemptive research on the molluscan shells evidently prove the presence of a river system in the aforementioned arid areas of Rann of Kutchh and the Thar Desert, which probably dried up in the medieval period. Al- Beruni’s medieval comprehensive travelogue “Tarakh-al-Hind” (1030 AD), also has accounts of presence of a river in the Kutchh region. The presence of life in these regions was confirmed by Prof. Arati Deshpande Mukherjee, Deccan College, Pune. Iron nuggets and slags have been excavated in the nearby area of Motichher, thus revealing the first-ever smelting process undertaken. Such largescale exodus were primarily undertaken by those customarily known as “Climate Refugees”, as mentioned in the United Nations’ Framework on Climate Change. Prof. Anindya Sarkar suggests that such large-scale relocation may occur in the future too, due to alterations in climate. An exhaustive report on the findings were published online in the Elsevier Journal “Archaeological Research In Asia”.
44 | IIT Tech Ambit / JUNE 2020
Cover image credits: Squishy Robotics Berkeley; Mars Exploration Rover Spirit: NASA/JPL/Cornell