Samsung Innovation Award Recognizes Cutting-Edge Innovations from Students at IIT Indore

Six finalists presented their ideas around multi-modal sensing, applications of
learning systems, VR, XR, 3D imaging, distributed AI to jury members

Samsung India conducted the 9th edition of the Samsung Innovation Award at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Indore to recognize and reward innovations that have the potential to revolutionize everyday living. This year, the theme was ‘Systems that learn’ and students were encouraged to think creatively and propose practical ideas around multi-modal sensing, applications of learning systems, VR, XR, 3D imaging, distributed AI and more.

The awards were presented by Dr. Aloknath De, Corporate Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Samsung R&D Institute – Bengaluru (SRI-B). Prizes worth INR 3.5 lakhs were awarded to the top three winners, while the other three finalists received award of merit from Samsung.

(Extreme left)- Dr. Hemant Borkar, SESC Convener, IIT Indore 3rd prize winners- Nemath Ahmed, Suraj Polamaina, Shavez Malick, Dr. Aloknath De, Samsung R&D Bangalore (Centre), Dr. Mukesh Kumar, Associate Professor- IIT Indore, Dr. Abhishek Srivastava, Associate Professor- IIT Indore, 1st Prize Winner- Ram S. Mohril, Dr. Ajit Bopardikar, Samsung R&D Bangalore and Second Prize winner Chaitanya Mehta- (Extreme Right)

The First prize went to Ram S. Mohril for the project “AR/VR Enhanced Textbook reading and learning experience”. The project is a revolutionary idea where it aims to transform the technical writing and learning field by developing a book for higher education students and through augmented and virtual reality technologies.

The Second Prize was grabbed by Chaitanya Mehta for his project “Tree Climbing Quadraped Robot”. Chaitanya developed the quadruped which is capable of traversing the terrain smoothly, transition from ground to the trunk of the tree without assist to meet future requirement of smart and automated farms.

The Third prize was awarded to Nemath Ahmed, Suraj Polamaina, Shavez Malick for their project “Immersive Acoustic Spatial Awareness for Visually Impaired”. Their project aimed at helping the visually impaired to navigate, socialize and stay aware of near hazards with the use of echolocation technique.

The Merit awards were given to the projects “Fingerprint Spoof buster”, “AI based Contactless Biometric system” and “Leukemia Classification from Microscopic Images using Deep learning techniques”.

“Over the past nine years, Samsung Innovation Award has been delighted to recognize the talent pool across various IITs in India. We are happy to see sharp problems, novel ideas and smart execution of the participating teams. This edition at IIT Indore brought forward some of the innovative renditions in sync with the theme. At Samsung, innovation is deep rooted in our DNA and our constant endeavor is to promote the culture of innovation amongst bright minds”, said Dr. Aloknath De, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Samsung R&D Institute – Bengaluru (SRI B).

The six-finalist teams had the opportunity to present their ideas to the jury consisting of senior researchers and scientists from Samsung and IIT-Indore. The winning projects were selected on the basis of originality of the product and solution, feasibility of implementation, completeness, relevance in the market and presentation to the jury members at IIT-Indore.

“At IIT Indore, we envisage the convergence of traditional disciplines and advocate interdisciplinary research programme focusing on basic and applied research, technology development, innovation and entrepreneurship. Students from various disciplines have participated with great enthusiasm in Samsung Innovation Award and submitted their ideas and proof of concept for evaluation. We intend to take this event further and develop a long standing association with Samsung Research Institute Bangalore to nourish research, innovation and entrepreneurship eco-system at the institute for the benefit of the society,” said Prof. Pradeep Mathur, Director, IIT- Indore

Samsung Innovation Award 2019 was initiated five months ago wherein students submitted their entries to the entrepreneurship cell at IIT-Indore. The Award received an overwhelming response, with 50% increase in submissions over last year.

Initiated and conceptualized in 2011, Samsung Innovation Award aim to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship amongst students. The Award aim to support talent who showcase an inventive approach and develop products, solutions that solve real time problems of the society.

Today, Samsung Innovation Award is most sought after and awaited contest at the IITs. Over the last 9 years, Samsung Innovation Award has recognized the efforts and dedication of over 60 finalist teams from premiere IITs like Delhi, Kanpur, Roorkee, Madras, Kharagpur, Guwahati, Mumbai, and Hyderabad. The last edition was held at IIT-Hyderabad was great hit amongst the participants. Samsung in association with the partnering IITs will continue to provide an opportunity and challenge to the young innovators to showcase their skills and talent.