Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Here are some interesting examples of innovative products developed inside Indian higher education institutions in the recent past.
Clean energy and sustainability
The “Water-Less” Solar Robot (Solinas Integrity): Developed at IIT Madras, this prototype addresses a massive problem. Solar panels lose efficiency when dusty, but cleaning them wastes millions of litres of water. This robot uses specialised brushes and airflow to clean panels with zero water, which is a game-changer for solar farms in Rajasthan and Gujarat.
Aloe eCell (world’s first aloe-based battery): Created by young innovators from Rajasthan, this prototype replaces toxic chemicals in 1.5V batteries (AA / AAA) with an aloe-vera-based electrolyte. It is 100 per cent non-hazardous and significantly cheaper to produce than traditional dry cells.
Sea6 Energy’s “SeaCombine”: Supported by the C-CAMP (Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms), they developed a prototype for a “tractor of the sea.” It’s an automated catamaran that harvests and replants seaweed in the ocean. This seaweed is then converted into bio-crude (a carbon-neutral fuel).
Tan90: Founded by IIT Madras students, they created a portable, solar-powered cold storage system using thermal batteries to reduce post-harvest waste for farmers.
Kazam: An agnostic EV software platform that has built a network of over 7,000 smart EV charging devices across India.
Space technology
Agnibaan SOrTeD (Agnikul Cosmos): The most famous recent prototype is their “Agnilet” engine. While traditional rocket engines have thousands of parts, this prototype is one single piece created using 3D printing. It reduces the time to build a rocket from months to just a few days.
Bellatrix Aerospace’s “Plasma Thruster”: Supported by IISc Bangalore, this team created a prototype for a “water-propulsion” system for satellites. Instead of using hazardous chemical fuels, it uses water as a propellant to keep satellites in orbit, making space missions much cleaner and safer.
Digantara’s Space Weather Sensor: They have prototyped a “Space Map” sensor that can be attached to any satellite to track space debris as small as 1cm. This is critical for preventing collisions in an increasingly crowded orbit.
Circular economy (waste-to-wealth)
Phool’s “Fleather”: Developed at IIT Kanpur, this prototype solves two problems. Temple flower waste in the Ganges and the animal cruelty / pollution of the leather industry. They use a microbial process to turn floral waste into a vegan leather that looks and feels exactly like the real thing.
Genrobotics’ “Bandicoot”: Originally a student prototype from Kerala, this is a robotic scavenger designed to clean manholes. It uses AI and specialised limbs to replace manual scavenging, a major social and safety issue in Indian cities.
Indeed, the shift in India’s innovation ecosystem in the last couple of decades is staggering. Twenty years ago, “talent” was largely groomed for placement or getting a job; today, the ecosystem is built for disruption or creating jobs.