In the year 2007, Techfest – India’s largest science and technology festival hosted annually by IIT Bombay expanded its horizons even further and brought the realms of technology and innovation closer to the student fraternity. Certainly the biggest of its kind this year, in its 10th reincarnation Techfest saw the participation of over 30,000 students spanning 1000 colleges all over India and abroad. A truly international fest, 26th – 28th January 2007 was packed with competitions, workshops, lectures, exhibitions and professional shows.
COMPETITIONS
Techfest has always been working hard in spanning the gap between theory and practice, and in 2007 it was no different with a variety of competitions ranging from robotics to earthquake engineering. The problem statements were challenging and profound, with prize money to die for! Three of our international competitions saw prize money to the tune of US$2500. The stakes and the novelty of the competitions at Techfest 2007 led to an overwhelming response and struck the right chords with the enthusiastic techies in attendance at the fest. The competitions were classified in five different sections
Overdrive
Full Throttle: Afterburn was a sequel to the highly famous IC engine driven car competition held in last year’s edition; a hallmark for speed. To make a wireless remote controlled machine, powered only by an IC Engine that can complete a dirt track in least possible time, was by no means a walk in the park with the pure requirement of brains, craftsmanship and above all, a sheer hunger for speed to push the limits and emerge victorious. The winners of this adrenaline rushing event were awarded USD 1000. Another event, Route Zero was all about designing and building a machine that uses only stored mechanical potential energy to propel and control itself and travel according to the given pattern. Keen participation was also seen in building the fastest and the most stable water boat in the event - Ripples. It was no child’s play; adding to that the fact that the boat had to survive a fall by an external launching mechanism.
iBots
Micromouse has been one of the most appreciated events at Techfest. Micromouse is an autonomous self contained machine designed to get to the centre of a maze in shortest possible time. Pioneering intelligence coupled with absolute grit is what sets this contest apart and provided the winners with a cool USD 750! S.N.A.P. (Synchronised Navigation and Processing) involved building a computer controlled navigator that, with the help of an overhead camera and a computer, moved over a fixed path. The navigator was expected to use image processing and implement vision based navigation. An event highly appreciated for the high level of technical skills involved with the winners walking away with USD 750. Void: The National Robotics Challenge saw mammoth participation, more so as was a culmination of the zonal rounds held earlier at four centers in India under the banner of Techfest Nexus. The teams had to build a manually controlled machine that picked up as many balls as possible from the given arena and dropped them into the specified box, within a stipulated time.
Dimensions
Can you imagine a structure made of popsicle sticks sustaining a weight of 20 kilos or a manually powered machine vaporizing unimaginable quantities of acetone in a few seconds? Dimensions at Techfest 2007 was an eclectic mix of competitions from various disciplines of engineering. Interconnections and Tremors were the two competitions for all the budding civil engineers. Participants were expected to design and construct a model for a high rise which can withstand earthquakes for Tremors and for Interconnections they had to construct a model of a road network. Adding to the excitement, Power Oxide required making a metal-air battery than can deliver maximum power. For the aero-modeling lovers Airborne made an instant connect with a challenging and meticulous requirement of designing a glider while Vapours with its unique problem statement on vaporizing acetone catered to the mechanical and chemical engineering students. Fulcrum was a design challenge testing the innovation, creativity and originality of participants who were asked to build a toy which explained the principles of light in an entertaining yet educational way.
Wired Logic
This section focused on competitions from the fields of computer science and electrical engineering. CRO 2.0 involved the construction of a circuit which could be used to play a game on the cathode ray oscilloscope. The profoundness and expertise with microcontrollers, algorithmic creativity and hardware implementation was bountifully seen in this event. Codemaestros was a three day long battle in the cyber world, where many domains of computers including algorithm and logic, debugging skills, graphical aesthetics and gaming were tested. An interesting competition called Auction saw the contenders creating a code that bids in an auction against other codes to maximize its profit required a firm knowledge of programming, strategy and economics. An indigenous design and building of a circuit that can find a radio source transmitting at a specified frequency; placed anywhere within a designated area in the IIT Bombay campus was the essence of Radiosport held at Techfest 2007.
Imagineer
It has been mankind's inherent and unique instinct to imagine that has ably supported it in all its innovative endeavors. From making rear-view mirrors for tractors, to a mechanical alternative for Ganpati immersions via trolleys for Immerse (Original Idea Presentation Contest suggested by the Office of the Police Commissioner, Mumbai) and finally the Golden Challenges of making an Ornithopter or a Rubik’s Cube solver; Imagineer brought out the imagining skills of the participants with suggesting simple solutions to model problems.
LECTURE SERIES
It is Techfest’s constant endeavor to give students an opportunity to interact with their role models. This year too, the glorious tradition was upheld and Lecture Series was the most distinguished segment of the fest. The Lecture Series served as an ideal opportunity to meet idols who have made significant contributions to society and whose names shall go down in the annals of time. John Nash one of the most brilliant mathematicians and a Nobel Prize winner explained the intricacies of game theory to a jam packed Convocation Hall. Prof. Kevin Warwick the first human cyborg delivered a popular lecture on the integration of man and machine. The presentation took a look at the use of neural implants and Prof. Warwick’s research on the same. One of the leading Indian astrophysicists, Jayant Narlikar explained many facts and speculations related to cosmology to an awed audience. Other illustrious speakers included Jill Tarter from the SETI Institute, Joichi Ito (Chairman, Creative Commons), Arun Netravali (Former President, Bell Labs), Rajaram Bojji (Inventor, Anti Collision Device) and Dunu Roy (Coordinator, Hazards Center).
Crossroads – A panel debate with the contentious issue dealing with the responsibility of being an IITian was organized with an esteemed panel including Mr. Sandipan Deb (Editor, Financial Express), Mr. Natarajan (Scientific Advisor to Defense Minister), Mr. Rakesh Mathur (CEO, Webaroo), Mr. Tanmay Rajpurohit (Founder, LokParitrana) and Prof. Ashok Mishra (Director, IIT Bombay). Major issues regarding funding for IITs, its relevance in today’s society and its expectations served as an eye-opener for the spectators present at the event.
WORKSHOPS
Workshops at Techfest are meant to give a rich, hands-on learning experience to its participants. These workshops are aimed at familiarizing the participants with the latest technology, which is fast entering our lives, making it simpler and worthier by each passing day. Engineers are not made in class rooms is the adage that was prolifically seen at Techfest this year. Rigorous workshops on making autonomous robots by learning the usage of microcontrollers, image processing robots, model rocketry, remixing and digital film making were the major attractions for the curious and the inquisitive at Techfest.
EXHIBITIONS
Techfest is one of those rare avenues where you can see and experience the grandeur of what the world calls technology. If you wonder how the basics of your text books get applied in the real world to produce some of the world’s most amazing machines and solve some of the most complex human problems, then exhibitions at Techfest 2007 was the place to be. From the fastest machines to the deadliest weapons, from innovative solutions to digital entertainment, you name it, and it was there. Royal Society Exhibition from UK exhibited some of their best R & D projects for the first time outside UK at Techfest. Being one of the best science exhibitions across the globe with its unique concept of “meet the scientists”, the exhibition was a major hit with the crowds. IIT Bombay also displayed some of the cutting edge research being carried out by the students and professors of the institute.
TECHNOHOLIX
It’s where science met entertainment. Just when you thought technology is all boring science for geeks, we brought illusions that spun the heads of the spectators into a dilemma. Technoholix was a perfect blend of science and technology with the additive ingredient of entertainment!
The first night saw Robowars which was held for the first time in India. Techfest brought to the fore 60 pound robots battling it out to be the King of the Arena. Brought by the Robotic Fighting League, the organizers of the International Robo Olympics, the battle had never been bigger! Feeding The Fish on the second night was a breathtaking spectacle of choreographed color where highly technical juggling was fused with dance and cutting edge technology. Beautiful patterns of light are traced through the air during the high-impact stage show as the balls and clubs changed color in perfect synchronization with the upbeat musical soundtrack. Previously performed in 27 countries across the world including at the Olympic Games of 2004 and at the Wembley Stadium in London, the jugglers performed for the first time in India. The third night saw the 10000 strong crowd at the Open Air Theatre watching the magic unwind as David Myriam, the world-famous Sand Animator from France used his fingers to weave magic and bring sand to life.
OZONE
It was the hub of all activities with events like quizzes, documentaries, small lectures/workshops, competitions like The Amazing Race and not to forget the multitude of On-the-spot events. Ozone ensured that the floating crowd didn’t have a moment to spare among all the fun at Techfest! The Amazing Race was a smalltime emulation of the hit reality TV series. Off course, we offered the technical twist of wit as well, truly making this a unique event. Tech quizzes and online quizzes on topics like astronomy, computers and extreme machines were instantaneous hits with the crowd! Other interesting events included talks on whacky topics like Reverse Engineering, Rubik’s Cube and Crime Scene Investigation.
In its tenth expression, Techfest continued to maintain the rich tradition and legacy of celebrating technology. The rich blend of diversity not only in the attendance from India as well as abroad; but also with the competitions, lectures and workshops widened the myriad spectrum of technology and innovation serving all and sundry present at the festival with varied and eclectic tastes. Techfest 2007 was easily the biggest technical student festival one would have witnessed in this part of the world. All of this would not have been possible without the enthusiasm shown by participants from colleges spread all around the country. In the true spirit of technology and novelty, Techfest also believes in bringing in new flavor with every passing festival and set the standards higher and higher with respect to scale and improvements of competitions. Techfest 2007 was an astounding experience and truly left all of us spellbound with nostalgia and moments to cherish for a lifetime!
