Australian Prime Minister Mr. Anthony Albanese Visits IIT Delhi; Addresses Students and Employees

New Delhi: The honourable Prime Minister of Australia, Mr. Anthony Albanese, visited IIT Delhi on Friday and addressed the students, faculty, and staff members.
On this occasion, the Australian Prime Minister witnessed some state-of-the-art technologies being developed by the IIT Delhi scientists.

Addressing the gathering at IIT Delhi, Mr Anthony Albanese, Prime Minister of Australia, said:
“It is such an honour to be here at what is not just one of India’s most prestigious centres of higher education … but a place of world renown, and one that is publicly run and funded. I’m very pleased that my arrival has coincided with Holi. In all its colour and joy, this festival has become a beloved fixture on the Australian calendar, but it is so good to see it here at the source. It partly set the scene for this visit- a celebration of the close partnership between our nations. But this visit is also very much about the future. Because of our track record together, it’s a future I feel ambitious about. It’s an ambition backed by a keen awareness that we have so much to do.
I have been accompanied to India by more than 20 Australian business leaders from major companies. Among them are representatives from the transport, resources, finance, university, energy, architecture and design, health, commodities and information technology sectors. They have briefed me on the fruitful discussions they have had this week with Indian counterparts as part of the Australia-India CEO Forum, and the opportunities for deepening cooperation. I’m also pleased to say negotiations are underway for a full Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement – one that will open access even further.
I’d like to take this opportunity to announce the appointment of Tim Thomas as the inaugural Chief Executive Officer of the Centre for Australia-India Relations. The Centre, which will open later this year, will work across government, industry, academia and community to build greater understanding of the Australia-India relationship and support opportunities that arise flowing from our growing connections.
On education, we’re also hoping to break new ground — and I mean that in a very literal sense. I was so pleased to announce that Australia’s Deakin University is on track to be the first foreign university in the world approved to open a physical campus in India, at Gujarat’s GIFT City. And where Indian students aspire to study in Australia, our newest Maitri scholarships will provide that chance as well.
I very much want to see growing numbers of Australian and Indian students to have the experiences of living and studying in our respective countries, and to bring those experiences home. Think of it as human cross-pollination. Through it we draw from each other’s strengths and add to our own – and in the process, each of us becomes something greater. Of course, joining up our best minds is not just desirable. It’s a necessity — especially where the globe’s biggest challenges are concerned.
In the face of a changing climate, both Australia and India have begun to heed such warnings with the seriousness they deserve. Prime Minister Modi’s remarkable goal for India to install 500 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity by 2030 will have a profound impact on the global energy transition. The global move to a clean energy economy is here. And it’s shifting gears – quickly. To get a sense of what is possible, look at what India has already achieved. Between 2018 and 2021, India increased solar generation by 31 terrawatt-hours. That’s enough power for 24.7 million Indians.
Over the next two years, domestic production of solar cells and solar modules in India is expected to more than double. Australia is blessed with abundant resources used in the production of renewable energy. It makes sense for Australia and India work together.
Working together means our goals can be reached sooner. And the benefits of reduced costs and greater access to renewables can be shared — with our trading partners, too. India’s manufacturing scale and huge domestic demand, Australia’s abundance of critical minerals, and our combined research nous, mean there’s plenty of mutual gain. It’s my hope that our deepening cooperation on new and renewable energy can drive new innovation and investment. And I look forward to seeing new clean energy projects, particularly on solar and hydrogen, coming to fruition. Because in them, we see one of the substantial foundations on which we can build a better future. Across all of this work — from the economy to education to clean energy — India and Australia seek to work together.”
The Prime Minister also participated in a fireside chat and answered questions from the IIT Delhi students and faculty. The session was moderated by Mr. Samir Saran, President, Observer Research Foundation (ORF).
The technologies which were showcased during the Australian Prime Minister’s visit include:
• Robotic Exoskeleton Device for Upper Limb Rehabilitation
• Smart Solutions for Building Energy Management
• Lignocellulosic Biomass Valorisation for Sustainable Biorefineries
• Vanadium Redox Flow Battery
Details of the technologies displayed today:
1. Robotic Exoskeleton Device for Upper Limb Rehabilitation

Stroke is a debilitating disease that severely impacts brain functions of the patient, making him/her paralytic for the rest of the life. Conventional rehabilitation therapy involves physiotherapy, which is a labour-intensive and highly subjective procedure. Robotic devices offer an innovative way of rehabilitation by applying advanced technology to facilitate faster recovery. However, these devices are usually very large requiring big space in facilities and are highly expensive. To address these challenges, IIT Delhi researchers Prof. Amit Mehndiratta and Dr. Neha Singh, Centre for Biomedical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, have developed, with financial support from SERB, Ministry of Defence and ICMR, a human-computer interface hand-exoskeleton that focuses on synchronizing joints of wrist and finger movements to improve daily activities and reduce muscle rigidity. The exoskeleton has sensors that allow the user to control it using their own muscle activity. The settings on the exoskeleton can be tailored to individual patient needs. The device is equipped with real-time performance feedback, that keeps the patient engaged and motivated throughout the therapy session. The device is low-cost, lightweight, portable, and easy to manufacture and maintain in regions with limited resources. The device can cater to the requirements of a large cohort of patient population with a variety of symptoms. Device has been already evaluated for its benefits on more than Fifty patients in the Department of Neurology, AIIMS. The studies by the IIT Delhi researchers have demonstrated significant improvements in the ability of patients to move their wrist and hand, as well as reduced muscle rigidity. These evidences suggest that exoskeleton-based therapy is the future of rehabilitation and can be very effective in improving life of patients with paralysis.

2. Smart Solutions for Building Energy Management

The focus is on the development of low-cost solutions for efficient energy management in buildings. It can help in energy savings by controlling loads based on various attributes such as occupancy, user comfort, inside and ambient temperature, etc. Solar photovoltaic generation, batteries, and electric vehicles can help reduce the amount of power purchased by a building from the utility. The developed solution for building energy management, including demand-side management, can facilitate it. As the cost of the developed solutions is low and they don’t need to change any existing devices, they are more suitable for adaptation. The work has led to three patent applications and many research publications. Four PhD students have completed their work on the above project. One of the developed solutions is in the advanced stages of technology transfer to an in-house IIT Delhi startup for further demonstration. The team for this project was led by Prof. B.K. Panigrahi, Center for Automotive Research and Tribology (CART), and Prof. Ashu Verma, Department of Energy Science and Engineering, IIT Delhi.
3. Lignocellulosic Biomass Valorisation for Sustainable Biorefineries

With a devastating pandemic lasting over two years, followed by a conflict with the world’s greatest exporter of fossil resources, this has undoubtedly resulted in a global energy crisis, raising demand for alternate transportation fuel. Furthermore, for a developing country like India, ensuring energy security and transitioning to a flourishing low-carbon economy is crucial. Blending locally generated ethanol with gasoline can help India improve its energy security, allow local businesses and farmers to participate in the energy economy, and reduce hazardous emissions. In 2018, the Government of India issued the National Policy on Biofuels, which set an aspirational goal of 20% ethanol blending in petrol by 2030 via the Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Program. This research therefore intends to create a cost-effective, ecologically friendly technique to use the sugar industry waste product, sugarcane bagasse, to manufacture second generation bioethanol, based on the concept of “waste to wealth” and for overcoming sustainability and environmental concerns. In this study, the researchers investigated the impact of several green solvents on process efficiency and produced innovative solvents for effective bioconversion of sugarcane bagasse. Furthermore, they conducted a complete analysis to reduce process time and energy consumption, as well as a comparative assessment of integrated conversion processes for several kinds of Indian and Australian sugarcane. The most exciting aspect of the research is the widespread and real-world applicability of the work, with two prestigious institutes, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, and University of Queensland, Australia, collaborating to solve global energy problems. “With their expertise in chemical engineering and agricultural technology, my supervisors, Prof. K. K. Pant from IIT Delhi and Prof. Robert Henry from the University of Queensland, have guided me to propose an eco-friendly solution for large-scale sustainable biorefinery applications,” said Vallari R. Chourasi, PhD Research Scholar, University of Queensland-IIT Delhi Joint PhD Program.

4. Vanadium Redox Flow Battery

The energy generated from renewable sources often requires an intermediate energy storage system (ESS) to level the output fluctuations due to the intermittent nature of these sources. Out of all the available ESS technologies, vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) has been emerging as one of the most successful candidates, which can last for more than 20 years, possesses decoupled energy and power capacity, very low-maintenance, no potential fire-hazard risk, green, and safe for the environment. The team led by Prof. Anil Verma is working to furnish VRFB to a product-level technology along with Prof. S. K. Pramanick. Prof. Anil Verma initiated R&D on VRFB, focusing on lab-scale fundamental studies. While gaining significant know-how around the technology, the team filed its first patent in 2017. Further, the first working prototype of 6W power rating was developed and demonstrated in 2019. Later, the team developed a scaled-up prototype of 0.5 kW which is also being used to power the charging kiosk facility installed at Wind-T, IIT Delhi. The team has also demonstrated its technology at various exhibition events such as NITI-Aayog’s AIM-PRIME event 2022, IIT R&D Fair 2022 and IIT Delhi’s Industry Day 2022. The team has tried to cover every aspect of the VRFB technology including the material aspect (electrolyte, electrode, bipolar plates, membrane), the scale-up aspect (industrial design, containerization, maintenance techniques) as well as the development of dedicated IoT based power electronics setup. The team’s translational work has generated 6 IP around the VRFB technology and has published 7 high impact research articles in international journals. The team has won various awards including FITT-FIRE Award 2021 for developing VRFB based charging station of e-Vehicles in the IIT Delhi campus, DST’s NICA 2020 (National Innovation Challenge Awards) funding for rural electrification. Currently, the team is working on kW scale VRFB setup to be installed at Transport Unit, IIT Delhi for providing a charging facility for the e-Vehicles plying in the campus. The Vanadium Redox Flow Battery (VRFB) is an upcoming energy storage technology that can be integrated with any renewable energy source such as solar farms, which can be charged by the excess power during the day-time and can be discharged during the night-time. The flow battery utilizes the different oxidation states of vanadium ions to store and deliver charge. The electrolyte containing different vanadium metal ions dissolved in dilute sulfuric acid are stored externally in electrolyte tanks (kWh), viz. negative and positive tanks, which are pumped in a closed-circuit to an electrochemical reactor called the stack (kW) to store and receive the electrical energy during charging and discharging, respectively (fig.1). Figure 2 shows a working prototype of the flow battery.