IIT Guwahati launches the Centre for Intelligent Cyber-Physical Systems

Guwahati: Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, launched the Centre for Intelligent Cyber-Physical Systems (CICPS), aimed at developing indigenous technologies. The Centre will target developing a minimum of five technologies a year. These technologies will be developed indigenously and will generate direct and indirect employment opportunities.

As many as 13 Ph.D. students and 18 M. Tech students have already joined the CICPS and these students will particularly work on the technologies for underwater exploration. The TIH – IIT Guwahati will fund the center for the first five years, after which the Centre is intended to become self-sustaining.

Addressing the inaugural function of the Centre, Prof. T. G. Sitharam, Director, IIT Guwahati, said, “The CICPS will have major academic, human resources and technology development components with focus to develop products and technologies for underwater exploration which is an untouched research area in the contour.”

He also added that IIT Guwahati was ranked Number 2 by QS World University Ranking for the ’Citation per Faculty’.

The Centre for Intelligent Cyber-Physical Systems (CICPS) will have six major components:

Technology Development,

Center of Excellence,

Human Resource Development,

Technology Business Incubation,

M. Tech Program in Robotics and Artificial Intelligence, and

Remembering one of the greatest sons of India and finest Engineer Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya, the event Chief Guest Prof. Indranil Manna, Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, IIT Kharagpur, said, “Science is pursuing the truth relentlessly, regardless of necessity or immediate scope of application. Science extends as far as imagination goes. Science never fails, scientists can. Engineering is all about enabling and providing solutions borrowing from the fundamentals of science.

Further, Prof. Indranil Manna, also the President of Indian National Academy of Engineering, said, “How Science, Engineering and Technology in India complement each other and flourish together so that the society soon can achieve the desired culture, growth and prosperity.”

The Human Resource Development and Skill Development programs in the CICPS will provide Fellowships for Doctoral, Post-Doctoral, and Faculties. It will provide a platform for organizing the preliminary and advanced skill development workshops.

Robotics and Artificial Intelligence is a major enabler for Industry 4.0. It is a blend of almost all the engineering streams and science. The new Master’s program, initiated at CICPS, is designed to address advanced engineering topics and help to meet the growing need for industries.

Graduates will be able to use scientific methods to solve complex problems in both research and practice, particularly for industrial automation, to improve productivity significantly. The involved technological development will lead to the establishment of training schools related to manufacturing and robotics

Speaking on the occasion, Prof. M. Jagadish Kumar, Vice Chancellor, Jawaharlal Nehru University, said, “For being an innovative and creative engineer, whatever we do for living, whatever tool we use for living, whatever we study, structures we build, they all are results of complex set of process, idea and practices.”

Further Prof. M. Jagadish Kumar said, “Knowing about the contributions and life of our predecessor as innovators and engineers, I am sure we will provide an opportunity to know about how our life experience is different from our predecessor and how similar our goals and values are different in building new societies. The event and causes took place in the past continue to shape our present. I am very glad that IIT Guwahati has decided to bring a lot of interdisciplinary centers in the institute and very happy to see the progress of IIT Guwahati. I would like to see IIT Guwahati in the top 100 Institute’s in future.”

Presently, 41 members of IIT Guwahati are involved in this center from the Departments of Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science and Engineering, Design, Chemical Engineering and Chemistry. The center will be consist nine laboratories including as Underwater Natural Resources lab, Product Development Laboratory, Reverse Engineering Laboratory, Fabrication Laboratory, Virtual & Augmented Reality Laboratory, E-Mobility Laboratory, Internet of Things Laboratory, Product Testing Laboratory, and Sensor & Actuator Fabrication Laboratory.

Prof. S. K. Dwivedy, Head of the Centre for Intelligent Cyber Physical Systems, IIT Guwahati, started the session with an introduction of the dignitaries. Prof. G. Krishnamoorthy gave a brief introduction to the Dean’s office of Industry, Interaction and Special Initiatives, IIT Guwahati.

Prof. Krishnamoorthy informed the audience that more than 50 companies have already joined the Research Park of IIT Guwahati while Dr. Sajan Kapil briefed about the activities of the center and newly started M. Tech program “Robotics and Artificial Intelligence”.