Shaastrarth

Shaastra is Technology. Technology is engineering. The name Spirit of Engineering says it all. One of the biggest elements of Shaastra, every year the institute’s brightest minds put up together a display of innovative technological projects for the world to see. These projects are funded by the institute and are developed in the students’ own lab – Centre For Innovation, popularly known as CFI. From BluTag to RepRap, the Ornithopter to the RoboFish, the innovations, the concepts and the gadgets have never failed to amaze one and all.  This year, a whole new set of innovative technological projects are set to take the centre stage as the Shaastra unfolds this September.

 The Human Computer Interface is a radically new concept. This project aims at navigating the mouse pointer using live-feed from the web-cam. It proposes to achieve this by processing the live-feed to detect a specific color parameter of skin tone which is unique to human hand. By using this unique parameter, the team would be able to isolate the human hand from the live-feed and use its movement to move the mouse pointer, thus making the computer interface much more intuitive and ‘human’.

 Do you always tend to forget things? Do you always miss out on those ‘small and crucial chores’? Fear not, for this year’s Shaastra has something just for you – GPS Pop Reminder. This clever little application built for the Android platform aims to give Location Based Reminders to the user about various tasks the user has set at his current location, so he doesn’t miss out on anything!

 The Light Drawing Bot brings something to the platter for photography enthusiasts. The project’s aim is to develop an aid in the new realm of photography called long exposure photography. The project will develop an high-speed Robot with LEDs fixed on it. This Robot can trace any path given to it by the User. The Robot would go through this complex path at high speed in a dark room. The movement of the robot will be captured in a long exposure shot which would create a picture of the light traced by the Robot at various instants.

The LPRS (License Plate Recognition Software) is another venture in the student developed projects domain. It aims to develop an un-manned, computer-aided Entry/Exit System at the IIT Madras Main Gate. The team aims to detect the number-plate on the Vehicle with a camera mounted on the computer controlled barricade. Using the independently developed font-detection and reading algorithm made by the team, they would be able to read number plates in any format which the computer already knows, thus automating the entry/exit system at the institute’s gates.

 Flying and Shaastra have shared a long history together. From Learn to Fly to the Ornithopter, everyone has always been fascinated by the art of flying, and this year is no exception. Several projects currently under development are in the aviation sector. One of the more notable projects is the construction of a Monocopter – an aerial machine that uses a single rotating blade to fly. The concept is similar to the whirling helicopter seeds that fall from some trees. The marvel of the Monocopter is a must see for one and all.

 We invite you to be a witness to the brand ‘Spirit of Engineering’ and a whole new set of innovations at Shaastra 2011, where ‘thinking out of the box’ is redefined and taken to a whole new level. After all, Technology is in the Air.

Shaastra isn’t just a tech fest. To put it simply, it’s a one-year long institution of sorts. Like every other institution then, it’s governed by a hierarchy. The ‘head’ is the Co-Curicular Affairs Secretary (or CoCas in short). He is elected by the institute’s student population at the end of every year. The elections take place towards the closing of the semester, after hard-core campaigning by different candidates. These elections perhaps are the highlight of every even semester. It borders the intensity of the National Elections, drawing from the spirit of a 1000+ crowd. Manifestos are read out and demands are heard out. Promises are made, guarantees of better handled, better quality events and facilities are assured. Almost every hostel is flooded by pamphlets and bulletins, pledging a better environment for students. Potential candidates are found loitering in front of most hostels with huge circles of supporters. The Institute Elections not only seeks to find the ‘best’ CoCas but also other Secretaries.

After one of the candidates has been selected, the next tier is formed: The Core Tier. The Cores are a group of students, each in charge of various departments. Each department looks into a particular aspect of the fest; there are departments for events, Spons, GA, WebOps, Design, Finance, QMS and Hospi, respectively. Every department is headed by one to two cores. These cores are selected on the basis of their application and their past experience in that particular field. The selection committee comprises of the elected CoAss and the previous year’s cores. This process of selection ensures that the student with the best aptitude is chosen to lead that particular department.

To elaborate more on the departments as such, the departments are pivotal organs in the running of Shaastra. To be more thorough, the departments are:

• Events Department: The events department is one of the primary bodies. It essentially provides the content factor to Shaastra, it is what gives reason for students to participate in Shaastra. From contraptions to robotics, the events department is in charge of organizing all events within Shaastra.
• Spons Department: Funding the events and the prize-money are sponsors such as Vestas, Qualcomm etc. These sponsors are provided by spons department. The spons department is the driving force of Shaastra: It works towards getting as much funding as possible. What is perhaps the more amazing fact is that the Spons department is run by students only. For that matter, all the departments are run by and for students.
• Finance Department: Finance looks into accounting. It basically keeps an eye on all the transactions made in the name of the 4-day Shaastra Fest. It keeps a tab on sales, prize money, etc.
• Design Department: Design department works on posters, brochures, videos,  It’s the department that has to reach out to the many students living across India. The department essentially has to attract as many participants as possible on a large-scale.
• WebOps Departments: With every major event launching its base online, it’s only natural that Shaastra has its own out-reach online. The WebOps Department is pertinent for the easy access of information, organizing participants and generating their Reference Numbers, etc.
• Hospitality Department:  There is no better way of justifying this department than Sanskrit saying, ‘Athithi Devo Bhava’, which translates into ‘Guest is God’. With this in mind, the students of IIT-M instituted the Hospitality Department to look into the needs and comforts of the many participants who come from all over India.
• GA Department: This is the Hulk of the Departments. From arranging small-scale equipment like mike and sound systems to facilitating large-scale events, this Department ensures that the best facilities are in place for everything, events et al, to take off.
• QMS Department: The full form of QMS is ‘Quality Management Services.’ This department takes steps towards ensuring that all coordinators and volunteers are doing their best to add to Shaastra. They are unfailing in their duty towards extracting the best out of everybody, so at the end of the day Shaastra cannot but be a quality-worth fest.

Working under each of the department cores are around twenty to fifty coordinators. The coordinators are chosen by the cores to observe and handle the different compartments in each department. While they are considered with doing most of the grunt work, the CoCas and the cores are attributed with doing most of the ideation and management.

Finally at the lower rung of the ladder are the volunteers. Volunteers are mostly chosen out of the freshie batch by the coordinators to help them out with designated tasks.

This four-layered hierarchy has been successful in maintaining the spirit and quality of the entire many-dimension-ed Shaastra fest.

Gone are the days when heavy artillery dictated the battle-field dynamics. Stocked explosive material quantity is no longer a parameter. Welcome to the world of electronic and virtual warfare. In fact, Electronic, virtual and cyberspace domains rule the roost, today. We see countries trading-off between welfare and warfare aspects when it comes to financial constraints. Advances in the conventional components and pioneering in these modern ‘arts’ are very coveted. We at the Shaastra newsletter team, bring you interesting advances in these domains which can win a war or two.

Unbelievably True

(Scary. Awesome.)
These  will make you put down that doughnut or drop that glass of water. Here we go. Again. The largest cause of death on-field is people who succumb to bleed injuries. To negate this, ‘Sonic Bandages’ have been deployed. They cauterise wounds by focussing high energy sonic beams. Heal wounds at sonic speeds!
Better this: scientists with the US navy have developed armour based on Shear Thickening Fluid (STF). It hardens only on impact! Combining manoeuvrability with defence.

Advancements in Weaponry

(Bring it on!)
                  Several notable advancements include the “Bendy Gun”- allows the user to bend it at right angles. The sight follows the bend – so shoot, see where you shoot, yet, don’t be seen! The “Rail Gun” is also a well-known example – one that fires at several times the speed of sound! “Raytheon” is a non-lethal yet extremely painful weapon. Exploits the micro-wave concept to penetrate enemy skin and cause pain. One area where you can cook for your comrade when stranded, or cook your enemy!

Spy Fly

(Swat? Try spotting first.)

A development that has substantially changed the battle scenario. These Micro-Aerial Vehicles (MAV) have overall dimensions less than 3 inches. Yes you heard that right! Armed with Reciprocating Chemical Muscle (RCM) and high resolution cameras, they’re perfected to mimic flying movements of certain insects. They can undertake reconnaissance and surveillance missions not just in an approaching enemy frontier, but well into enemy territory. What’s more, the enemy will have absolutely no clue, leave alone reporting an aerospace violation. All this at the cost of zero hazards to the human resource. Military analysts add, “no one would even take a second look. In a country like India, their use in counter-terror and counter insurgency operations are almost invaluable.

Cryptanalysis and Quantum Computing

(Wait! Is the title encrypted?)
                  No, the title isn’t encrypted! Just jargon. So what is quantum computing and how is it used in cryptanalysis?  Well to answer that, encryption isn’t child’s play. It no longer involves the Caesar Shifts and Polybius squares! When millions of lives and trillions of dollars are at stake resorting to these is thoroughly not plausible. Encryption today involves complex algorithms. Scientists have therefore used quantum computing – the technique of harnessing the power of atoms and molecules to perform memory and processing tasks. Even online transaction encryption can be cracked in a snap with quantum computing! The allies gained strategic edge when they broke the enigma code of German U-boats. In the modern era, if techniques along similar lines are implemented, it would spell disaster for the enemy.

Precision Guided Munitions

( Many fruit. One stone. Precision! )

The concept is simple. Strike efficiency decays exponentially with target distance. A bull’s eye is economic and reduces collateral damage, apart from effectively striking the target! These could be anti-personnel PGM, anti-tank PGM and even anti-aircraft PGM. One particularly interesting technology in this field is the anti-tank PGM. These apparently, enter the canon of the enemy tank and gas the occupants unconscious. This way the defending force gains a tank and a large amount of military intelligence.

This Shaastra, get ready to build something out of metal (and plastic) and watch it multiply before your eyes. For the first ever Shaastra finance events are here to capture the analytic investor in you. The money sure is better on the other side!

The two maiden finance events are Bulls and Bears and e-Stock Bazaar. Bulls and Bears is a stock trading competition which is organized around an algorithm that allocates shares to every event in Shaastra, from Chemical X to Junkyard Wars. Sell in May, stock gurus say, and don’t come back till St. Legers’ day, but at Shaastra 2011, watch your investments and more importantly, your trading skills grow exponentially over the course of three days.

Bulls and Bears is as much for the novice as it is for the skilled. No prerequisite knowledge is required, though of course, some basic information about finance would always help. Registration is on the spot and the participant simply needs to buy tokens from the finance counter and start investing. The event consists of two rounds and the fifty participants who made the maximum earnings in the first round make it to the second.

Bulls and Bears is essentially an event which expects you to invest in other events and maximize the profit. Participants purchase tokens at a nominal price of rupees 10 each, to ‘expect and invest’ in shares for any event in Shaastra 2011. All you need is some cash and a lot of luck, skill and of course, enthusiasm!

The online finance event or e-Stock Bazaar seeks to reinforce Gordon Gekko’s famous saying – Greed is Good. Participants register online and start investing in companies with a certain amount of virtual cash. This is your chance to compete with participants from all over the country, invest and strategize your way to becoming a stock market tycoon.

Just like in Bulls and Bears, there are two rounds in e-Stock Bazaar: preliminary and a final round with total money made as criteria for selecting the winners. As Pink Floyd says, grab that cash and make a stash!

The preliminary round will be held between September 12th and 17^th, with a trading session of an hour per day. The final round will be held on September 24^th and 25^th with a trading session of two hours per day.

This is your chance to experience the exciting world of Dalal street right on the IIT campus. If you are the type to pore over the day’s Economic Times, trade extensively on khelostocks or if you simply have a head for numbers, then these two finance events are for you. Ride the wave of imagination, for there are some things money can’t buy- for everything else there is Shaastra 2011.

Man is a bot with defects. Mankind is at a threshold. Man is now playing God. Only this time, Man has outwitted and outplayed God. Or has he? Come, join us as we find out, in what is now, comfortably the mother of all robotics contests. As the biggest brains across the country battle it out, even watching is tantamount to having won. The victors indeed are hailed, the pride of having won something of this magnitude and grandeur etched for eternity.

If you are that kind, which fables in the ecstasy of fiddling with control systems, toying along counters and registers; If “teleautomation” and “teleoperation” sounds like hammer and tongs to you, image processing a clichéd jargon, then chug along. Robotics promises to teleport you to a world that you deserve.

Even as old as Shaastra, Robotics at Shaastra has gone onto become as famous as Shaastra itself! Having blended in itself the technical aspects and optimisation criteria, it stands out as the ultimate engineering test. Its participants, winners that is, having mastered the nuances of computer coding, image processing, telecommunications, electronics and ideas from mechanical engineering too. Well, for ‘The’ engineer, it is indeed a seductive challenge. Featuring in the first edition of Shaastra, back in 2000, Robotics has been gaining on, right ahead. The breakthrough came in 2004 when Robotics at Shaastra was the highlight of the festival. The building event that combined a focus on design and engineering with the thrill of fast cars with control, was the robotics grand prix .It marked the beginning of a new era. Today, Robotics is greeted with a packed arena, competent organisers and mind-blowing participants.

Robotics was being held in about three rounds, all scintillating with tech prowess. Though over the years we have resorted to the three events, two rounds each format. Participants of the three rounds have well defined problem statements, the dimensions of all required parameters being made as placid as is possible. Indeed we cannot have any discrepancy of any nature arising. The co-ordinators for Robotics make sure all such quality constraints are sufficed.

The greatest highlights in its glorious contemporary include the display of MANUS 1 under the aegis of Robotics. MANUS 1 had previously won several awards including the FIRA Robot World Cup at Germany 2006, the same event in Singapore in 2005, FIRA Robot World Cup Australia 2003 and the Singapore Robotics Games 2004.Shaastra 2011 comprises of a starry, themed group of competitions, mainly ‘COLD FUSION’, ‘CALL OF DUTY’ and ‘PACK MAN’.

Call of Duty, involves the design of two bots, the transporter and a picker to mitigate an eminent nuclear hazard. Cold Fusion is the lofty deed of burying a destabilized reactor to save the nations. Pack Man, however is in a league of its own. Having a direct connection with the industry, it involves the design of an automated bot to deliver specific products to corresponding clients and then dispose of the waste.

The arena lights up. The stage is set. To watch or to be watched, make it, that you may be glad that you did. Play God. Outplay him. At the bottom, robotics is about us. It is the discipline of emulating our lives, of wondering how we work.