Message from the HoD
Messa� from the Publication Secy AshishKumar
Prof Debabrata Chakraborty It is indeed a pleasure to see the successful compilation of the second
·Scientists investigate
issue of the e-magatine, SYNc. I take this opportunity to congratulate all
create that which has never been."
the members of MESA. especially the publication conunittee of the CUJTent issue and the previous issue for this success.
The above c onunent about the prowess of engineers by one of the greatest scientist Albert Einstein seems to be
Laun:hing of this e-magazine SYNC in the Mechanical Engineering Depart
apt today more than ever before. Tn today's world
ment at IITG site is indeed a great effort at right time. To compete in the
where on one side technology is making objects mini to
current global economic situation" need of the hour is exchange of ideas,
micro and now nano , the other side machines and
thoughts, knowledge and resources. In this backdrop, I have no doubt that
structures are getting bigger and larger leaving us in
SYNC can play a significant role in the fann of compiling experiences and
awe. Titles like 'smallest', 'fastest', and 'most efficient'
knowledge from different sources including those from our own alumni to
are getting transferred faster than ever before.
help our students compete. Personally, I feel more and more alumni should
In this edition of SYNC we focus upon many such inno
be invited to share their expertise, experiences, knowledge and infonnation
vative ideas whkh will soon become a part of our life to
regarding oppottunities in academics and industries tlu'ough this magazine.
change the way it had been before. To keep the maga
The Departrnentot MechauicalEngineering atIIT Guwahati is one of the best in the COWltry and I wish that we continuously improve. This would be possi ble tluough cooperative eiforts of shldents and teachers of the Department. Our faculty members have been putting their best efforts to impart quality
zine an easy reading we have few poems to mesmerize you and articles which will make you think about our role in today's society. I hope this second edition of SYNC proves to be like a breeze ofeold air which makes you feel lively.
education and to maintain the standards but we have a long way to go. Shldents have also a major role to play in the ionn of sincerely participating in the academic activities and then providing feedback for quality class room and
teaching and other related activities. The faculty and the definitely drive the Deparbnent in the right path so as
shldents
excellence. Wishing y6u all a very happy and wonderful new year 2010.
...." .
Lastly, I sincerely thank our HoD, Professor Debabrata Chakraborty, our faculty advisor Dr. Niranjan Sahoo, and the President of l\IIESA for their valuable guidance and to all the members of the pubLication team whose sincere efforts have made this memorable eilii tion... possible.
Letter from the Editor
Faculty Advisor Dr. Niranjan Sahoo
President Rohit Koolwal
Executive Members Bhushan Maskay, Nitin Kishore Pankaj Kumar Sahu, Prateek Kumar Vorungati Achyuth Reddy
Dear Readers,
It is sheer pleasure on my part to present to you the second edition of SYNC, the e-magazine of MESA. Since its launch in the previous year, SYNC's editorial emphasis has been one of empowerment, education and entertainment, and this issue is no different. We strive to bring you articles that will brighten your day, broaden your mind, and keep you up to date.
Designed by : Abhinandan Tripathi, Rishi Garg
The SYNC is an initiative to increase interactivity with our readers, especially students. It is our endeavour to seek inputs from
Chief Editor Yash Dalmia
students & faculties and bring their diverse perspectives to SYNC's Edition, in their own words. They contribute articles addressing issues and ideas that concern them the most which find mention on the
Publication Secretary
e-pages of SYNC.
Ashish Kumar It is an assortment of articles by students and budding journalists,
Writing Team: Sheshank Verma,Tejas Mehrotra Akshay Pasricha, Adeel Ahmad Aakash Golia, Piyush Bagdi Adnan Akhtar, Anupam Singhal Vasu Goel, Jay Prakash Dulhani Syed Tahseen Faraz, Nitin Khola
on educational issues and opportunities with an insight of what truly concerns students. Hope you enjoy reading SYNC as much as we enjoyed creating it for you. Happy Reading!
- Yash Dalmia
5
X-43A: Fast Lane Turbulence
An aircraft at Mach 10 which can't be landed. The only way to land it, is to crash it!
1(
7
9
Changing role ofllT ians
From Technocrats and Entrepreneurs to POLITICIANS.
A story of a mechanical engineer'sjourney from lIT to 'The Global Indian ofthe Year:
11 Care-O-Bot
Pre-Intern Experience
Ajourney which is more thrilling than the destination itself.
A one armed robot glides slowly to the kitchen table, carefully picks up a bottle of applejuice with its threefingers and pours it in a glass for you.
1 4 Sometimes I dream
13 Logistics Horn OK Please.
Ajourney through time.
15 Interview: Prof s.c. Mishra
18 Inflatable Re-entry Vehicle Expt.
One of the most experienced professor of lIT Guwahati shares his memoirs of recentJapan Trip.
Developing a heat shield to safely slow down a spacecraft moving at hypersonic speed at the time ofentry into the atmosphere ofa planet.
2
1 9 Dam on Brahmaputra A potential issue ofpolitical conflict between India and China-An inside story.
Raj at Gupta
HondaFCX
An eco-Jriendly car.
22
Mech- Masti
Thefun-corner.
What IsX-43Al NASA's X-43A is a hypersonic, scramjet-powered resea rch aircraft designed to
The craft was created to develop and test an exotic type of engine called a
fiy at speeds up to Mach 10. lt is part of NASA's Hyper-X program. Although
supersonic-combustion ramjet, or
NASA's X-43A and other hypersonic airplanes use air-breathing engines and
external combustion takes place within air that is flowing at supersonic
fly much like Boeing 7475: there's a big difference between ripping air at
speeds. The X-43A's developers designed the aircraft's airframe to positively
Mach 10 (around 7,000 mph) a nd cruising through it at 350 mph. The critical
affect propulsion, just as it affects aerodynamics: in this design, the fore body
point comes where air changes from flowing smoothly across a surface -
is a part of the intake airflow, while the aft section functions as a nozzle.
"5cramjet" an engine variation where
laminar flow -to when it becomes chaotic -turbulent flow.
Design The X-43A aircraft is a small-unpiloted test vehicle measuring just over 12 feet
A scramjet is a type of jet engine designed to operate at the speeds of rockets.
(3.7 m) in length. The vehicle was a lifting body design, where the body of the
Its main difference from a rocket is that it collects air from the atmosphere to
aircraft provides a significant amount of lift for flight, rather than relying on
burn its fuel rather than carrying an oxidizing substance on board. More
wings. The aircraft weighed roughly 3,000 pounds or about 1,300 kilograms.
conventional jets (turbojets, turbofans, and ramjets) share this characteristic
The X-43A was designed to be fully controllable in high-speed fiight, even
but are unsuitable for the high speeds at which scramjets can operate.
when gliding without propulsion. However, the aircraft was not designed to land and be recovered.
Aero-thermodynamic heating largely determines the engine size, weight, choice of materials and overall size in hypersonic airplanes. So engineers would like to have a much better understanding of what triggers turbulence and how they can control it at hypersonic speeds. Air goes from laminar to turbulent at what engineers call the "boundary layer". They understand how this happens at slower speeds, but they're still grappling with which factors influence it at hypersonic speeds.
5
Turbine-based engines, while efficient for fiight at subsonic and supersonic
Further D..elopment
speeds, quickly lose their efficiency at higher Mach numbers. As air enters the compressor its p-essure and temperature increases, with high Mach numbers resulting in high temperature. High temperature can cause melting or struc
Other X-43 vehicles were designed, wt as of November 2004 appear to have
tural failure of the engine and reduces the energy released fiom comwstion as
been suspended. They were expected to have the same basic body design as
the temperature of the fuel-air mixture increases. The drag increases with Mach
the X-43!\ though the aircraft were expected to be moderately to significantly
number squared as the availa�e energy decreases. The maximum operating
larger in size.
speed of a turbine-based engine can be increased by cooling the air in the inlet and by combning the turbine with other thrust-producing technologies like
The X-43D would have been almost identical to the X-43!\ wt expanding the
afterburners or ramjets.
Dewe
speed envelope to approximately Mach 15. As of September 2007,
pment
only a feasiblity study has been conducted by Donald B. John
The initial version, the X-43!\ was designed
to
operate
at
son of The Boeing Corrpany
speeds
and Jeffrey S. Robnson of NASA
greater than Mach 7, about 5,400
Langley
mp'1 (3,050 klTLlh) at altitudes of
Hampton, VA. According to the
100,000 feet (30,000 m) or more. The
introduction of the study, "The
Research Center,
in
X-43A is a single-use vehicle and is
purpose
designed to crash into the ocean
gather high Mach number fiight
without recovery. Three of them have
environment and engine oper
been wilt: the first was destroyed;
ability
the
other
two
have
successfully
approximately
10
X-43D
information
is to
which
IS
difficult,. if not impossible, to
fiown, with the scramjet operating for
of the
gather on the ground.
seconds,
followed by a 1° minute glide and intentional crash.
Why it can't land back after fiight,. any shortcoming? A natural Qwhich comes after reading this article. Any special purpose to develop such aircraft or it's
The most recent success in the X-plane series of aircraft,. the X-43 is part of
just another high-speed aircraft with advantage of taking air for comwstion
NASA's Hyper-X p-ogram, involving the American space agency and contrac
from the surrounding air itself.
tors such as Boeing, Micro Craft Inc, O'btal Sciences Corporation and General Applied Science Laboratory (GASL). Micro Oaft Inc., now known as ATK GASL,
References:
wilt the X-43A and its engine.
Wikipedia - wikipedia.org
NASA-nasa.gov
6
JUST TECHNOCRATS OR
??
THEY COULD BE !rEADERS OF INDIA
The Indian society is made up of a complex web of relations deeply rooted in
Can
a
technically
caste, religion and ethnic belonging. Violence and turmoil is common and the
person take over the responsi
entrance of the nationalistic parties, which in many ways have dominated the
bility of caring for the people?
political scene since the late 1950's has greatly increased polarization. Today the
Or in other w
civil society does function as negotiator of decisions and practices of the political
join politi
elite of the state..... And the biggest question which every Indian asks at the end
for the
- Vasu Goel
qualified
5-Soobl
tQ.lITians
&king
instead of w
of the day is" Am I being governed really by a group of elite people which do get bothered by the piteous condition of the state?" And comes the reply in a jiff. y... .._ .. ....-. . � 'No!' ... Then what is it that needs to be changed. The ideology of the pe the people who so said run this country in a very organized and pro ressive manner? Thinking that by sitting at home and just cursing the way ho government runs this country would change the system is, then just a waste of
U
the precious time which can be utilized in actions whic ••�. •
t
....
in the changes we want . t
�
\�.,;;.-'.1.'"
al y !3 n help to bring
And another thing which bothers us is the qualification of the minister, going to take the oath of being a responsible citizen,
governor
and
the
revolutionary. Well the thing is that very few people in our elected parties are in true sense
'educated'.
The
rest
wast
Some Ie think that it would be a of resources in a manner we
first
train
become highly
them
to
skilled techni
cians and then they join politics. And some even think that they
�___________________________ 1hinking that by sitting at home andjust cursing the way how our government rum this country would change the �ystem is, thenjust a waste of the precious time which can be utilized in actions which really can help to bring in the changes we want.
w 0 u I d also just flow away with the power of authority and money like what happens in the present scenario. What most of the people don' t understand is that the technical knowledge is very well utilized in the working of government unnoticed by many. Our ex-P resident Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam is an epitome of such a misunderstanding. He was the ex-officio Scientific Advisor to the prime minister before holding the post of the president. Certain people
have a fake degree from just
think that it is a good step as now
another college meant to give
there would be a government com-
degrees so that we can show that India's literacy rate is gradually ascending. But in true sense it's just the waste of money, time and human resources.
prising people from all ideologies and age groups.
J ,
I 'J; I ,
, ,
� r
·-1
�
o'
.'j
r " �j
7 , • � r \'
� j
. i;) r
I: ...;•. !
-
'
. tJ-#'i .:
i:-...,. ...
A few alumni of liT family have set up examples in this process of changing, thus
candidates from 40 parliamentary constituencies across the country in the
bringing out a voice to lead India to a better future. Five IITians have formed a
just gone by Lok Sabha elections.
new political party in India, PARITRANA. With sole aim of betterment of Indian society without hampering the existing traditions and culture, this is a kick off
"Bharat Punarnirman Dal (BDP) contested from at least 20 seats in Uttar
start inspired by people as shown in the movie Rang De Basanti.ln India, where
Pradesh and 40 seats across the country on the issue of good governance,
politics is a mosaic of casteism, money and muscle power, this group of former
restoration of ethics in politics and opposition to caste based reservation,"
IITians
and
party national president Ajit Ashwalayan Shukla has told the reporters.
students
are
MBA trying
It is good for IITians to do anything except for leaving the country and
with
depriving it of its intelligence. I feel like any intelligent, knowledgeable
their
person it can make a lot of difference in any field it goes. No matter
well
whether its politics, management or technology, the thing is to work for the
slated and comprises
betterment of the country and its people and not be self centered and
of handling the major
selfish.When the poorest of poor contribute to the funding of liT only then
issues
in
the engineers get one of the finest educations at cheapest fees. They
India. They are striv足
should not forget that it is their moral responsibility to repay a portion of
ing as they know the
the debt owned by them to those people. Everything else is than a matter
ground
of choice.
their
luck
politics.
And
propaganda
which
of
is
worry
realities they
have
faced in recent times and want to put a stop to them. "Giving up
handsome
pay
packages, comfort of family and support of friends
wasn't
that
"A TECHNOCRAT CAN MANAGE A GROUP OF 30000 PEOPLE WHEN IN A COMPANY OR AN INSTI足
TUTUION THEN WHY NOT SEVERAL TECHNOCRATS
easy," says Tanmay Rajpurohit, the national president of the party and B Tech in
FROM lIT's STAND UPTO CREATE A NEW ENTITY
aerospace from liT Bombay followed by an MS from GeorgiaTech and double
AND MARK THE GLOBE WITH A NEW ADVANCED
masters in arts. It is the necessity of the society that urges the IITians to jump in
AND MOBILIZED INDIA!!!"
the pool of politics and clean it. Another example to such a step is the emergence of "Bharat Punarnirman Dal (BDP)", a party floated by former IITians and other professionals fielding its
8
RC)JC)t 6uptc) A
me charical engineering graduate from liT-Delhi,
Raja! Gu�a
IS a former CEO of McKinsey & Co. now
serving as the United Nations Secretary-General's
Special Advisor on UN Reform am also as the Founding Partner and the Chairman of New Silk RoLie Partners
An irteresting q..Jestion that c,omes into a persons min::J is What a Mechanical engineer was doing in a manage
mert consulting firm? What's the use of a mecharical
• •
Prakash Dulhani
was not joiring them, they couldn't believe this as till then nobody had turned down their offer
So, ITC gave him
they agreed �on his justification
mothe r was a teacher at MJnte SSOri sch 001. UnfortLilat ely Sir.::e then he survived mostly on the
scholarships that he received, am later created history by becoming the first ever Imia-born CEO of a US transna tional firml Rajat was a bril�art st�rt at MJde
He secLTed an All India Rarl< of 1
decided to R'Jsue STech. (Mech
IIT-D gave him not oriy a B.Tech
rn
School, New Delhi
51 In
the IIT-JEE am
Engg) from liT Delhi
degree bLi, also his
future wife Anit a Matto, his 2 year jLIlio r in lIT-D. 8 elol1Sing
to electrical engineering Arita met Rajat during college
debates and plays. He was also elected General Secretary
at IIT-D, lVhich later gave Harvard Business School enough
hirts that he comects well with the peoplel
After finishing BTech from IIT-D in 1971, Rajat had 3
o�ions Job at lTC, MBA from 11M-A, or MBA from Harvard
business school. He decided to go for the last choice lVhere he got a finar.::ial aid, for which he had recommen
dation letters from the Prime Mirister of India and the
renowned industrialist Tata Birla. When he told ITC that he
1994,
of
he
the
the
was
mert on that After the first term, lVhen he got
Director
sLIprised Aoout his
Harvard experier.::e Rajat adds
care to hire the best people and LTged them to always pJt
first month. They give you so mLXh to do that you
Gupta aggressively expanded Mckinsey abroad. He lifted
1997 and
2000
McKinsey's
he
became
Managing
1994,
Gu�a's
challenge was to maintain McKinsey's growth rate. He took
the cliert's interests ahead of the irterests of the firm
is impossible. BLi or.::e I got over that iritial
Mckinsey & Co. revenue from $12 tillion (as that was in
edLXation, better than you get anywhere in this world"
from 50 to 90 global locations, Meal1Nhile, the number of
1993) to $3.4 tillion and as a result M::kinsey expamed
it was relatively easy Because the IITs give you a
partners increased from 427 to 891 and as is known to
his father died lVhen he was just 16 and his mother died in
his 18th spring
Director
mt
When
sort of a classic. You always feel you're goil1S to
Patrika Gro� and a prominert freedom-fighter while his
In
elected
sincere and irtelligent Rajat, academics was easy He
family to that of elite CEO of McKinsey & Co
(CalcLtta) His father was a journalist for the Anama Bazar
firm
he
Harvard was a cultLTal shock for an Imian boy from
modest �bril1Sing He had never seen TV beforel Eli
in other spheres. He is the example of how talent and hard
was bom on 2nd Dec, 1948 in M:miktala
was
re-elected again as MD in
grades (he got all excellentl), most of his classmates
Raja! Gupta
commitmert,
oriy
Managing
It was only after he told them that he was goil1S
to be very reticert in the class am everyone used to com
work can elevate the status of a boy belonging to a poor
As a res Lit of his
tireless
airfare to Calcutta to ex�ain them the withdrawal reason
engineer there? Well, Raja! G�ta is a living example of
mechanical engineers who have made sLKcessful ventures
1989
everyone,
"PestiV1.!::! is V1.ot a w.atter- of chaV1.ce, " it is a w.atter- of choice
,,�,jl
After com�eting his studies at Harvard, Rajat j( McKinsey & Co. New York office in 1973. His entry
consider you· But then one of his Profs Sir Walter "'Imoe who was a classmate of Ron Daniel, 1Vh0 then I
decision saying, "Please consider hiril1S Rajat because he i a gem in itself' Then, he was invited to a full day i
in Mckinsey was spectacular. He was made the head
2500
there to
The
7500
no
of
thereby
current status of the firm is a testimony to the fact, Gupta
is the 'Global Indian of the year' (2007)
Imian School of Business, Hyderabad & also Chairman of
and work somewhere else forthree to four years
job am the rest, as they say is history His rise to
stop
from liT-D. He is currently Chairman of the Board of the
J
at Mckinsey's New York office and eventually was offered
from
awardee and also a distinguished alLlllni award recipient
him saying·You're obviously very smart, bLi you need
McKinsey's New York office, wrote to him to reconsider
grolVlh didn't
ir.::reased
increasing the reverue threefold dLTing his stint there The
Mr.
McKinsey itself is a very interestil1S story to be told two back to back irterviews at campus, McKinsey
the
professionals
I
the Board of Associates of the Harvard Business School. He is an independent director of Goldman Sachs Group Inc and is
on the
advisory
board
of Kellogg
managemert He is cLTrently a trustee on the board of the Rockefeller FOLildation
He has many other unspoken
professional and business affiliations I
Scaminavian offices in 1981, joined the Chicago office i
school of
too
He
was
a
key-mte speaker at the recently conclwed PAN�IT AILIllni
Global Conference in Chicago in October,20m
at liT, may sometimes seem grueling indeed.
up my home and told my mom "Finally the labori-
sems approached and
when you realize the importance and impact
ous guy has made his CV': This gave me a lot of
adrenaline. Finally a day before the end sems,
of interns on your life at liT followed by career.
confidence because it was the only way to keep
came a mail with a flash, a streak that made me
Interns are something that fascinate as well as
myself content. All others in the college had man-
happy from head to toe. "Dear Candidate we are
uptight every one and form one of the most impor足
aged to secure an intern by then and were miles
happy to select you for an industrial training at
tant aspects of one's career.
ahead of me. I realized the significance of an
BHEL, Hyderabad': By then another candidate
intern too late and the fear of lagging behind I would like to share a bit of my experience of
began haunting me as days passed.
getting an intern after my sophomore year. As Bryan Adams sang "Summer of'69" here I go with
There goes a saying "A stitch in time saves nine"
"Summer of 2009': Like most of us, I too was excited
and I could feel the immortality of that stitch in
about my summer intern and to explore how the
time. None other option left, I commenced with
actual world looks like. It's usually during October足
my "Apping Season" which I knew would be
February the apt time for applying for interns and I
worse than autumn. I kept applying and realized
was far more relaxed than others, least bothered to
that half of the world is least bothered even to
work out contacts and apply for intern. It was in
reply. Scores of them replying with a big "No';
February end after all the Alcheringa thing getting
slots filled, deadline over and what not. Mid April
over and almost every one of the batch had
came and still no positive reply. I was staggering
secured an intern that I realized I should make a CV
every way I could search for. Finally I managed a
for myself and apply for intern. Again the initiative
contact that led me to BHEL. I applied the very
was not mine but a senior from the then 4th year
day in the morning. By the day had dusked I had
who pounced upon me to do the same. I was fine
refreshed my inbox at least 200 times but all in
with this except that I would not make my CV and
vain. Waited eagerly for a reply and a couple of
that munificent final yearite did the favor of
weeks passed but no answer and my mails
making me a CV. Finally my CV was ready and I was
seemed like a missed call on an unknown number
really glad to see it. The next thing I did was calling
least bothered to reply "wrong number': End
the usual
fervor of
had entered the scene with a proposal for an intern at ONGC but said the chances were bleak. Now was my turn, I called him up and told him regarding the'Yes' at BHEL and asked if he was interested to join me. He, as expected readily answered "YES'; all in capitals!
There goes a saying' A stitch in time saves nine' and I could feel the immortality of that stitch in time. If
If
- Akshay Pasricha A one armed robot glides slowly to the kitchen
ping and localization is done mainly using dead reck
table, carefully picks up a bottle of apple juice with
oning and mathematical integration of the travelled
its three fingers and pours it in a glass for you.
route but to reduce the errors that creep in addi
Gone are those days when such things were only
tional use is made of environment sensors such as
possible in movies and cartoons, now it is actually
laser scanners, camera etc. A target-point based path
possible.
planning technique is used which is then optimized
Fraunhoffer IPA have been working to develop a
over distance or time. To accommodate the changing
mobile robot assistant able to assist human beings
environment, "elastic bands" method is used for path
in their daily life for over ten years now. The third
planning where each path is modeled as an elastic
generation of this successful development is (are
rubber band. Whenever an obstacle is encountered
o-bot 3. Only 1.45 metres high it is a prototype of
in the path, the band is wound around the detected
a new generation of service robots designed to
obstacle and smoothed. Motion control controls the
help humans in the household.
smooth and efficient movement of the robot along Courtesy: www.gearlog.com
the planned path.
environment i.e. the number of OBBs so an algo
MAJOR FEATURES Safe Manipulation
rithm
was
developed
which
based
on
rough
distance calculations screened out the OBBs that have a potential risk of collision and then further
Omni-directional Navigation
To perform the day to day activities the robot is equipped with a flexible arm having seven degrees of
With the growth in automation the available
freedom. The arm has a three finger hand which is
working spaces are reducing considerably so the
used for gripping a wide variety of day to day objects.
robot should be capable of going through narrow
The robots should be capable of executing manipula
passages. Thus, the feature of omni-directional
tion operations without collisions so the entire robot
navigation was introduced in the robot. The robot
setup is modelled using "oriented bounding boxes"
consists of four steered and driven wheels which
(OBBs). The dynamic components are mapped by
enables it to move in any desired direction so that
scaled articulated models which are updated with
it can easily negotiate narrow passages. Any
each robot movement according to the new angles of
motion of the robot would then involve three
the joints, each joint being mapped as an individual
basic steps: mapping and localization, path plan
OBB. The complexity of the collision monitoring algo
ning and optimization of motion control. The map-
rithm was dependent on the complexity of the
intense computations are carried out only with those OBBs. The collision detection process is then coupled with the path planning process to generate a collision free path.
3D Environment detection
For autonomous handling operations in variable environment the robot should be capable of detect ing objects in 3D and calculating their exact position and orientation. So, the robot is equipped with a wide range of sensors like from the stereo vision
11
camera which enable the robot to detect and
feature point cloud of the object. Two different learn
possible, in conjunction with additional communi
locate objects and potential obstacles for manipu
ing modes are available for the teaching of new
cation channels, to recognize and execute ambigu
lation which help the robot to generate a 3D envi
objects: either the object is placed into the robot's
ous instructions, such as 'Go there' - where 'there'
ronment map. .
gripper and the robot rotates the object while scan
is indicated by means of a suitable pointing gesture.
By combining a depth-image
camera with a colour camera it is possible to
Direct interaction between a human and a robot
ning it, or a human shows the object to the robot.
upgrade conventional 2D recognition processes
allows the robot to be taught new tasks easily. For
from traditional grey- and colour-image processing
this purpose, the forces applied to the robotic arm
into 3D recognition processes. To achieve this, a
Human Machine Interaction
are converted by means of a model into appropriate movements of the robotic arm.
special calibration between the sensors is used in order to compute an approximate colour image, the pixel coordinate system of which is brought
The tray attached to the front of the robot serves as
into alignment
the
with
face
that
the
of
depth-
image camera. Objects
are
primary
inter
between
the
Control Architecture/Middleware
robot and humans. The
robot
is
able
to
and
respond
also
recognize
Due to the high level of computations involved in
to
the robot a series of interlinked computers is used
"6D
simple gestures. It is
for the control of sensors and actuation of manipu
point
capable of physical
lators. The co-ordination between these processors
clouds". These
interaction between
is taken care of by a specially dedicated processor
denote a set of
represented by so-called feature
the human and the
called the middleware which communicates with
3D points that
robot
in
the individual processes and reacts appropriately in
can
be
learn
new
assigned
to
ment
certain
recog
order
sequences.
Recognition
n i z a b l e
rithms
patterns in the
extracting
colour
and
depth images. In order to detect a certain object in
to
move algo
the case of a malfunction. Using flexible materials and composites, a soft and pliant form has been created for the cover of the
of
robot. The cover adjusts to accommodate the
informa-
movements of the sensors and avoids any pinch and
tion on a human's
shear points. All in all, Care-a-bot 3 is safer, smaller
capable
current position and movements from sensor data
a given scene, first of all the features detected in
provide the basis for gesture recognition. A recogni
the scene are joined together to form a feature
tion process based on a depth image camera that
point cloud of the scene, in which a search is then
detects humans in 3D and computes relevant joint
conducted for possible correspondences with the
positions is used. On the basis of these data, it is
and more marketable than its predecessor.
Source: http://www.care-o-bot.de/english/index.php
12
logistics, what is it and why should you bother about it!
material is available at the r�ulred place at the decided time. We need to IX' very clear thatlogis ticsdo involve inventory management which also
It can b � d�fin�d as the process of strategically
comes under the umbrella of supply chain man
managing th� procurement. movem�nt and stor
agement. Hence the tim� at which the material
ag� of materials, parts and finished goods (and th�
has to be delivered depends on the Inventory and
related Information flows) through th� organiza
production policy used. For@xample.lnjust-In
tion and Its mark�tlng channels In such a way that current and future profitability ar� maximized through th� cost-�ffectlve fulfillm�nt of orders. Any industry which can be thought of, Involv�s a gr�at deal of work In this department,@xpllcitlyor implic itly. W� as m�chanlcal engineers ar� @xp�ct�d to incr�as� th� �fficl�ncy on the production IIn�. Aft�r
time (JIT) philosophy, inventory is kept at the minimum possible level. An �fficlent logistics I s involved to ensure that th� materials reach the
As engineers we have an analytical mind, and
point of usage at the very last minute so that
we need to see things from different p�rspec
lesser inventory has to be managed, the work
tives. We need to design efficient systems for
station is not crowded (In cas� of Internal move
material movements which directly Incr�ase
ments of parts) and the Item does not perish on the shelveslX'fore usage.
all th� op�ratlons on the shop-floor ar� studi�d and improvis�d upon, we come to the application of a
In India, logistics costs amount to almost 12% of
properly d�slgn�d logistics system.
the GOP, if you have any Idea aboutvalu�addlng activities,. you must hav� r�allzed by now that
the profits of the companies. Also for the fact, that most of the work in the Industries (r�ad mechanical engineering jobs) in India Is highly mundane with you having no scope to apply your innovativeness (all the research Is carried out abroad and you are given final designs to
Logistics Is just on� part of a wider f�atur� called
logistics is necessary but It definitely does not
Supply Chain Management. Every product that is
add valu� to the product. Hence, In other words It
manufactured needs some raw matenals which are
incurs an expenditure that needs to be trimmed
the only sector in which you can tryout what all
to be procur�d from different points, brought to a
down. Designing of proper logistics systems
I s i n yourhead.
indude study of various routes, availability of
"
common point. asst:mbled and then delivered to the custom�rs through various distribution chan nels. Logistics comes Into picture whenever, any material moves, whether outside the factory or on the shop-floor. I t has to ensure that the required
various means of transportation (Internal and @xtemaltothe factory), th� oil prices at that time. the inventory and th� production policy adopted
by the company
produce with no authority to change It)i this Is
Logistics is just one part of a wider feature
" called Supply Chain Management.
at that tim� and various other
factors. "
I
,
Sometimes I dream ! I cruise through the desert , On my voyage towards the oasis of ambitions and triumphs, aesthetic romances , frightening feats, cherished familial reunions, second chances and everlasting friendships. I sit on the verge of gleaming lake, brimming with my destiny. Rapaciously filling my bottles and jars. I leave the shore and walk to the adjacent shade, take a seat on verdant, lush field of grass surrounded by tall, tall trees. I then survey my collectibles , each labelled; And select one with an appealing title: "Reunion with long lost friend". I open the bottle and a calm passes over my senses. The ethereal contents, encased in bottle, surround my persona. I breathe the intricate vapours, through my mouth and nose I let wisps slip into my ears and my eyes fill with tears. With a sigh, I wake up and Oops! Its already eight...
1. Sir, could u pleose describe your
3. Sir, in this regard I think we should be more focused in in,:titul
experiences in Japan and Italy, like the
like IITs where the undergraduates are not much involved in the
research activities, students' involve
research activities. So, should they be given more exposure to
ment, the facilities.
practical fields rather than going for only theoretical concepts?
-7 Well I stayed around eight months in Japan & four months in Italy. To start
-7For this,
the person should first realize that he is in the best place t o
study and should make most of the facilities given. For e.g. a student
with, one thing I must tell you that all of
in Caltech or Stanford would never think of a place better than their
us consider USA as the world leader but
own institute. So we have to create such "Best Institutes" here.
USA itself has gathered a lot of help from the immigrants like from India and other countries. And these immigrants just to get into their system work very hard and thus the country benefits.:.:=:: The one thing that allures every individual to go there from various
4. What about the faculty interaction with the students over there? -7There people are trained in small groups and the Professors and
I_ assistants would weekly meet with the students to check their progress, which is missing in all the institutions of India. They are also
other parts is the administration.
very focused in their teaching methods. There, time is not wasted
But as far as Japan is concerned, it is a fully indigenous country. If we
over travel due to well connected roads, trams and buses, while in
see Japan, the country is not very big but out there each individual
India travelling causes a huge loss of time.
works very hard. An incident which I remember and always share with everyone is, once I was going to my home from the office and I
5. Sir, we have been hearing about the government interference
boarded the wrong bus. I couldn't convey it to them due to communi
and the induction of the sixth Pay Commission here, due to which
cation gap. One girl somehow understood my problems and she com
there were some cuts in the research grants and the facilities and
municated it to the driver. The bus driver dropped everybody and then
the faculties were on the strike... And people have been saying that
helped me find my house. You see that unlike India the driver took
as compared to the amount of facilities given, the IITs do not give
pains to see that I reach home safely without any problems.
the desired output?
-7As far as the output is concerned one may comment that in com 2. What about the institute, group members, research facilities out
parison to a state engineering college like the NITs or lilTs, IITs do get
there?
more but what institutes in developed nations are getting, we are not
-7 Well the students there are very laborious,
the faculties well
getting that much. Research means a long process and a huge invest
learned and helping and the research facilities are simply
ment for a large group who continuously and consistently work to
incomparable.The budget of each institute and department is quite the institute and its budget ranged similar to any of the IITs in India. So
_ obtain desired results. It's not like that one day I will come to _ � my office or lab and I will do any wonder. It takes some .-....... time and my personal observation says that we lack
things are better taken care of out there. To nurture and retain their
that quality. What should be the individual input for
talented people, they have a developed and maintained infrastructure.
each; it is just the half of our potential.
huge due to the strong economy. I was in the fluids sciences branch of
15
6. What can be the reason for this?
-?, Well the foremost reason is, say USA, it gets the best because many of the IITians and the good students of various colleges in India go there for their masters. What happens is that we select the best of our country and train them for 4 years and then they go there. And then, for masters here
9. Sir, you came to liT Guwahati when it was very new.
�Ie::
Why did you consider joining an institution in its very early stage rather than going for other established IITs?
--7
Yes, that's true. I joined here on 26th December 1996. I could have
we get fresh students so we have to train them again. This is a huge
got better prospects in other institutes but life is not like this. When an
investment and talent as well as time loss for us. We need people who are
institute is developing it requires some dedicated and hard working
experienced in the field for some time so that we can produce very good
teachers and this thought had invoked a new charm in me. It gave me
results in the research field.
a reason to join this institution and make it big. If my work and sincer ity motivates others then it gives me a great deal of satisfaction.
7. So, should the undergraduate students stay here and continue with
their studies rather than going abroad so as to produce better results?
--7 I'm sure of this.
If we have an undergraduate doing masters and then a
Ph. D from here only then we'll surely be at a better front. And this is exemplified here. My students who after getting a little bit motivation are
10. Sir, do you think that liT Guwahati has developed in the manner
you had dreamt?
--7
Well there is always a scope of improvement everywhere but we
taking up the masters program and PhD are working hard over it. But the
can't say that we have done nothing i.e. liT Guwahati can do much
problem is monetary; here they will be paid less. While they will be recog
better but what it has done is very good. There is always a chance to
nized more amongst their peers as they have done their masters from
further better it. It had made a mark. Like the IITs are good but they are
foreign. If here someone does Masters people think that he would not
not the best similarly liT Guwahati is good but still not the best.
have scored good marks or could not get a job. And that makes a lot of difference to many of the students.
11. How do you compare liT Guwahati with other IITs like liT Bombay
or liT Kanpur? 8. Sir why did you join this institute? You could have gone in the indus
--7
Well initially people did not know about liT Guwahati and we had to
tries.
undergo this inferiority complex yet we continued. We started from
--7 Well this was my childhood dream to go into research, and looking at
the scrap like we did not have the labs and we had to go to the city for
my friend who has made a career from this field I got motivated to join
it. So we started building it in the Transit Complex. From empty space
this stream. In research the kind of enjoyment and satisfaction you get
till here, it takes time but eventually we get what we desire.
you will not get it anywhere else. The feeling of that you are on your own and you can get on with your problems in your own way, make it easier to solve and also you will be in the company of younger students so you will keep on learning new things till the end. And after you get a patent or so you will be recognized which makes you feel happy.
contd.... 16
15. Sir what do you vision yourself as, after ten
12. Sir, do you have any regrets over your career, as in things you
years from now?
wanted but didn't get or something else?
-7 No,
-7
I don't have any regrets since the time I have taken this course.
ally developed. Talking about spirituality I mean human values i.e.
everyone has but you need some failures to make you more focused to
tors, we should have a more audio and visual approach to it. The faculty should devote some time into this so that we can learnfaster by seeing and hearing and can understand things in a better manner.
-7 ln this case,
it depends upon the faculty member too. Not all faculty
members are the same and all have different methods. So we have to adjust and perhaps work a bit harder and we'll learn it easily. I do agree with your case as when we started teaching engineering drawing to the students on projectors there was tremendous increase in their interest to the subject as well as their attendance. 14. Sir, there are some faculties who have to take some courses which
do not pertain to the area of their interest. Is it necessary to do so? Aren't there any alternatives to this?
-7
development should not be at the cost of human values. So we have
1-
ments, manufacturing technology etc. and since we do have the projec
Well that feeling is natural but once we have taken up the responsibil
ity in liT we have to go for the improvement of the academics on the whole and not go according to our interests. So if we have taken the course willingly or unwillingly then we must put in our best efforts to make the subject interesting to the students and when we put our best that gets reflected in the results of the students.
y
Well my mission of life is to make this country literally a devel
centric man so I want this country to be materially as well as spiritu
happy with the way I have carried along till now. I had some failures like
13. Personally saying, we have some courses like mechanical measure
�
�
oped country, like USA, China, Japan and others, but I am a human
Everything in my life is under control, although I'm not the best but I'm
your objective.
"
to put in our best through wisdom, goodness and humility. 16. Do you think that CPI is a sufficient criterion to judge one's aca
demic capability? Or is it given undue importance?
-7
Certainly not. But something has to be there. It's not that the
topper of the class will be good in all the fields. But you are here for what? "Academics"; so academics must be the priority but at the same time other activities should also be done because when we work we do not always solve problems with the equations. We have to be a true leader in a sense, that if someone is not capable to do well we can motivate him to do better. Sometimes we may get shocks but it should be absorbed well. These are the traits of a very balanced personality. So a student must take part in the extra curricular activities. And sometimes an average person can also outdo the topper in the research field. For the CPI one should be focused but should not neglect the overall personality development. 17. Sir, any message you want to convey to our readers?
-7
Remain honest, sincere in your course. You will always find scope
of improvement. Stay on the platform of truth. The journey is diffi cult but if you stay focused you would certainly enjoy that, once you look back down the course you had taken. And then if you travel on the right path there will be many problems arising but you will get through without much difficulty. And you should make your objec-
��� �� �:� m
y
/ �
betterment of the society and to bring t.
�r) ,,�
17
I RVE
Inflatable Re-entry Vehicle Experiment - Adeel Ah med
NASA scientists h ave been worki ng to d e m o n st rate that a n i nfl ata b l e st r u ctu re
The i d ea of i nflata b l e dece l e rato rs has been a ro u n d fo r 40 yea rs, b ut t h e re
ca n be used a s a heat s h i e l d to safely slow d own a spacecraft movi n g at hyper
were tech n i ca l issues, i n c l u d i n g co ncerns a bo u t whether mate r i a l s co u l d wit h
son i c speed (g reater t h a n Mach 5) at the ti m e of entry i nto the atmos p h e re of a
sta n d the heat o f re-e ntry. S i nce then materi a l s have adva n ced a n d beca use of
p l a net. This i nfl ata b l e re-e ntry ve h i c l e tec h n o logy co u l d be i m p l em ented o n a
n u m e rous M a rs m i ssi ons, i n c l u d i n g rove rs, l a n d e rs a n d o r bite rs, there's m o re
fut u re m i ssion to l a n d a spacec raft o n Ma rs.
u n d e rsta n d i ng of the M a rti a n atmos p h e re.wh i c h mea ns resea rc h e rs can now test a su bsca le model of a com pact i nfl ata b l e heat s h i e l d with the h e l p of a
This tec h n ology co u l d h e l p si g n ifica ntly to l a n d b i g g e r objects on M a rs. I n
s m a l l two-stage rocket. The ve h i cle is a 5 0-foot Black Brant 9 t h at wi l l l i ft I RVE
order to l a n d m o re mass, m o re d rag force i s req u i red so
o utside t h e atmos p h e re to an a ltitude of
the tota l su rface a rea of the heat s h ie l d of spacec raft
a bout 1 30 m i les (209 km). E n g i neers wa nt
enteri n g t h e atmosphere s h o u l d be m o re. The l a rg e r
to find o ut what t h e re-e ntry ve h i c l e wi l l
heat s h i e l d p rod u ces m o re friction force w h i c h slows
d o o n the way down.
the a i rcraft d ow n faster i n th i n n er atmos p h e re. The whole fl i g ht wi l l be over in less t h a n P resent ly, the m axi m u m size of the r i g i d heat s h ie l d has
2 0 m i n utes. I RVE wi l l be sepa rated fro m
l i m itations d ue to the d i a m eter of the l a u n c h ve h i c l e's
the rocket 90 seco n d s after l a u nc h a n d
payload fa i ri n g . Effectively we h ave rest rictions on
t h e i nflati o n wi l l beg i n a bo ut t h ree-a n d
payload w h i c h m a i n ly i n c l u des scientific i n st r u m e nts.
a - h a l f- m i n utes after that. T h e critical d ata
In
period
esse n ce the
effective n ess of the
m i ssion gets
after
it
i nfl ates
and
re-e nte rs
red u ced . Wh i l e the i nfl ata b l e heat s h i e l d wo u l d not be
t h ro u g h t h e atmos p h e re is o n ly a bout 3 0
constra i ned by the fa i r i ng d i a meter of the l a u nc h
seco n d s l o n g . C a m e ras a n d sensors o n
ve hicle.
board wi l l document t h e i nflati o n a n d
Scientists at N ASA's La n g l ey Rese a rc h Center in H a m p
t o researc h e rs on t h e g ro u n d .
h i g h -speed free fa l l a n d se n d i nfo r m ati o n ton, Va ., a re tryi n g to deve l o p a co m p letely new type of
Cou rtesy: http://ga laxywi re.net
l i g htwe i g h t i nfl at a b l e spacec raft o uter s h e l l to slow a n d
After its b rief fl i g ht I RVE wi l l fa l l i nto t h e Atl a ntic Ocean a b o u t 90 m i les down
p rotect ree ntry ve h i c l es as t h ey b laze t h ro u g h the atmos p h e re at hype rso n i c
ra n g e fro m Wa l l o ps. No efforts wi l l be made to ret rieve the experiment o r the
speed s.
so u n d i n g rocket. The I nfl ata b l e Re-entry Ve h i c l e Ex periment is an exa m p le of how NASA is
For d e m o n strat i n g t h e tec h n o logy it is to be tested fro m a s m a l l so u n d i n g
usi ng its aero n a u tics expertise to su pport t h e deve l o p m e nt of fut u re spa ce
rocket to b e la u nched a t NASA's Wa l l o ps F l i g ht Faci l ity a t Wa l l o ps I s l a n d , Va. The
craft.
I nfl ata b l e Re-entry Ve h i c l e Ex perime nt, o r I RVE, looks l i ke a g i a nt m u sh room
N ASA La n g l ey Resea rch Ce nter
when it's i nfl ated . Fo r t h e test, t h e s i l i con -coated Kevl a r a e roshe l l is vac u u m
Refere n ce: NASA
packed i nside a 1 6- i n c h (40.6 c m ) d i a meter cyl i n d e r, but o n ce it u nfu r l s a n d i s p u m ped fu l l o f n it rogen it is a l most 1 0 feet (3 m) wi de.
ooG
- Consequences And Reality Check.
According to the latest data, at this place, the river forms the Deepest and Longest canyon in the world with an average depth of5000 m and deepest place of 6009 m. Now, it is not the Colorado Grand Canyon Till not long ago, it appeared that China's interest in Arunachal Pradesh was
that has an average depth of 1600 meters, with the deepest place of
limited to Tawang, given the spiritual and cultural links between Tibetans
1740 meters. Only in 1998, a 30 m waterfall was discovered nearby and
and the people of this area. But the Chinese daim has gradually expanded to encompass the whole state today.
A further attraction is its very real
hydro-electric power potential. Let's see how China has already made plans
since then China is planning to build a huge hydroelectric dam having an installed capadty of 40,000 MW.
to exploit this potential.
There are claims regarding the proposals in China to divert some of rivers water through the same dam to Eastern region. China is planning to divert 40 BCM(biliion cubic meter) of water out of 71.5 BCM carried by Brahmaputra each year.
The monsoon flow of
Brahmaputra is almost 1 0 times that of its dry season flow. Now, the three possibilities arise due to the diversion of river water through the proposed dam . The first one is hydro-power generation only. Thiswill not affect India in any way. But, the situation is not good for Bangladesh as it is surrounded by two Asian giants, with India already diverting 500,i. of Ganges water to the east. Hydro-power generation could be helpful in increasing the dry season flow by 1 0-20% as it is a form of non-consumptive usage of water - which may be suitable for irrigation purpose in Assam and Bangladesh. There is also a cheaper The mighty Brahmaputra river flows towards east for almost half of its length in mountainous Tibet and then takes a U-turn to enter plains in Assam. Ultimately, it enters Bangladesh towards South and meets the Ganges before reaching the sea. The place where it takes a U-turn is known as the Great Bend of Yarlung Tsangpo/Brahmaputra.
option for China to sell a part of the electricity to India . The second possibility is to divert water only during monsoon. The third is to divert a constant volume ofwater throughout the year.
19
The Untapped Potential The hycto-power 9"neration of Irdia is �timated at 84,000 IIMI, out of
Or.:::e GIna startsdivel:;ion ofwatel, a series of poIiti::al mnflcts is expected
which lTIOfe than half oflne potential i� located in the North Eastern regun.
- especially with ASEAN countries - something that Glina cookt hardly
The idenU'ied potential in the Blahmaputra basin is. 41,000 IIMI am in the
afford This cookt potentially delay the plan to add further water in the
Barak basin is 3,000 MW. The potential devebped
channel. By that time, enelgy-hul"IJry Irda should "tame' the Brahmaputra
50 far
is 340 MW ard 820
MW t; bei1g cEveioped which constitute only 2.6%. The installed capacityof hydlOpower now is only 17600 1If#. Out ofthe potential of44,000 MW il the region, the Brahmaputra Board has already prepared detaied project repotts ofthree large P'<J1ecis havinga total installedcapadtyof26,JOO MW. A hrlumte circumstao:::e is that these lar� profects will contribute in a bi;;) way to mitigate It.:> chroric flood problem ofthe two valleys. It has also been established that these
prCJ:io"<:ts
are
tedlno
arv:1 have suffi:::ient control ovel it. If lrv:1ia fails to do that, it woukt be
is available. It's better oot to be the "Qy Baby' J we kllCll/V the problem beforeharv:1. TI¥> projected dire mnsequences of the diversion plan canl be termed dr¥hirg
always been an overlap between competition ard cooperation amongst
Iflrrla is not capable ofUSil"lJ Brah
SOURCES:-
in
a
mere
needs g:xxl relationship with China because there has
ecoromies.
water
other than a
conspiracy theory at tl"js point oftime. But, Jrdia also
economically sound.
maputra
001
problem because we woukt fail to meet our goal �spite the mitigaton plan
the
two emerging workt
judcious
manner, then China has a ri!j1t 10
1.Bruhmapiltra&md, MinistryofwaterresounE5, WVl
divert them. So, the first twoofthe
Of/ooia
above listed
2v.ww. horilDnspeOO.worupress.COf1)
plans(possibilities)
have to be accepted by hda even if it harms her. HoweW'l, Irv:1ia calVlOt compromise on the third possibility as t i cook! reduce the dry season flow. As of now, neither Irv:1ja ·utlise' monsoon watel,
001
does it take the advantage of the gradient of
the Great Bend. The Internatklnal law (tt-ough neither of the two countl�s have sgned it) has set existing usage ofwater as a parameter lOr equitable shalil"lJ of water. The construction of the filst Chinese dam on Tsalg)O has already be€n started .
One of the major challenges faced by the world in the
for hydrogen storage, a Vertical Flow fuel cell stack for
21st century is global warming and engineers today
electricity generation, a lithium ion battery that stores
encounter a daunting task to come up with unique
electricity, a power drive unit (PDU) that governs electri
ideas to provide more energy effi cient and less pollut
cal HOIA.' and an electric drive motor for vehicle propulsion.
ing modes of travel to reduce green house gas emis sions. The introduction of Hydrogen fueled cars is one such
innovative
and
eco-friendly
concept.
These
For storing hydrogen a compr�ssed hydrogen tank is used. Due to improvements in design only one hydrogen tank is
vehicles convert the chemical energy of hydrogen to
required for the vehicle thus allowing
a spacious cabin.
mechanical energy by either combustion or electro
Initially, horizontal cell stacks were used due to their low
chemical contersion in a fuel cell.
centre of gravity but they had a major disadvantage when used in cold weather. Due to t�e formation ofwater in the
Honda introduced its first hydrogen fu eled car in 1999
reaction, freezing of stored water cou Id cau se dam age to
The Honda FCX is an automob�e which uses a non
using a proton exchange membrane fuel cell. By the
the stack. Howeter in case of the vertical fuel cell stack
polluting fuel. H oweter despite its en ergy effi cient char
year
the water is drain ed out an d therefore leaves no ch ance of
acteristics scientists debate that although the car does
2000
the
model
included
ultracapacitors
(capacitors having h igh capacitance).Th e first delivered
freezing in sub zero temperatures.
not produce any greenhouse gases but the only feasible process by which hydrogen is obtained is from fossil
model in 2002 had a maximum output of 80 kilowatts and 282 Nm of torque and had an operating range of
The end result is a power generation unit that has a
fuels and methane. This does not reduce our depen
190 miles. This FCX model was a two-door four-seat
pOlA.'er/¥olume d�sity ratio 50 percent higher than the
den ce on foss� fu els. The electrolysis ofwater till date is
vehicle that used front-wheel drive. The Honda FCX
preliou. generation unit introduced in 2002 and nOlA.'
an inefficient an d very expensive m eth od for production of hydrogen and is not used commercially. Until and
(commonly referred to as Fuel Cell eXperimental) is a
start-up is possible at temperatures close to -30·C. Now
family of hydrogen fuel ceg automobiles manufactured
they have a stack that is small enough and powerful
unless a better and more efficient process of manufac
by Honda.ln 2006 Honda announced that it would
enough to fit upright in the center tunnel of the car. The
turing hydrogen on the large scale is not developed it
make a production version of its FCX concept. The first
lithium battery along with the ultracapacitors acts as a
w�1 still take some time for hydrogen based vehicles to
production model FCX Clarity was launched in the
supplementpower .ourcewhichis requiredduring start
enter the market. Also it would be diffi cult to transport,
summer of 2008.
up and acceleration. The motor has a high efficiency over
store an d distribute gaseou s fuel as com pared to �qu id
a broad range with lOlA.' noise level. During deceleration,
fuels. Honda has a lision of starting the mass production
using the concept of regeneratite braking, the drite
of teh icles based on the FCX concept by the year 20 18.
motor works as a generator, Coni erting kinetic energy into The fuel cell combines hydrogen with oxygen to make
electricity, which is stored in the lithium ion battery along
These design improvisations along with effi cient use of
electricity. The electricity then powers the electric
with any excess electricity produced by the fuel ceNs.
hydrogen as a fuel makes this product a car with a bright
motor, which in turn propels the tehicle. Water is th e
Electricity from the lith ium ion battery en sures continued
future but it would require some time for itto be used
only product the FCX Clarity leaves behind. The major
operation of the air conditioner and other devices.
by the common man.
components of the FCX clarity include a hydrogen tank
21
ntiS IS PRICE'LE'SS An old man, a boy & a donkey were going to town. The boy rode on the donkey & the old man walked. As they went along they passed some peope who remarked it was a shame the old man was walking and the boy was riding. The man and boy thought maybe the a itics were right, so they changed positions. Then, later, they passed some people who remarked, W ' hat a shame.. he makes that little boy walk,' So they then decided they'd both walk! Soon they passed some more peope who thought they were stupd to walk when they had a decent donkey to ride. So, they both rode the donkey. Now they passed some people who shamed them by saying how awful to p..i t 9.Jch a load on a p:> or donkey. The boy and man figured they were p-obably right, so they decide to carry the donkey. As they crossed the a idge.. they lost their grip on the animal and he fell into the river and drowned. The moral of the story-
/fyou try to please everyone, you might as well... Kiss your ass goodbye!
Source: Internet
22
==
The Edifice . . . ==';;;;;;;;;;; ; ;:�-=-=-':":":"ji -Nitin
Khola
On the bank ofa lonely way Burning throughout night and day Slept undisturbed apiece ofland All barren,full ofsand. A great man' watered it with gold People said 'the step was bold' A group atmen who had hands as sticks Cleared the crust andplanted bricks. But black was the gold Which the great man'sold The �tickpeople' turned it white ';:,-, 3>'
..'�
With their sweat, gave the hui/Jing, might. Now standsproud the edifice, "Healthypeople''flocked in fille mice They 'Worship the great man' But 5tich 'Vanish back into saud. Look at the building through e,es ojmine, Not the gold bat drops ofsweat malle it shine . . . ..
23
Mochankal E'"ngincering Studcn,,'A"ori,tion (MESA) Department ofMccb"'kal Engineering ,
Indian fnstitute ofTochnology GuW4lhati _
;' ;wt' follo..w ing exceflen".�-:;.;:;j jan 2010
Em3iJ'>m�.cmct.in , Wib.;to; I>tijrJlwww.iitg.cmeLinlmcsa/ � . Tel: +91-36'1-2,SY700
Fax;.+2!,.36�.-