Blockchain And Cybersecurity
2 Problem Statements
Design and Development of Innovative Hand-Spinning Equipment for Enhancing Khadi Artisan Productivity and Income
Background
Khadi is a sustainable rural textile system based on hand-spun yarn and hand-woven fabric produced by decentralized artisans using manually operated Charkhas like the New Model Charkha. While it supports rural livelihoods, especially for women, existing systems still face issues of low efficiency, discomfort, inconsistent yarn quality, and limited productivity. Therefore, there is a need for an improved manually operated spinning system with better ergonomics, higher productivity, user-friendly design, and enhanced aesthetics, while preserving the traditional and sustainable nature of Khadi production.
Description
To Design and develop an innovative, lightweight, portable, and ergonomic manually operated hand-spinning system to improve yarn production efficiency and quality, reduce manual effort, and enhance livelihood and income opportunities for Khadi women artisans in decentralized production.
Expected Solution
Development of a prototype manually operated innovative hand-spinning system with improved productivity, ergonomic efficiency, and reduced manual drudgery. Comparative evaluation of the developed system with existing Charkha systems in terms of yarn quality, productivity, operational effort, portability, weight, and manufacturing cost. Preparation of a deployment and dissemination framework for field trials, artisan adoption, and vendor development in the Khadi sector. Cost-benefit analysis, economic impact assessment, and scalability roadmap for large-scale implementation.
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Development of a Low-Power, Real-Time Adaptive Software-Defined Sonar Transmitter Payload for Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs)
Background
In underwater exploration and marine mapping, Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) rely heavily on side-scan sonar systems. The performance of these systems is entirely dependent on the physical characteristics of the transmitted acoustic wave, known as the ‘ping’. Traditional sonars transmit short, fixed-frequency pulses. However, modern advanced military and research systems utilize Linear Frequency Modulated (LFM) Chirps—waveforms that sweep across a spectrum of frequencies over a precise timeframe.The primary bottleneck is that the underwater environment is highly dynamic. Sound waves behave differently depending on water depth, turbidity (suspended mud/sediment particles),temperature, and salinity. A high-frequency chirp (500 kHz) offers ultra-high image resolution but scatters instantly in muddy or deep waters. Conversely, a low-frequency chirp (100 kHz) can penetrate murky water and travel long distances but yields a blurry, low-resolution image. For an AUV to map effectively without draining its limited battery payload, its transmitter hardware must behave like a Software-Defined Radio (SDR)—dynamically adapting its physical analog pulse waveform in real-time based on the actual environmental conditions it encounters.
Description
Participants must design, prototype, and demonstrate a physical, self-contained Software-Defined Sonar Transmitter Payload Module.Instead of a software simulation, the solution must be a physical hardware unit built using an embedded platform (e.g., STM32, ESP32, Texas Instruments DSP, or an FPGA) integrated with custom analog electronics. The hardware must ingest real-time environmental data (via physical sensors, or analog voltage dials acting as sensor inputs) and mathematically synthesize and output an optimized, real-time physical analog waveform via a Digital-to-Analog Converter (DAC) and amplifier circuit.The entire hardware architecture must focus heavily on low-power consumption and hardwarelevel optimization. Teams must utilize low-level configurations (such as Direct Memory Access (DMA) and hardware timers) to ensure the processing unit does not drain a marine drone's battery pack while trying to compute complex trigonometric wave values under strict real-time constraints.
Expected Solution
Teams are expected to deliver a functional physical hardware prototype consisting of the following modules: Embedded Firmware Engine A robust program deployed on a physical microcontroller or FPGA (written in C/C++, Verilog, or VHDL). The firmware must utilize hardware timers and DMA to stream wave-generation arrays directly to an internal or external DAC without stalling the CPU. The system must support multiple modulation types on the fly LFM chirps, geometric sweeps, and phase-coded pulses. Environmental Sensor Interface & Adaptation Logic: A physical control interface where real-time environmental changes are introduced to the hardware (via physical sensors, or potentiometers simulating sensors for parameters like 'Entering Muddy Estuary' or 'Entering Clear Shallow Reef'). The microcontroller must read these inputs via an ADC and modify three critical wave parameters instantly: