Science and Technology

 

·      The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras is working on developing an innovative digital model to address the problem of e-waste (electronic wastes). The digital platform, named as ‘e-Source,’ will act as an exchange platform, to serve as an online marketplace for Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE).

·      Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT), Ropar and Kanpur and Faculty of Management Studies of Delhi University have jointly launched a living-plant based air purifier named “Ubreathe Life”. This air purifier will boost the air purification process in indoor spaces, such as hospitals, schools, offices and Homes. It is the world’s first, state-of-the-art ‘Smart Bio-Filter’ that can make breathing fresh.

·      Facebook is launching its open beta for Horizon Workrooms, a way for people to work together remotely in groups with Oculus Quest 2 virtual reality headsets or other ways of connecting.Workers can use the avatar creation system (built for the Facebook Horizon virtual play platform) to create cartoon-like characters in 3D-animated work spaces.

·      A Hyderabad-based Space technology startup, Skyroot Aerospace has become the first private company to formally enter into an agreement with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The Framework MoU will allow the company to undertake multiple tests and access facilities at various ISRO centres and avail the technical expertise of ISRO for testing and qualifying their space launch vehicle systems and subsystems.

·      The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay has launched ‘Project Udaan’, a language translator, to break the language barrier in education, which hampers the flow of messages. The Project Udaan, a donation-based project, is an end-to-end ecosystem, which can translate scientific and technical content from English to Hindi and all other Indian languages.

·      The crew of the Inspiration4, the first-ever orbital flight crewed entirely by tourists, is now officially in orbit, according to a Livestream from SpaceX. The SpaceX rocket blasted off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The passengers will now spend three days aboard their 13-foot-wide Crew Dragon capsule in orbit at a 350-mile altitude.

·      Infosys, a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting, launched Infosys Equinox to help enterprises securely deliver hyper-segmented, personalized omnichannel commerce experiences for B2B and B2C buyers. The platform’s future-ready architecture offers unprecedented flexibility for enterprises to pick and choose out-of-the-box microservices and pre-built experiences to build curated digital journeys that enhance their digital commerce or launch it grounds-up in a matter of weeks.

·      The International Astronomical Union has named a crater at the Moon’s south pole after the Arctic explorer Matthew Henson, a Black man who in 1909 was one of the first people to stand at the very top of the world. The proposal to name the crater after Henson was put forward by Jordan Bretzfelder who is an Exploration Science summer intern with Lunar & Planetary Institute, in Houston.

·      Apple’s co-creator Steve Wozniak has launched a new space start-up called Privateer Space, bringing potential competition to a field dominated by billionaires Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson. Privateer will be represented at the Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies Conference, scheduled to run from September 14-17 in Hawaii.