Department of Design

1.1 NILIMA TOPNO
I have obtained a post graduate degree from the National Institute of Fashion Technology New Delhi and have worked in the garment Industry in various managerial capacities in India and Indonesia. Currently working as Associate Professor and Centre Coordinator for the Department of Fashion Technology Patna. I have worked for NIFT Kolkata and am currently posted at NIFT Patna.

Guide
Dr. Shatarupa Thakurta Roy
Dr. Shantanu Bhattacharya

Year of Joining
2016

Stage
SOTA Presented

Contact
nilimat@iitk.ac.in

Development of Smart Camouflage Fabric/Shield for Defence Personnel

Keywords: Biomimetics, Smart textile, Camouflage

There has been an increased interest in the field of biomimetics in the recent past. All fields of science and engineering are now heavily inspired from nature driven designs which are preferred by scientist, engineers and architects. Smart textiles is an area, which is commercially viable and has aroused immense public interest. I would like to present my research plan in line with smart textiles which is able to create intelligent apparels. Curved screens are part of new mobile and television technology. The technology uses the process of projecting light behind the object into the front of the screen using a camera. The idea is based on technologies like flexible electronics, organic light emitting diodes etc. In this plan of research I will propose printing of electronics using graphene and its compounds on the fabric. The technology used will further be used to reflect the surrounding light thus providing smart camouflage solutions for soldiers in strategic applications. The current Camouflage prints is highly defective and disruptive and definitely needs technology intervention.

1.2 GIRIJESH MATHUR
I did BE (Mechanical Engg) in 1988. I have worked as Maintenance Engineer at Durgapur Steel Plant from 1988-1990. Thereafter, I joined Indian Ordnance Factories Service in 1991 and am presently working at Ordnance Factory, Kanpur. I have experience in Design, Manufacture and Inspection of Large Caliber Armament (Guns and Ammunition hardware).

Guide
Dr. Nachiketa Tiwari

Year of Joining
2013

Stage
SOTA Presented

Contact
gmathur@iitk.ac.in

Design challenges of a Soft Recovery System for Large Caliber Projectiles

Keywords: Soft Recovery System, Acoustics, Shock Waves, Gas Dynamics

The aim of the exercise is to study and analyze controlled absorption of kinetic energy of a body moving at supersonic speed in minimum possible distance. Such a stopping of a body is called as soft recovery. The concept chosen is called ballistic compression. The body which is to be stopped is made to move through a gas. The shock wave generated ahead of the projectile causes abnormal build-up of pressure and this pressure opposes the motion of the projectile gradually bringing it to rest.
The Need:
To carry out design iterations involved in development of new weapon systems, it is important to acquire data during firing phase. Since the conditions encountered inside a gun tube during firing are not possible to replicate in laboratory, it is required to fire actual projectiles with instrumentation fitted inside from a gun.These instrumented projectiles are then recovered softly using a soft recovery system. The data acquired and recorded by such projectiles is then analyzed.

1.3 SREERAG ASHOK
I am a researcher pursuing for a Phd that might contribute to the field of music. My qualifications: ME in Communication Engg. (BITS Pilani Rajastan), Btech in Electronics and Communication Engg. (Govt. college of Engg. Kannur, Kerala). Previously I had worked on different fields; lecturer in Engineering college Kerala, software engineer in Infosys, VLSI physical design intern in LSI Bangalore, project associate in IIT Kanpur Electrical Engg. dept. worked on microwave absorber.
I am fortunate enough to learn to play some musical instruments from childhood onwards. Now I am exploring the beauty of piano and learning Hindustani classical vocal music. My Professor, Acoustics lab and Design Programme has given me an opportunity to connect my passion in music and my work. Currently my work revolves around the following topics; 22 srutis explained in the treatise Natyashastra, linkages between music and emotions, psychoacoustics, modelling of the percussion instrument tabla, modes on tabla.

Guide
Dr. Nachiketa Tiwari

Year of Joining
2014

Stage
SOTA Presented

Contact
sreerag@iitk.ac.in

Musical skeleton in the 2nd century

Keywords: Equal tempered system, 22 note system, Natyashastra, psychoacoustics

The present skeleton for music, across the globe, has 12 notes. While listening to music, notes get mixed in the human brain, in unknown ways, creating emotions. This system or skeleton for music, which is made of 12 notes, is called Equal tempered system. Here the ratios of the frequencies of adjacent notes are equal.

A skeleton consisting of 22 notes (sruthis) is prescribed in Natyashastra(NS). NS is a treatise written by Bharatamuni before 200AD. The logic and considerations made, while selecting 22 notes, is completely different from the twelve note equal tempered system. Present Hindustani Classical music has got terms and concepts from NS, yet the 22 note system almost completely vanished.

In Hindustani classical music a particular raag (Raag is a set of notes with many conditions) is chosen and the musician explores the depth of the chosen raag through alap, jod alap, bandish etc. Here the notes remain almost constant throughout the exploration of the raag. On the other hand, in western classical music the composer has the freedom to jump from one set of notes to another in the same composition. The convenience of equal tempered system is handy for Western classical music. Hindustani classical music has thrown of its roots by accepting the 12 note equal tempered system instead of the 22 note system. There was no documented research done before discarding its roots.

My research is an exploratory research. At present, I have more questions than answers. Initially I wish to know how human brain reacts to the 22 note system. Is it more powerful in generating particular emotions as claimed in NS? How 22 note system is different from the 12 note system from human brain's point of view? For experiments I plan to use 22 note harmonium and EEG facility.

1.4 GANESH KAILAS
Master of design in electronic systems. Now i am working in acoustic product design and its applications.

Guide
Dr. Nachiketa Tiwari

Year of Joining
2013

Stage
SOTA Presented

Contact
ganeshgk@iitk.ac.in

3D Sound - Product design and Future

Keywords: 3D Audio, HRTF, Spatial Hearing

3D audio - Design, Products, Future Three dimensional audio is a technology which can provide virtual spatial hearing through headsets. Its a technology to simulate the effect of our head and ear pinnas on sounds which we are hearing. Head related transfer function is the ratio between a sound source and the sound received at the end of ear canal. Using HRTF, sounds can be simulated to make 3D audio environment. Many products like 3D hearing aids, Virtual simulation head sets, Air traffic controllers can be made with this technology with very usful applications.

1.5 AVIRU KUMAR BASU
I did my M.Tech from Radio Physics and Electronics, University of Calcutta.

Guide
Prof.Shantanu Bhattacharya

Year of Joining
2013

Stage
SOTA Presented

Contact
aviru@iitk.ac.in

Design and Fabrication of NEMS Based Devices For Bio-Sensing application.

Keywords: Cantilever,Design,Fabrication,Biosensing,NEMS

Nano mechanical bending can be a major tool for label free detection and screening of diseases, bacteria, organic vapors at low Limits of Detection. We propose a simplified method to make low cost disposable polymer cantilever arrays in SU-8 for screening using two step lithography in concert with a mask less exposure system and a Mask Aligner system. Cantilever arrays of different shapes and dimensions were designed and fabricated and the process parameters were optimized. Anomalous behavior were also observed with the beams at nanometer scale. Optical laser based detection setup has been developed for measuring the Nano mechanical bending with highest accuracy. Due to high chemical resistance and biocompatibility, SU-8 was chosen as a suitable material for the fabrication of such kind of sensors. . Furthermore, due to its low Young's modulus, high sensitivity can be achieved.

1.6 ANUBHUTI SAHA
B. Tech in Electrical and Electronics and M. Tech in Instrumentation and Controls. Previous research publications included Serpentine Robotics and Neoplasm Detection from Mammograms using Image Processing Techniques. Present domain of PhD research includes, design and micro-fabrication of biologically inspired electromechanical systems to cater medical requirements.

Guide
Prof.Shantanu Bhattacharya

Year of Joining
2015

Stage
Registered

Contact
anusaha@iitk.ac.in

Colorimetric Detection of Cholesterol using Au@Ag core-shell nanoparticles

Keywords: Cholesterol, Colorimetric, Core-shell nanoparticles

Cholesterol is an essential lipid for a human body and plays a vital role in maintaining the structural integrity of cell membrane. Desirable amount of total cholesterol in human blood serum sample should be less than 200 mg/dL (<5.17 mM). An elevated level of free cholesterol leads to atherosclerosis. Thus, sensitive detection of the respective biological analyte is essential to avoid the health hazards culminating from the presence of its undesirable proportion. The present work proposes a colorimetric biosensing platform for cholesterol using Au@Ag core-shell nanoparticles. Quantitative detection of cholesterol is based on the etching effect of H2O2 produced from enzymatic oxidation of analytes on AgNPs shell. UV-Vis spectroscopy of the Au@Ag nanoparticles showed a presence of an absorbance peak around 400 nm (orange color). Perceptible color change from orange to red of the respective sensing platform in presence of cholesterol was observed due to decrease in characteristic absorbance peak around 400 nm accompanied with appearance of second peak around 500 nm. This sharp color change (perceptible to naked eye) makes the respective platform an obvious choice for quasi-quantification of cholesterol and its point of care detection.

1.7 B.V.RAGHAV
I am an architect with a skeptical attitude towards the kind of tools available for us in the digital realm. So I pick up a raw hardware, and start building upon it, even if only to see whether the grass is really greener on the other side.

Guide
Prof. Vinay P. Namboodiri

Year of Joining
2014

Stage
SOTA Presented

Contact
bvraghav@iitk.ac.in

Visual Interpretation of a Sketch

Keywords: architectural design, computer vision, computer graphics

Artefactual communication in the construction industry had been standardized long back, and the information technology has penetrated a little. Comparing the digital intervention IT in written communication and manufacturing to that in construction, I see a huge gap While on one hand, we send a database of 3D coordinates and their relationships to a machine for manufacturing, the construction industry, on the other hand, still survives on 2D drawings.

As a side effect, the users are deprived of the feedback they are otherwise used to in this digital world.

As a side effect, the architects have a divided opinion on digitization of standard formats.

On the other hand, in academia, `drawing' and sketching still remains the popular language of interaction, albeit a little slower than the dialogic counterpart. Researchers and technologists are trying to supplement the sketch artefacts with a more complete version. This research explores different lines of approach, and proposes an alternate.

I propose to design a system that takes a sketch as input, that is feed forward, and returns a 3d visual interpretation as a feedback to the user, using computer vision and graphic techniques.

2.1 HIMANSHU PANDAY
I am an instrumentation engineer and currently a PhD student at Design Programme, Indian Institute of Technology-Kanpur. My dissertation examines opportunities in amalgamation of established system design methodologies in research space of structural health monitoring. Being nurtured at the boundary of design and technology, I foresee endless opportunities at the horizon of both. My research interests are consumer experience evaluation, mechatronics and nondestructive testing. Some of my conceptual upbringings have successfully secured grants from relevant industrial sponsors. Currently, I am shaping opportunities to design and develop context-aware machines to serve as a research tool in design expeditions.

Guide
Prof. Bishakh Bhattacharya

Year of Joining
2014

Stage
SOTA Presented

Contact
hpanday@iitk.ac.in

Disruptive Innovation and Design Education: What is missing?

Keywords: Radical Innovation, Human Centered Design

With the expansion of design methods to interdisciplinary verticals, a new generation of design educators and practitioners rises worldwide who are trained in human-centered design approaches. As design awareness reaches constrained walls of Indian academia, a new era of design education emerges which is rooted in and shaped by our very own contextual contradictions and chaos. However, raising concerns on human-centred design methods' failure to provide radical innovations shapes a discussion ground for the procedural emergence of disruptive innovation and its inclusion in contemporary design education.

2.2 ARAVIND
I'm trying to understand play in children through interactive object play.

Guide
Prof. Bishakh Bhattacharya

Year of Joining
2012

Stage
SOTA Presented

Contact
aravind@iitk.ac.in

What's the appropriate Design Logic ?

Keywords: design, logic, dialectics.

Researchers have been actively working to find answer to this question “ what is design ? “. Many avenues, from the products that have been designed and the process that have been used have been analysed to find an answer. Another important window used by researchers had been to analyse as to how the user community and their needs are understood by the user. However, as with humanities and sciences, is there an underlying philosophy that governs design ?, is another question that is very vital in understanding design. Researchers who have looked into the design process have looked into this question through the logic that is most appropriate. Herbert Simon associates design very much with other existing engineering design practices by emphasizing that the logic used in design is inductive or deductive logic which is very engineering design like. Nigel cross, in his inquiry, has stated claims by researchers about the logic of design being abductive.

Here it is argued that the logic that is most applicable is dialectics. A few contemporary design statements are cited as examples.

2.3 EKTA SURENDER
Grounded in the belief that design is not just how it looks but also how it works, I am designer seeking ways to bring about positive changes to our wonderful world. Coming from an engineering background, I believe that there lies an immense potential at the intersection of interdisciplinary fields. As a design researcher, my interest lies in creating creative pedagogical systems for children, wooden toys and in appreciating the beautiful architecture engraved in nature.

Guide
Dr. Koumudi Patil

Year of Joining
2015

Stage
SOTA Presented

Contact
sekta@iitk.ac.in

Bridging the pedagogical divide: Design of Tinkering Manipulatives for Street mathematics

Keywords: Situated learning, Tinkering, Real world math

Children perform intuitive, error-free arithmetic in 'streets' or real world scenarios but are hesitant to attempt mathematical problems in school. Studies conducted in USA, Brazil, and India have argued that children display a higher ability to use numbers flexibly along with a conceptual understanding of composing and decomposing numbers in real world scenarios. Real world offers authentic situations to scaffold the building of number sense through situated learning, unlike school curriculum which is based on abstract symbols that further dissociates problem-solving from meaningful contexts. While schools emphasise on improving and testing individual performances and skills, street math is a socially shared practice. Literature illustrates myriad differences between these two pedagogies, thus establishing a clear divide between school and street mathematics.

However, there is a paucity of research related to the identification of such authentic math situations for Indian children, tools for transforming these situations for classroom scenarios, and their embodiment into the existing curriculum. Therefore, this study attempts to identify and transform authentic situations into classroom tinkering manipulatives to leverage curriculum-based learning.

2.4 ESHAN SADASIVAN
I am the Founder and CEO of PROSOC Innovators Pvt. Ltd. and also a PhD student of Design Programme, IIT Kanpur. As a Product Designer, I believe in designing innovative products and services of social importance to solve the problems faced by society and environment. As a PhD student of Design Programme- IITK, I am trying not only to build the eco-system required for my products to succeed in the market but also to empower people at the bottom of the pyramid through my start-up social enterprise.

Guide
Prof. Shantanu Bhattacharya
Prof. Mainak Das

Year of Joining
2015

Stage
Comprehensive Completed

Contact
eshan@iitk.ac.in

Design and development of a study companion for rural students in India

Keywords: Basic Education, Infrastructural Facilities, Product Design, Proper sitting posture, School bag, Study table, User research, User testing, Iterations, User feedback, Concept generation, Pilot project, production line, supply chain, marketing, sales, business development, unit economics, networking, social change.

Many schools in rural India lack basic infrastructural facilities. Students don’t have proper chairs to sit on and proper desks to write on. Children in these schools sit on the floor with their backs hunched for long hours. This leads to backache, bad posture, poor eye sight and bad hand writing. To solve this problem a product named DESKIT has been designed and developed. DESKIT is a writing companion for students to aid in comfortable writing and assisting to maintain proper and comfortable body posture. This paper emphasizes on the product development process of DESKIT involving user research, ideation, conceptualization, prototyping, user feedback, finalizing the design and user testing. The stages of commercialization of the product involving different aspects like protecting the IP rights, having a Trade Mark registration, setting up the production line, optimizing the unit economics, ensuring quality of production, marketing, networking and meeting the sales targets with a vision to create social change and motivate underprivileged students are explained by considering the growth stages of a start-up social enterprise.

2.5 SAURABH TEWARI
I studied architecture undergraduate at Sushant School of Art and Architecture, Gurgaon and later Design at IDC, IIT Bombay. Currently working as an Assistant Professor at School of Planning and Architecture Bhopal, I have been teaching courses like Basic Design, Graphics, Visual Communication and Architectural History from the year 2010. My research interests lie in Design, its history, Modernism, Postmodernism, and India. I have presented my work in universities and academic events in India, Germany, Portugal, Turkey, Qatar, Denmark, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Taiwan etc. through various grants and scholarships.

Guide
Dr. Shatarupa T. Roy

Year of Joining
2015

Stage
SOTA Presented

Contact
tewari@iitk.ac.in

Modernity in the Design Culture of India

Keywords: Design Culture, India, Modernity, Liberalization

In the discourse of post-liberal architecture in India, Mehrotra (2011) has articulated the two decades of 1990-2010 as a period of great progress and new identities. Contemporary South Asian scholars, Menon and Nigam (2007) note the influence of economic and media liberalization of 1990s, which further globalized the culture of consumption. As there was an abundance of new ideas, new things emerged too. From Textiles to Films, Graphic Design to Food Design, Fashion to Architecture, the post-liberal transformations are evident in the design culture of India. The larger objective of my work is to illustrate the transformations in the contemporary Design Culture in India along with and after the economic liberalization of the year 1991.

This presentation attempts to investigate the forms of modernity through an overview on the practices of design (in conception, production and distribution domain) in India. Within the landscape of design, the chair as the protagonist along with the associated practices of the Furniture Design is investigated. The chair is one of the most ubiquitous examples of modern piece of furniture design. It lies in a unique interface of space, object and its relationship with user.

2.6 SATYENDRA KUMAR MISHRA
I am a design graduate from NIFT, and associated with the field of academics, craft design research and development from last twelve years.

Guide
Dr. Satyaki Roy
Dr. Shatarupa T. Roy

Year of Joining
2015

Stage
SOTA Presented

Contact
satyenm@iitk.ac.in

Self sustainable framework design for languishing hand loom of Bihar: Bawan buti

Keywords: Languishing, Handloom, Revival, Self-sustainable, Framework design.

The history of weaving is as old as human civilisation, and with time ascended and enriched itself further (Barber 1991), Handloom weaving can be described as one of the most ancient techniques, which led to establish many exuberant textiles at podium of world (Desai 1965). In the course of development many handloom flourished and shared its remarkable contribution in the economy of India, whereas some of them started losing their magnetism, one of them is Bawan Buti.

Ancient Buddhist city located near Nalanda, Bihar, narrates the story of beautiful Bawan buti sari, where Bawan stands for fifty two (52) and buti means motif spread along full body and pallu of the sari. This traditional sari of Bihar was once the pride of the place, regrettably it has lost its charm and is moving towards extinction.

The research explicates on the understanding of the factors involved in some of the handloom traditions, flourishing with time and some of them like "Bawan buti" are struggling for existence. The research proposes a self sustainable framework design to revive the ancient handloom tradition of Bihar.

3.1 MRITUNJAY KUMAR
My present area of interest is Psychology in Design. Prior to my present work, I completed my Masters from IITK.

Guide
Dr. Satyaki Roy

Year of Joining
2014

Stage
SOTA Presented

Contact
mritunjk@iitk.ac.in

Preference in recall of pleasant and unpleasant images

Keywords: Pleasant images, unpleasant images, memory, recall

The role of emotional state on memory has been well established. How emotion provoking stimuli influence the cognitive processes is, however, not well understood. Our broad objective was to see the impact of emotion provoking visual stimulus on memory. Forty images were generated using Indian version of the Geneva Affective Picture Database (GAPED). Four categories of images (child, adult, animal and landscape) were either pleasant or unpleasant in nature. These images were shown to thirty participants following a repeated measure design. Immediate free recall of the images was recorded to see the effect of type of image on recall. Bayesian inference was used to analyze the data. Results show evidence for effect of type of image on recall by 120:1 against the null. The model of image category was also preferred to the null by 35:1.

3.2 PRIYANKA BHARTI
NIFT graduate and had working experience of 2 years in Textile Design. I pursued my M.Des from design programme, IIT Kanpur, 2011-13. Presently, working on the field of visual communication and trying to understand the relation between appropriate decision making process and visual aid in an emergency situation.

Guide
Dr. Koumudi Patil

Year of Joining
2013

Stage
SOTA Presented

Contact
bhartipr@iitk.ac.in

Visual Design for Emergency Conditions

Keywords: Visual design, emergency, decision making

Emergency is an unexpected, prospectively fatal real-life situation which may inflict serious ramifications on both human life and material possessions unless corrective measures are taken instantly. The situation demands the afflicted user to negotiate in a dynamic and unstable situation in the absence or lack of any preparation, but yet take swift and appropriate decisions to save life/lives or possessions. But it is also known that the resulting stress and anxiety restricts cue sampling, decreases vigilance, reduces the capacity of working memory, causes premature closure in evaluating alternative options, and results in task shedding. Moreover, limited time, uncertainty, high stakes and vague goals negatively affect cognitive abilities to take an appropriate decision.

Visual aids play a vital role in decision making by facilitating quick recognition, comprehension, and analysis of a situation. They enhance problem-solving capabilities by enabling the processing of more data without overloading the decision maker. Appropriate information visualization and its presentation are known to aid and enhance decision-making.

However, most literature in the design domain discusses the role of visual aids in comprehension and decision making during normal conditions, alone. Unlike emergency, in a normal situation (e.g. our day to day life) users are neither exposed to stringent time constraints nor face the anxiety of survival, while having sufficient time to evaluate various alternatives before making any decision. Therefore, in this study the author aims to understand the role of visual aids in supporting rapid comprehension to take appropriate decisions during an emergency.

3.3 ABHINAV BASAK
I am a PhD scholar at Design Programme, IIT Kanpur with a deep interest in creating interaction based experiences. I try to understand the requirement of users for developing better human computer interaction.

Guide
Dr. Shatarupa Thakurta Roy

Year of Joining
2015

Stage
SOTA Presented

Contact
abbasak@iitk.ac.in

Visual Ergonomics in Graphical User Interface

Keywords: Visual Ergonomics, Graphical User Interface, GUI Components, Usability, Experience

The saturation of software in industries such as institutions, enterprises and organizations is too obvious a fact of modern life. Nearly all businesses in the world is dependent upon the software industry, whether for product development, production, marketing, sales, support or services. Organizations are especially looking for enhancing the overall experience of the user while accessing their software interface.

Earlier, the software applications were command line driven. Users remembered and typed in commands and the system performed some actions as output with respect to the provided input as associated. A more effective application could display possible commands on the screen and then prompt the user for the next command. But nowadays, the software industry is in the windowing system era. Virtually all applications are operated through graphical user interface (GUI). GUI components are often referred to as (WIMP) which is commonly understood as windows, icons, menus and pointers. Users drag the mouse, click buttons, and apply many combinations of keystrokes to accomplish a task. The applications are triggered to perform desired actions by the mouse and keystroke events. This is how GUIs have made the software friendlier to the users. However, as time has passed number of software users has drastically increased with increasing dependency on computers. This includes multiple user categories for whom the usability of the interface may have to be reconsidered. The aim of the research is to cater extended categories of users and provide enhancements in order to allow efficient access to the features available.