New Delhi, Apr 26 () From affordable COVID-19 testing methods to robots delivering food and medicines in isolation wards, drones for sanitising large areas to UV-fitted containers for sanitising grocery items, various institutions in the country are following the innovation mantra to aid the fight against coronavirus.While over 20 technical and scientific institutions are working on developing a vaccine for coronavirus, IITs have already set up "COVID-19 specific research centres", encouraging developments in the innovation ecosystem.Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi has become the first institute in the country to develop an alternative clinical testing method for the virus, which has been approved by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).The current testing methods available are "probe-based", while the one developed by the IIT team is a "probe-free" method, which reduces the testing cost without compromising on accuracy."The method can be easily scaled up as it does not require fluorescent probes. The team is targeting large-scale deployment of the kits at affordable prices with suitable industrial partners as soon as possible," IIT, Delhi Director V Ramgopal Rao said.Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore are working on a tool for diagnosis of COVID-19, based on respiratory, cough and speech sounds.The tool, once validated, will offer a test that will pose minimum risk of exposure to healthcare professionals and give results faster than the current testing method.Meanwhile, a university in Rome is conducting a pilot run for a patented artificial intelligence-based tool, developed by three biotechnology students and a professor from Mumbai, which they claim can test COVID-19 through voice-based diagnosis using a smartphone.The tool is being tested by the University of Tor Vergata in Rome. It has already been tested on 300 individuals and has yielded 98 per cent accurate results.A special infection-proof fabric for usage in hospitals, low-cost coronavirus testing kits, isolation pods for coronavirus-infected patients, bubble helmets that can be an alternative for the traditional oxygen masks and pendants to raise an alarm on a breach of social distancing are also among the innovative ideas that have been given shape since the coronavirus outbreak in the country.IIT, Ropar has developed a trunk-shaped device fitted with ultraviolet germicidal irradiation technology, which it recommends be placed at doorsteps, and all items brought from outside, including grocery and currency notes, put in it for sanitisation.An IIT, Bombay startup has developed a "digital stethoscope" that can listen to heart beats from a distance and record them, minimising the risk of healthcare professionals contracting the novel coronavirus from patients.The data or the auscultated sound from a patient's chest is wirelessly sent to the doctor using Bluetooth, doing away with the need to go near to take readings, according to members of the team.IIT, Madras has come up with "negative pressure medical cabins" under the rapid shelter system, where one can quickly deploy a reusable medical cabin speciality for contagious diseases. Another product at an advanced stage is a surveillance wide-angle camera that can be installed at strategic public spaces to detect and alert people with high temperatures, then zoom in to detect for other symptoms.An IIT-Roorkee professor claims to have developed a software that can detect COVID-19 within five seconds, using X-ray scan of the suspected patient.The professor, who took over 40 days to develop the software, has filed a patent for the same and approached the ICMR for a review.A group of researchers at IIT, Guwahati has developed a drone for disinfection of larger areas, while another group has come up with a drone equipped with infrared camera, which can help in thermal screening of groups without human intervention and identify suspected COVID-19 cases at an early stage once the lockdown is lifted."The drone also has a loudspeaker, which can be used by personnel to monitor places, especially with a high disease prevalence, and give appropriate instructions," IIT, Guwahati Director T G Sitharam said.The death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 824 and the number of cases climbed to 26,496 in India on Sunday, according to the Union health ministry.The death toll increased by 45 and the number of cases by 1,554 since the ministry had last updated its data on Saturday evening.The number of active COVID-19 cases in the country stood at 19,868, while 5,803 people have been cured and discharged, and one patient has migrated, the ministry said. GJS RC

Affordable test methods to drones: Institutions take the innovation route to aid COVID-19 fight

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/48524616.cms" /><a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=IIT">Indian Institutes of Technology</a> (IITs) are adopting different methods and ways to attract creamy layer of <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=students">students</a> and also to stand out from other IITs. 
 
Several IITs like Gandhinagar, Mandi, Patna, Indore etc are breaking away from the old-school method of <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=teaching">teaching</a> and disciplining students. 
 
For instance, IIT Gandhinagar is not policing students and have given freedom to pupils to define their own limitations. 
 
“IIT Gandhinagar believes in giving freedom to its students by treating them like adults. There is no policing on campus. Our students are allowed to define their own limitations. We do not keep tabs on their movements within the campus; neither do we track their attendance," director, SK Jain, told Economic Times. 
 
IITs, which were mostly built after 2008, are engaged in brand-building to click with potential students. 
 While, <keyword id="666989" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="IIT-Indore">IIT Indore</keyword> has revamped its <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=B+Tech">BTech curriculum</a> to give its students more time for research projects, IIT Patna and Mandi are trying to integrate some of their courses with the heritage and culture of Bihar and Himachal Pradesh, respectively. 
 
"IIT Patna will take seriously its original charter of focusing on interdisciplinary research," Ajay Chowdhary, chairman - board of governors, told ET. 
 Meanwhile, <keyword id="6356755" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="IIT-Madras">IIT Madras</keyword> will 'serious' tag to the <keyword id="530930" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="new-IITs">new IITs</keyword> - Palakkad and Tirupati. 
 
IIT Ropar is giving unlimited access to <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=internet">internet</a> to students, which is not the case in many IITs. 
 
IITs, which will begin with first academic session soon, are also getting retired professors. 
 
"Retired faculty is around 50% of total faculty at these two institutes. The remaining will come from IIT Madras. It is the faculty that defines an institute and we want to ensure that Tirupati and Palakkad have the best," IIT Madras director, Bhaskar Ramamurthi, told ET. 
 
IIT Indore too is tapping overseas talent and IIT Mandi too is aligning some of its courses and research with the Himalayan region.

IITs are a world apart when it comes to tech education. They know it and now they’re flaunting it!

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/53112821.cms" /> 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Digital+advertising&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Digital advertising</a> is the future of the industry. However, pop-up ads and unwanted re-directs often ruin the user experience. The same goes for gaming. While people love playing engaging games, the obtrusive ads that pop up randomly irritate, annoy and finally turn off gamers. <a href="http://www.greedygame.com/" target="_blank">GreedyGame</a> is looking to change all that. 
 <keyword id="3156877" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="GreedyGame">GreedyGame</keyword> is an in-game <keyword id="1751384" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Native-Advertising">native advertising</keyword> platform that helps brands to tap into their precise target demographic. While obtrusion often ends up running audience bases, in this case publishers can monetize content without that fear. How you ask? GreedyGame solves it with its proprietary <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=native+advertising&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">native advertising</a> platform. That way, gamers can enjoy gameplay seamlessly, without any annoying ads interrupting their experience. 
 
The team 
<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/53112823.cms" /> Bangalore-based GreedyGame Media Pvt Ltd was founded in the year 2013 by <keyword id="383847" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Arpit-Jain">Arpit Jain</keyword> and <keyword id="3354197" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="40" keywordseo="Arink-Verma">Arink Verma</keyword>. Arpit is an alumnus of IIT Ropar. He has worked with PayPal Innovation Labs and led several social entrepreneurship projects like LabourChowk and FarmFresh, before starting GreedyGame. 
 
How do they do it? 
<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/53112893.cms" /> 
In-game objects like the background, characters and so on are blended seamlessly with ads, These dynamic native ads helps engage audiences even while they are playing their games. This will empower game developers to monetize their game development though non-intrusive advertising, and gamers won’t complain! 
 
Current Partners 
GreedyGame is working with over 50 games in India. The likes of Nazara, Reliance, Games2win, Octro, Nextwave, Hungama and Disney in the gaming industry, and brands like PepsiCo, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Flipkart&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Flipkart</a>, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Snapdeal&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Snapdeal</a>, Gatorade, Vespa, Airtel, Fastrack, EA, Amazon and Marico, among others have worked with them. 
 
With over 1 million daily active users, Best Marketing Spark award (2015-2016) from Marico and recognition as a Madlabs partner company, this startup has a lot under its belt. 
 
How are they selling? 
GreedyGame has a differential pricing model based on internal analytics of user interaction, engagement and complexity of the game. It charges on the number of sessions, including a cost per session. 
 
A session starts only after the end-user has crossed 60 seconds of gameplay, with the platform usually charging $8-10 for every 1,000 sessions. Currently, the company claims to have reached over a million users. 
 
In September 2015, the firm raised a seed fund of $200,000 from Times Internet and other angels like ex-Flipkart heads <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Ankit+Nagori&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Ankit Nagori</a> and Sujeet Kumar among others. 
 
Expansion plans 
<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/53112871.cms" /> 
GreedyGame recently appointed Samuel John to the role of Head of Operations. John was previously the Director of Operations at <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=InMobi&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">InMobi</a>. His experience has driven <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=InMobi&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">InMobi</a>’s international operations plans, and GreedyGame is looking to leverage the same. 
 
In the coming six months, the startup is looking to expand its operations to Southeast Asia and the Middle East. 
 
Market 
According to <a href="http://www.livemint.com/Consumer/NLyFWGO2OEZ0aIUjY5keqM/Mobile-ads-are-fast-becoming-central-to-marketing-strategy.html" target="_blank">media reports</a>, mobile advertising in India has grown from a $25-million market in 2011 to $70-$80 million in 2015. Industry estimates say companies are spending 2-4% of their overall media advertising budgets on mobile ads, and it’s growing at a hefty 60-70% annually.

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Affordable test methods to drones: Institutions take the innovation route to aid COVID-19 fight

PTI

IITs are a world apart when it comes to tech education. They know it and now they’re flaunting it!

BI India Bureau

This mobile advertising startup can give stiff competition to the likes of InMobi

Saikat Pyne