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NeuroBuds is an earphone-like device that automatically detects panic & helps women in distress
Economic Times | |
The device automatically detects panic in the user by analysing brain wave data patterns to trigger an SOS, removing the need to physically make calls or press buttons. Engineering students George Mathew, Nitin Vasanth, Athul B Raj and Fausya Amalh were working on a brain mapping platform when a common friend almost became a victim of sexual harassment. The woman was stuck in a situation where, as is common in such situations, she could not take out her phone and dial for help. The incident prompted her friends, all students, to come up with an innovation for women in distress. A year later, the students have a working prototype. NeuroBuds is a wearable, earphone-like electroencephalogram (EEG) device that acts as an interface between a user’s brain and a smartphone.
The device automatically detects panic in the user by analysing brain wave data patterns to trigger an SOS, removing the need to physically make calls or press buttons. The project bagged the ‘innovation to empower women’ award at the fifth season of Accenture Innovation Jockeys held recently in the city. “The device uses four electrodes that go inside both ears. It samples data and feeds it to the smartphone that runs an app we’ve developed. The app then processes the data with algorithms we wrote,“ said Mathew, who graduated this year as a computer science engineer from the city-based Atria Institute of Technology. Vasanth and Raj are from the Cochin University of Science and Technology whereas Amalh is from Model Engineering College, also in Kochi. “Once a panic signal is detected, there’s a 10-second gap to dismiss it. Then, it sends out alerts,“ Raj said. He pointed out that in many cases, attackers snatch the phone away “That’s why our system sends the alert to a server.“
Much of the innovation took shape at the Centre for Neurosciences at the Indian Institute of Science, where the team developed the product using 3D printing, carbon nanotubes and rapid prototyping boards. The device has undergone four iterations in the past one year. “The biggest challenge was to simulate panic. You can do it partially with virtual reality headsets or by getting people to jump. Still, it’s not real panic. We tested the device on a lot of people to drastically bring down the false positives,“ Mathew explained. Besides panic detection, NeuroBuds also has sleep detection for cab drivers and general monitoring of mental state. Raghavan Iyer, Managing Director, Technology Delivery and Innovation Council lead for Accenture India, said: “We have seen this passion and determination in the past seasons where innovations have been further developed by students and introduced in the market.“ – Courtesy
National Board of Accreditation (NBA) has accredited CUSAT’s engineering programmes under its Tier-I system
The Hindu | January 11, 2016 | EDUCATION PLUS | | Kerala |
National Board of Accreditation (NBA) has accredited five B. Tech programmes offered by the School of Engineering (SOE) at the Cochin University of Science and Technology for two years under its Tier-I system. The courses accredited include engineering programmes in Civil, Computer Science and Engineering, Electrical and Electronics, Electronics and Communication and Information Technology. “It’s for the first time that an engineering institution in Kerala is getting accredited by NBA under Tier – I. Tier I programmes are housed in institutions with autonomy to review the content of curriculum and make changes as a result of recommendations from accreditation visits,” said G. Madhu, Principal of SOE. He said that the programmes offered by the Indian Institute of Technology, Indian Institute of Science, National Institute of Technology, constituent departments/colleges of Central, State and deemed-to-be universities and autonomous institutions are eligible for accreditation under Tier-I system. The colleges affiliated to a university are accredited under Tier- II system.
SOE authorities are awaiting the results of evaluation of the other two B.Tech programmes that include Mechanical and Safety and Fire Engineering. The NBA’s expert team had visited the School in the first week of December for evaluation of these two courses. Dr. Madhu said that these five programmes have become eligible for “substantial equivalency” in 15 foreign countries including the United States (U.S.) and the United Kingdom (U.K.). NBA has been accorded permanent signatory status of Washington accord as on June 13. Recognition of programmes by other signatories applies only to programmes accredited by NBA that are offered by education providers accepted by NBA as Tier- 1 Institutions.
The Washington Accord covers undergraduate engineering degrees under outcome-based education approach. Faculty members at SOE pointed out that it is an international accreditation agreement for professional engineering academic degrees entered in to between the bodies responsible for accreditation in its signatory countries. The agreement recognises that there is substantial equivalence of programmes accredited by the signatories. Graduates of accredited programmes in any of the signatory countries are recognised by the other signatory countries as having met the academic requirements for entry to the practice of engineering. Established in 1989, the signatories, as of 2014, include Australia, Canada, Taiwan, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Turkey, U.K. and the U.S. – Courtesy
Most techies still prefer jobs to start-ups
The Hindu | KOCHI, January 23, 2015 | |
The start-up wave seems to have not impressed the young techies on city campuses. Only seven students from the School of Engineering (SOE) and the Model Engineering College under Cochin University of Science and Technology started their companies over the last two years as per the official estimates. Nobody belonging to the B. Tech batch (pass-out in June) at MEC opted out of the campus placement drive to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams last year. The situation was no different at SOE in 2013. Only three from MEC and four at SOE started their start-ups in 2013 and 2014. “Most of our students are getting good offers from visiting companies and hence they would not like to take a risk by starting their own companies,” pointed out V.K. Jayasree, faculty member and placement officer at MEC. Explaining that the number of students opting out of the campus placement was minimal, C.V. Premkumar, faculty-in-charge of the Training and Placement Cell at School of Engineering, said students were cautious as issues like raising capital for their venture still remain a major issue for campus entrepreneurs. “Students opting for campus placement also take a leaf out from the difficulties being experienced by their friends, who had launched start-ups and struggling to find ways to sustain their initiative,” he said.
Faculty members also referred to the parental pressure on engineering students to take up a job rather than starting a company. Many also fear that their ventures may lose out steam, if it fails to gain the attention of the government and angel investors, they said. Asked whether the poor response to campus start-up schemes at SOE and MEC goes against the encouraging estimates by the Kochi Startup Village, Pranav Kumar Suresh, its Chief Executive Officer, said the trend was catching up when viewed from a State-wide angle. “Even though we do not track college-wise number of campus start-ups, the State figure was about 150 last year. It’s a fact that a cultural shift has to emerge for promoting more campus-based start-ups,” he said. – Students are getting good offers from companies – Raising capital for start-ups still a major issue.
UGC Recognition of Six Universities Hang in Balance; Kerala
By Revathi Rajeevan | Published: 06th August 2014 | Indian Express.
KOCHI: Maintaining and availing UGC recognition could prove to be a herculean task for six universities in the state as they do not have a valid NAAC accreditation at present.
Kerala University, Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT), Central University of Kerala, Kannur University, Kerala Kalamandalam and Shree Shankaracharya University of Sanskrit could come under University Grants Commission’s (UGC) scrutiny for further approval of grants in the coming year, owing to delay in accreditation process.
UGC, in March last year, had notified that higher education institutions, other than those for technical, medical and agricultural studies, which have either completed six years or have graduated two batches are required to take accreditation from an accrediting agency. If this is not complied with, UGC could restrict the allowance of grants or, worse, repeal the recognition.
Sources at the National Assessment and Accreditation Agency (NAAC),the body that accredits the institutions, said that only three universities had initiated the process for accreditation within the deadline that expired in June.
Kerala University and CUSAT, whose accreditation expired in 2009 and 2011 respectively, have applied for a renewal, while the Sanskrit varsity has applied for it the first time.
“We submitted a letter of intent (LOI) and a self study report (SSR) before NAAC and received its response which contained some suggestions. Within a few months, we shall receive the accreditation,” said K Poulose Jacob, Pro-Vice Chancellor, CUSAT.
Though they have applied for it, any delay in further proceedings could prove to be risky as the accreditation process is time consuming. With only nine months left for UGC to take action against those without accreditation and NAAC being the only body to accredit such universities in the entire country, the delay could cost them dear.
“The process could take anytime between four and twelve months. Though it is easier for universities to get it done than colleges, they cannot take it for granted. Unless the accrediting body is convinced that the universities have complied with UGC regulations, it will not approve their application,” said a NAAC official.
Meanwhile, Central University, Kannur University and Kerala Kalamandalam, which too are up for accreditation, are not on the list of applicants. However, in a late move, Kannur University forwarded its application three weeks ago.
“The University submitted a LOI only three weeks ago. We are awaiting their response following which we would go ahead with the procedures,” said K Balachandran, Registrar, Kannur University.
The authorities of two other universities said that they need more time to apply for the accreditation as they need to fulfill the pre-requisites specified by UGC.
Of the two, Kerala Kalamandalam faces yet another roadblock. “To be eligible for a NAAC accreditation, the UGC specifies that we should have postings as per its regulations. We follow a Gurukula system of education and the faculties’ qualification is not like that of other universities,” said P N Suresh, VC, Kerala Kalamandalam.
CUSAT widens eligibility norm : To accept distance education courses offered by recognised universities; IGNOU
The Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) has amended its rule that only distance education courses offered by the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) would be recognised as eligibility criteria for admission to its various programmes.
The academic council of the varsity has now decided to recognise the distance education courses offered by universities that are established by an Act of Parliament or the State Legislature and approved by the University Grants Commission (UGC).
From next year, Cusat will admit students who had pursued distance education courses offered by such universities for its academic programmes. The prospectus for admission to various courses for the year 2015-16 will include this amendment.
For years, Cusat had only considered the applications of candidates who had passed the distance education programmes of IGNOU for admission to its courses through either the Common Admission Test or the Departmental Admission Test.
The academic council observed that many students were denied opportunity despite having the required credentials as they had pursued a distance education programmes by other universities. Even the academic courses offered by State universities under Schools of Distance Education were not recognised by Cusat.
A few years ago the varsity had decided to recognise the courses offered by universities recognised by the Distance Education Bureau but later changed it and restricted it to the courses offered by IGNOU.
CUSAT’s School of Engineering set for a Giant leap ; Washington Accord; NBA, Kerala
By Revathi Rajeevan | Published: 26th June 2014. The Indian Express.
KOCHI: School of Engineering (SOE) of Cochin University of Science and Technology is only a step away from being recognised by the Washington Accord. The institution has approached the National Board of Accreditation (NBA) for Tier 1 status and once approved, the graduates will be recognised as having met the academic requirements for the practice of engineering in 16-member countries of Washington Accord.
Currently, no institution in the state has NBA Tier 1 accredited programmes.
Washington Accord is an international agreement among bodies responsible for accrediting engineering degree programmes which recognises the substantial equivalency of programmes accredited by the member bodies. The National Board of Accreditation (NBA) became a signatory of the accord representing India on June 13. Any programme offered by an institution that is accredited by the NBA as Tier 1 will be recognised by other signatories in the accord.
School of Engineering has applied for a Tier 1 NBA accreditation for its programmes in seven streams – Civil Engineering, Computer Science Engineering, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Electronics and Communication Engineering, Fire Technology and Safety, Information Technology and Mechanical Engineering.
“It will be an outcome-based accreditation. The NBA officials will visit the campus and assess the quality of the programmes offered in terms of the quality of engineers. Surveys will be conducted among the graduated students and parents. A report on the same should also be submitted by us as self-assessment. It could take about six months to one year,” said G Madhu, Principal, SOE.
Tier I is for technical programmes in institutions with autonomy to review the content of curriculum and make changes as a result of recommendations from accreditation visits. These institutions have the financial and academic independence to engage in continuous improvement actions in the local settings and need not wait for the approval of outside bodies. No other institution in the state has applied for the Tier 1 accreditation so far.
“Once the NBA Tier 1 accreditation is granted, the programmes with such an accreditation will by default be recognised as equivalent to those offered by the bodies of other member countries in the Washington Accord. But this is not a life-time accreditation.
It is given only for a period of time and is conditional,” said an NBA official in New Delhi.
The status gives a better mobility to engineers on a national and international level.
In future, it could also be a criteria for allowance of specific grants from bodies like the All India Council for Technical Education, MHRD and University Grants Commission.
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