Chennai: The Indian Institute of Technology-Madras’ four-day annual technical festival, Shaastra, began on Saturday with the campus abuzz with activity as hundreds of students from several higher education institutions in the country taking part in various competitions.
More than five teams from colleges across the country took part on day one in the lunar rover competition, to make their rover trek over the rough terrain that obtains on the lunar surface, on day one of the four-day technical fest.
A couple of teams also participated in the aero-modelling show which saw lightweight models of miniature aircraft flying. The competition went on for over three hours and was witnessed by several children and their parents.
Students from 15 IITs in the country showcased their research as part of Shaastra, which stole the limelight on day one. Government agencies such as the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR), too, displayed their research to create awareness among youngsters about research in government organisations.
“Shaastra gives us an opportunity to showcase our talent and research to a larger audience. We also take back home a lot of memories and this also helps us to learn how to organise mega events,” Shanthi, a student from Puducherry, said.
Besides competitions at IIT-Madras, this year’s Shaastra technical fest also has several workshops on subjects such as manual robotics, autonomous robotics and network security.
Next: Cyber-knife can also treat lifestyle diseases
Cyber-knife can also treat lifestyle diseases
N. Arun Kumar | DC
Chennai: Dr John R. Adler, who invented the cyber-knife, a frameless robotic radiosurgery system used for treating benign tumours, says that he has embarked on a mission to come out with a low-cost version of the cyber-knife to treat various diseases like depression, obesity and other lifestyle problems. The cyber-knife helps cancer patients with radio surgery treatment.
“I had been working in the area of radio surgery system for several years and invented the cyber-knife, the world's first robotic radio surgery system designed to treat tumours anywhere in the body with sub-millimetre accuracy.
The equipment is expensive for an average Indian but I am working to come up with a inexpensive equipment to treat cancer and other diseases,” said Dr Adler, professor at the department of neurosurgery at Stanford University Medical Centre, USA. He was speaking to Deccan Chronicle after delivering a lecture at Shaastra (IIT-M’s four-day annual technical festival) on Saturday.
Pointing that with the use of radiation with his technique, one could cure depression-related issues in a person, the entrepreneur-turned-doctor said he would test his treatment to treat obesity.
“You can treat a patient without cutting his body with radiation instead use radiation to help the patient in a bigger way,” he said.
Exhorting IITians to become entrepreneurs, Dr Adler said he had faced several hardships in convincing investors to invest in his company to come up with the product. “Even though I failed several times, I succeeded with hard work and determination,” he added.
