Archive for the ‘CMERI’ Category
Electric rickshaws in more areas
04 June 2012
NEW DELHI: Aimed at promoting eco-friendly and smoke-free mode of transport, electric-run rickshaws will soon ply on the streets of east and central Delhi.
While the the e-rickshwas – which will be known as Pedi Cabs – have been designed by Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute – a subsidiary of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research – they have been manufactured by HBL Power Systems Limited….
Read more: http://www.deccanherald.com/content/254630/electric-rickshaws-more-areas.html
Ray of sunshine for a green Delhi as solar-powered rickshaws are set to take to the road
02 March 2012
The Capital is turning green with a vengeance. After promoting the use of electric cars and the use of green technologies, Delhi will soon see the solar-powered rickshaws on its roads.
Around 1,000 of these rickshaws, which come in three variants, will be introduced in different parts of the Capital by June. Senior officials of the Delhi government’s environment department said the final plan is to increase the number of such rickshaws, also called soleckshaws, to at least 10,000…..
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome/article-2108974/Ray-sunshine-green-Delhi-solar-powered-rickshaws-set-to-road.html#ixzz1o6z2pctQ
Soleckshaw, the new vehicle in Kolkata
06 November 2011
KOLKATA: Technology has brought some relief to rickshaw pullers – though only five in number – in the city with the introduction of soleckshaws, the solar-power assisted, pedaloperated cycle rickshaws. Designed by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CMERI) Durgapur, the rickshaws have zero carbon emission and have only been introduced as a pilot project.
A soleckshaw is an eco-friendly tricycle driven partly by pedal and partly by electric power, supplied by a battery that is charged from solar energy. The soleckshaws are charged in solar photo voltaic stations and takes around eight hours to get completely charged. With full charge, these rickshaws can travel a distance up to 40 km. However, the city is yet to get such charging stations……
Solar-powered rickshaws launched on Kolkata’s lanes
03 October 2011
KOLKATA:Five soleckshaws – a solar-powered vehicle that also allows the rider to pedal – were distributed among rickshaw pullers here on Sunday to mark the launch of the vehicle in the city.
Developed and manufactured by Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute in Durgapur, the zero-carbon-emitting vehicle, uses both the mechanical energy and electrical energy achieving a maximum speed of 18 kilometres per hour.
During the day, five soleckshaws were presented to rickshaw pullers at the Central Glass and Ceramic Research Institute (CGCRI) free of cost. ….
Read more: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/article2507698.ece
New vehicle on the cards for country’s postmen
06 February 2011
PUNE:In another three months, postmen in the country may start using ‘Postal Soleckshaw’ — a solar powered pedal-operated cycle rickshaw — on their daily rounds. The Pune-based Kinetic Group has developed the environment-friendly postal delivery vehicle in association with the Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CMERI). The vehicles are undergoing field tests.
Sulajja Firodia Motwani, managing director, Kinetic Motors and director, Kinetic Engineering told DNA that five vehicles developed by the Group are on a pilot run in Ajmer in Rajasthan. The Group is awaiting the green signal from the ministry of communications & information technology before starting mass production, she said.
“The pilot run will be completed in two months. Once the ministry gives its feedback, we will start mass production. The vehicle was designed and developed primarily for postmen to double their efficiency. But we will be identifying other areas of application for the vehicle for live delivery like diary products and milk supply,” she said….
Read more: http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_new-vehicle-on-the-cards-for-country-s-postmen_1503838
Sea trials of Autonomous Underwater Vehicle to be conducted this month-end
2 January 2011
KOCHI: The sea trials of the Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) designed and developed by the Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CMERI), Durgapur — a constituent establishment of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) — are slated to begin off the Chennai coast during the last week of January.
The ‘AUV-150,’ as the prototype is named, is built to operate 150 metres under the sea. It was developed in technical collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur.
The performance parameters of the lab-scale model, developed by IIT, acted as a precursor to the prototype developed by CSIR-CMERI. The project is sponsored by the Ministry of Earth Sciences.
The cylindrical AUV is capable of independently carrying out a plethora of underwater operations, including ocean floor-mapping, surveillance activities and oceanographic studies, based on data gathered using its onboard sensors.
The AUV underwent a series of sheltered water trials at the Defence Research and Development Organisation’s (DRDO) Underwater Acoustic Research Facility (UARF) at Kerala’s Idukki Reservoir over the last two years. The final leg of the still-water trials was conducted in the reservoir between September and October 2010.
CMERI Director Gautam Biswas said: “The National Institute of Ocean Technology [NIOT] earlier developed a Remotely Operated Vehicle [ROV] with the capability to dive much deeper. Our vehicle, however, is different in that it is not remotely operated from a control station ashore. It has an onboard computer that can be pre-programmed to carry out specific tasks, which makes it a smart vehicle endowed with the ability to devise its own stratagems to execute a mission. The payload and the configuration are determined by the nature of the mission it is tasked with.”
During the sea trials, the AUV’s image processing capability would be assessed.
“Besides, its capacity to model environmental parameters such as temperature gradient, current, depth and salinity gradient would be scrutinised. Once the technology is proven through extensive sea trials, the AUV can be customised for applications like close-to-coast undersea monitoring, mine countermeasures, cable and pipeline surveys, besides a host of oceanographic studies,” Professor Biswas said….
Read more: http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Kochi/article1025416.ece
Eco-friendly rickshaw to help postmen deliver mail faster
12 July 2010
PUNE: The postal workers may soon be riding a solar-enabled electric bike. Postal Solekshaw, a solar power-assisted, pedal-operated cycle rickshaw — developed by the city-based Kinetic Engineering Ltd ¿ promises to reduce the rickshaw puller’s efforts by providing battery assistance.
Developed in association with the Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CMERI), Durgapur, the project was proposed as part of India800 Foundation, which is aimed at addressing the social challenges of the 800 million poor in the country. “It is a year-old project that was announced on August 15 last year. We have been working on its development for the past four-five months,” said Sulajja Firodia Motwani, managing director, Kinetic……….
Read complete news item: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/ecofriendly-rickshaw-to-help-postmen-deliver-mail-faster/645150/
Sachin Pilot launches environment-friendly postal delivery vehicle ‘Soleckshaw’
09 July 2010
Union Minister of State for Communication and Information Technology (IT) Sachin Pilot launched an environment-friendly postal delivery vehicle ‘Soleckshaw’ in the national capital on Friday.
“It is the endeavour of the Ministry to use green technology for delivering services in efficient and eco-friendly manner. He said that this effort is a step forward towards the Government’s efforts to modernise and digitise the India Post Services under Project Arrow. Availability of this vehicle will add to the efficiency of postal agents and will also give them a sense of pride,” said Pilot.
“As a Pilot Project, Soleckshaw will be introduced soon in the Project Arrow post offices in a city of Rajasthan. The Ministry would evaluate the performance of the vehicle within few months and will explore the possibility of its expansion on larger scale,” he added.
Soleckshaw is a solar-power assisted, pedal-operated cycle rickshaw developed by CSIR. It reduces the rickshaw puller’s effort by providing battery assistance. It is still a zero carbon emission vehicle.
The batteries are charged by solar power at charging stations. Technology has been transferred to multiple entrepreneurs and Soleckshaws are currently plying at Delhi (Chandni Chowk), Chandigarh, Jaipur, Durgapur, Ranchi, Kolkata and Ahmedabad.
Recently, M/s Kinetic Motors in association with CMERI (CSIR) has re-designed and developed a modified version of Soleckshaw specifically suitable as a light delivery vehicle, particularly useful for delivery of post, parcels and other postal services both in urban and rural areas.
The Soleckshaw is the ideal vehicle to enable transportation of such parcels with a minimum of effort.
This is expected to improve speed and efficiency of postal delivery, increase ability to carry more load; distribute other value-added products in rural areas and provide charging facilities for mobile phones in remote areas etc. (ANI)
Revive the rick
04 July 2010
CHENNAI: It was the walk to and from the MRTS station every day that got Lalitha Ramadurai thinking about simple solutions to solve last mile connectivity.
“Once you get off a bus or train, you’re at the mercy of autodrivers who fleece you,” says Lalitha, who walks from her house to Indiranagar MRTS station, takes the train to Mylapore, and a bus to her workplace at CPR Environment Education Centre. “So why not revive the cycle rickshaw? But solar-powered ones so that the drivers no longer have to strain and pedal,” she says.
A large part of Lalitha’s work involves going to schools and explaining to children how they can care for the environment. “Using public transport is a great way to cut down your carbon footprint and pollution in the city,” she says. “But most people don’t use it just because it’s not convenient.” And that’s where the soleck-shaw, developed by the Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute, one of the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research’s laboratories, comes in.
“The soleckshaw is dual-powered, driven partly by pedal and partly by electric power supplied by a battery charged from solar energy. It’s perfect for short distances, in residential areas, tourist areas and beaches. I’m definitely not suggesting it on Anna Salai,” she says.
She cites the example of Delhi, where regular rickshaws are still used in residential areas to get to the market, the railway station or save you the 10-minute walk to the bus stop on the main road. Soleckshaws are also being used in the Commonwealth Games Village in Delhi. “The 2010 budget even provides a subsidy on excise duty for soleckshaws. So it would be an eco-friendly, cost-effective and sustainable solution,” she says.
The soleckshaw costs about Rs 25,000, while a regular rickshaw costs about Rs 8,000. “The benefits of using soleckshaws are higher. It’s not stressful for the driver, like regular rickshaws are, and it is faster,” she says.
Her plan is to approach the Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (UMTA) with the idea for help. “It needs co-ordination from all the agencies UMTA, CMDA, traffic police, the TN pollution control board and residents’ groups to en-courage people to use it,” says Lalitha, who has worked out the phases for imple-mentation, possible partners, timeline and estimated cost…….
Complete news item here: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Revive-the-rick/articleshow/6125771.cms
Necessity is also the mother of innovation
10 May 2010
BANGALORE: T Bhargavi, a homemaker who does not have any MIT degree to boast of, has made what she calls “the Cabtop” — an innovative personal computer. The personal computer cabtop, short for Cabin on Top is an all-in-one PC with a compact form factor.“Whenever I sweep and mop up my house, I face great difficulties to clean up the surroundings of the personal computer because of all the wires, its size and furniture. It was also difficult to clean the PC table as it was in two parts. One day I saw the advertisement of an all-inone PC in the newspaper,” she says.That was the beginning.After persuading her husband and family to give the idea a shot, Bhargavi decided to submit the idea to Technopreneur Promotion Programme (TePP), Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR). After a lot of work on the new design, the Cabtop was finally approved by the DSIR.“With the TePP DSIR funds and the support of my family, the Cabtop PC was designed. The metal work for the new design was done in Bangalore. Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CMERI), Durgapur did the lab tests and approved,” she says…….
Read complete article at : http://expressbuzz.com/cities/bangalore/necessity-is-also-the-mother-of-innovation/172264.html
CSIR in the news.. 