Researchers from the Indian Institute of Science applied three different statistical techniques to forecast streamflow for short lead times. Out of them the technique called 'Field Forward Neural Network' (FFNN) gave the best forecasts. The researchers presented their findings at the International Conference on Water Resources, Coastal and Ocean Engineering (ICWRCOE).
With a growing elderly population in India
Coastal regions are very fragile systems. They are continually exposed to various environmental factors that have a direct bearing on their functioning. Intrusion of sea water into coastal aquifers is one such aspect that needs to be addressed. A paper recently published by researchers from the Indian Institute of Science addresses the factors that aggravate the problem of saltwater intrusion, i.e. the movement of sea water into freshwater aquifers. The research was carried out to establish the extent of saltwater intrusion under different conditions.
Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore have now devised a technology which can efficiently extract energy from vibrations that are almost always present around us. Though not from thin air, this development has a wide scope of applications and could power smalls LED lights, fire and smoke alarms, biomedical devices to name a few.
Graphene has allured researchers from a wide variety of fields in the last decade, owing to its interesting electronic, optical and thermal properties, mechanical strength, sensing capabilities etc. It is expected that the demand for graphene will grow significantly in the future. Now, researchers at the Indian Institute of Science have come up with an environmentally friendly way to create graphene at an industrial scale. This could facilitate production of graphene in industries with no hazards to the environment.
It is commonly believed that Southern India is aseismic, i.e. not prone to earthquakes (Seismic - earthquake.) It is true that major earthquakes--the kind that cause widespread damages --are rare in this region. But moderate earthquakes, which can be felt by people, and cause damage to poorly constructed buildings and slight or no damage to well designed structures, can be expected in this area.
A team of four researchers from IISc Bangalore, and Sastra University, Thanjavur have studied the effects of a blast on the twin-tunnel system of the Underground Metro in Bangalore. The paper examines blast effects on metro tunnels, and evacuation in the event of a blast.
Imagine a surveillance technology, like a CCTV, that can tell you the shape, height, distance and speed of an object, in an instant. Scientists at Department of Instrumentation and Applied Physics at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have realized this goal at a staggeringly economical price. The study was recently published in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Sensors Journal.
Researchers from the IISc have developed a new way to design thin, porous membranes that can be used for water filtration. By carefully mixing two polymers, and adding some nanostructures, they obtained membranes with ultra small holes in it. They have also shown that these membranes are more efficient in killing the bacteria commonly found in drinking water.
A braille embosser, which prints out text in braille pattern, costs a few lakhs as compared to a regular printer, which costs around a few thousand rupees. Can anything be done so that printed text can be easily digitized and made available in forms usable by people with visual disability? Or, can text be made available in audio format to the visually impaired? Indeed yes! Medical Intelligence and Language Engineering (MILE) Laboratory at IISc seeks to provide solutions to challenges faced by the specially abled.