IIIT-Delhi Startup Chartr Achieves Landmark Full Tech Transfer, Pioneering Academic Innovation

In a rare and exemplary instance of academic research translating into real-world innovation, Chartr, a startup incubated at the Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology Delhi (IIIT-Delhi), has successfully completed the full transfer of technology developed at the institute. The startup has not only commercialized products based on deep research but has also completed all formal licensing processes with the institute — a milestone that is among very few of its kind in the Indian higher education ecosystem.

Founded by Dr. Pravesh Biyani, faculty at IIIT-Delhi, Chartr builds on over seven years of rigorous research and development in the area of urban mobility and public systems optimization. What started as academic inquiry has now evolved into a suite of products deployed with government and institutional clients, reflecting meaningful societal impact.

“This moment is deeply personal and professional for me,” said Dr. Pravesh Biyani. “Translating academic research into functioning products, navigating the challenges of deployment, and building a startup that survives the early hurdles — all while maintaining integrity to licensing norms — is rare. I’m proud that we could do it, and even prouder that we could do it here, at IIIT-Delhi. The policies and people here enabled me to focus on solving real problems, not paperwork.”

He added, “This milestone is not just about a transaction — it represents years of perseverance, team effort, and an institutional culture that supports innovation. We are now entering a far tougher phase — of proving product sustainability and revenue strength — but having reached here gives us the confidence to climb higher.”

Chartr’s achievement highlights the strength of IIIT-Delhi’s enabling ecosystem for innovation and entrepreneurship. Chartr has emerged as a pioneering force in public mobility solutions, offering real-time transit tracking, data-driven decision support tools, and citizen engagement platforms. Its systems are already live in multiple Indian cities, helping municipal bodies streamline bus operations, reduce commuter wait times, and improve service reliability. Chartr’s work has been recognized for effectively bridging academic research and public service, making complex transit systems more accessible, accountable, and efficient for everyday users.

Prof. Ranjan Bose, Director of IIIT-Delhi, stated, “This is a proud moment for us. Chartr’s journey exemplifies how academic research, when supported by forward-looking institutional policies, can make tangible impact. It sets a precedent and shows that Indian academic institutions can be fertile ground for world-class innovation.”

As Chartr moves into its next phase — scaling operations, ensuring recurring revenue, and deepening customer relationships — the story serves as an inspiring model for future faculty-led startups, and a powerful validation of IIIT-Delhi’s commitment to nurturing innovation with purpose.

IG Drones & VoxelSensors Join Forces to Elevate UAV Navigation in GPS-Denied Zones

IG Drones, a leading Indian drone technology company, has announced a strategic collaboration with Belgian DeepTech pioneer VoxelSensors to integrate next-generation 3D perception systems into its UAV platforms. This partnership is set to transform how drones navigate and operate in GPS-denied and visually complex environments, such as dense forests, urban infrastructure zones, tunnels, and industrial interiors.

At the heart of this partnership lies the integration of VoxelSensors’ SPAES (Streaming Perception for AI Enhanced Systems) technology—renowned for its ultra-low latency and high-precision spatial sensing—with IG Drones’ fleet of intelligent unmanned aerial vehicles. The result is a new generation of drones with advanced environmental awareness, enhanced obstacle avoidance, and higher-fidelity mapping capabilities for infrastructure inspection, emergency response, environmental monitoring, and smart city applications.

Mr Paneerselvam Madanagopal, CEO, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, welcomed the announcement, stating, “This partnership between IG Drones and VoxelSensors marks a significant step forward in the evolution of autonomous aerial technology. By combining India’s deep-rooted commitment to scalable drone solutions with VoxelSensors’ cutting-edge 3D spatial intelligence, we are witnessing the kind of global cooperation that advances innovation in a responsible, civilian-first manner. MeitY supports such collaborations that not only strengthen India’s digital and industrial capabilities but also foster meaningful international partnerships aligned with sustainable and high-impact technological progress.”

“This collaboration truly marks a new chapter for us,” said Mr Sambit Parida, Chief Technology Officer at IG Drones. “By embedding VoxelSensors’ breakthrough 3D sensing technologies into our systems, we’re enabling smarter, safer, and more autonomous drone operations. These capabilities are vital for civilian missions where situational complexity and safety demand real-time perception and adaptive decision-making. We remain committed to our vision of delivering cutting-edge, indigenous drone technologies aligned with India’s broader digital and infrastructure goals.”

The partnership comes at a time when IG Drones is expanding rapidly, with over 200 drones deployed in FY25, a 330% jump in revenue, and the rollout of 50 Drone Centres of Excellence in collaboration with AICTE across India. As the demand for intelligent drone systems increases across sectors—from disaster management to industrial inspection—IG Drones is positioning itself to meet the challenge through global technology collaborations that fuse precision with performance.

Mr Andre Miodezky, President of VoxelSensors, also commented on the partnership: “We’re excited to join forces with IG Drones to bring our sensing innovation into practical, high-impact use cases. Our SPAES technology provides real-time depth perception and motion awareness that empowers UAVs to function reliably, even in visually complex and dynamic environments. This partnership bridges European innovation with India’s drone ecosystem, and together we’re helping shape the future of aerial intelligence.”

Both companies share a commitment to sustainability, safety, and scalability in autonomous systems. By combining VoxelSensors' advanced 3D sensor suite with IG Drones' versatile drone platforms, the collaboration aims to redefine operational efficiency in industries such as energy, infrastructure, urban planning, environmental conservation, and public safety.

This strategic alliance underscores IG Drones’ ongoing journey to become a global leader in unmanned aerial solutions—while reaffirming that innovation, when grounded in collaboration, can push the boundaries of what's possible across borders and industries.

Adobe Unveils New Adobe Express for Ads for Small Businesses to Stand Out

Today, Adobe unveiled Adobe Express for ads, a new solution that makes it faster and easier for smaller businesses to create high-performing ads for top social channels in Adobe Express. The solution supports creative workflows for some of the world's largest ad platforms, including Google, LinkedIn, Meta, and TikTok, with Amazon soon to follow. With new “social safe zones” in Adobe Express, designing stunning, creative content that matches ad platform guidelines can be stress-free. And new Metricool and Bitly add-ons for Adobe Express help you track how your content is performing.

Great ads made easy — with Adobe Express.

The process of landing a great ad can be long and arduous. You’ve got to get a lot right — from amazing creative that makes your message stand out to navigating the different rules, sizes, and criteria of each platform and deciphering the signals that tell you why ads are effective — or not.

Adobe Express for ads connects the dots in one convenient app, making it simple to get the right messages to your audiences quickly and effectively.

New “social safe zone” technology.

New social safe zones in Adobe Express provide built-in guides tailored to top platforms, so key visuals and messages are placed for maximum engagement and performance. Starting June 12, safe zones for Stories and Reel ads (Meta) and LinkedIn video ads will be available in Adobe Express — with more formats to come.

Easily design high-quality creative.

According to Nielsen, 50% of advertising ROI is driven by the quality of the creative. Adobe Express brings the best of Adobe’s industry-leading creative tools, like Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator, and a massive library of assets and templates curated by real design pros, into an app that makes it easy for everyone to produce eye-catching creative. Here’s what you can do:

• Create great ads that stand out. Start with thousands of free, professionally designed templates built to perform across top ad platforms so your ads are polished and on-brand.
• Design with ease. Focused workflows and drag-and-drop tools make it simple to customize text, images, and layouts. AI-powered features can help you quickly generate content ideas, remove backgrounds, generate images or video, and more — even if you’re not a pro.
• Make once, repurpose everywhere. Instantly resize and reformat ads to fit the platforms where your customers connect, browse, and shop.
• Create with confidence, launch with peace of mind. Adobe Firefly-powered tools are commercially safe for your business. Fonts, images, and assets in Adobe Express are also cleared for business use. With Custom Brand Kits, you can easily lock brand elements for a consistent look and feel every time.
• Leverage recently announced AI-powered video capabilities. With Adobe Express, every small business can create high-impact video ads. Clip Maker uses AI to instantly cut video footage into short clips, and Firefly-powered Generate Video uses text and image prompts to generate custom, commercially safe b-roll and background footage.

Seamlessly publish to top ad platforms.

Adobe Express for ads features a new user experience that lets you easily connect to leading advertising platforms and access custom workflows, best practices, and templates specific to each environment. You get better ad performance — for free and from one efficient app.

New integrations include:

• Optimized Google Performance Max templates. Take the guesswork out of building compelling creative assets for campaigns. Simply grab a template, insert your videos, images, or offering and export to your Google Ads account in minutes.
• Video and image ads on LinkedIn. Publish quickly and with ease to help drive engagement with B2B audiences on the world’s largest professional network. Video templates are optimized for high-impact storytelling and advertising assets can be exported to your LinkedIn ads account for campaign creation and tracking.
• TikTok Symphony Assistant add-on. Easily create trending business content and add pre-cleared music tracks from the Commercial Music Library. Starting June 16, you can also export videos directly to your TikTok Ads Manager account.
• Amazon ads: Adobe Express is also working with Amazon to provide you with professionally designed templates and pre-compliance checks, helping ensure you can successfully publish to Amazon ads every time.

Effortlessly measure content performance.

New add-ons from Metricool and Bitly, make it easier for you to understand how social content is performing and adjust to maximize its impact, all within Adobe Express.

• The Metricool add-on for Adobe Express provides intel on top-performing posts, top-performing hashtags, and engagement rates across platforms, including Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest, X/Twitter, Google Business, and more, to help inform creative and social strategies. View side-by-side analysis of competitor profiles to spot content trends and performance gaps so you can fine-tune your strategies with data.
• With the new Bitly add-on for Adobe Express, it’s simple to add QR Codes and short links to assets so you can monitor performance and view real-time analytics that provide intel to inform updates and strategy.

These features and more are waiting to be explored in Adobe Express for Ads, or download the ad platform add-ons here.

To add new social measurement capabilities to your toolkit, visit the Adobe Express add-on marketplace.

Power Theft Fuels Delhi’s E-Rickshaw Boom, At a Cost of ₹120 Crore

Delhi’s e-rickshaw sector is grappling with widespread electricity theft, with reports indicating that 60% of e-rickshaws are charged using stolen electricity. This illegal practice is causing an estimated ₹120 crore in annual losses for power companies.

Many e-rickshaw drivers rely on unauthorized charging points, often set up in shops, parking lots, or even residential buildings, leading to frequent fire hazards. The lack of dedicated charging infrastructure has forced drivers to seek alternative, often unsafe, charging methods.

Authorities are under pressure to crack down on illegal charging hubs and establish regulated fast-charging stations to curb theft and improve safety.

How this issue ties into Delhi’s clean-energy policies?

Delhi’s clean-energy push is at odds with the widespread electricity theft fueling its e-rickshaw sector. While e-rickshaws were introduced as a green alternative to fossil-fuel-powered transport, their reliance on illegal charging networks undermines the city’s sustainability goals.

The Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) has set a special tariff of ₹4.50 per unit to encourage legal charging. However, with over 60% of e-rickshaws tapping into stolen power, the city faces ₹120 crore in annual losses. This not only strains the grid but also increases fire hazards, as many illegal charging points operate without safety measures.

Experts argue that dedicated fast-charging stations and strict enforcement are crucial to aligning e-rickshaw operations with Delhi’s clean-energy vision. Without intervention, the sector risks becoming a liability rather than an asset in the city’s transition to sustainable transport.

OpenAI Unveils o3-Pro: Its Most Advanced AI Model Yet

Artificial intelligence is evolving faster than ever, and OpenAI’s latest model, o3-Pro, is a prime example of this progress. If you’ve ever felt frustrated with AI responses—either too vague, inaccurate, or missing the nuance of a real conversation—this model aims to change that. o3-Pro is designed to think more deeply, process complex questions with greater accuracy, and personalize interactions, making AI feel more like a well-informed assistant rather than just an automated chatbot.

So, what sets o3-Pro apart? Unlike its predecessors, this model prioritizes reasoning over speed, making it ideal for complex discussions in science, business, and education. It’s also integrated with advanced tools, allowing it to search the web, analyze files, reason about images, and even tailor responses using memory. In simpler terms, it's like upgrading from a general encyclopedia to an AI capable of critically thinking through problems, remembering past discussions, and adjusting based on context.

But of course, with great power comes a trade-off: o3-Pro takes a little longer to generate responses due to its improved reasoning process. OpenAI recommends using it when accuracy matters more than speed, making it perfect for technical deep-dives rather than quick chats.

For AI Enthusiasts: How o3-Pro Compares to Other Models

For those already familiar with generative AI, o3-Pro builds upon OpenAI’s o3 reasoning model, enhancing its ability to handle step-by-step problem-solving, long-context understanding, and multimodal inputs.

Key improvements over OpenAI’s past models:

• o3-Pro vs. o1-Pro → Better reasoning, clearer responses, more tools (but slightly slower).
• o3-Pro vs. o3 → Stronger performance in technical fields, enhanced memory integration, and broader tool access.

Compared to rival AI systems, OpenAI has positioned o3-Pro as a powerhouse for complex intellectual tasks:

• Outperforms Google Gemini 2.5 Pro on AIME 2024, a math benchmark.
• Beats Claude 4 Opus on GPQA Diamond, a PhD-level science test.
• Offers deeper reasoning than GPT-4o, although GPT-4o is faster and better suited for casual conversations.

What’s Next for o3-Pro?

This model is currently available to ChatGPT Pro and Team users for $20 per million input tokens and $80 per million output tokens. Enterprise and Edu users will gain access next week. However, temporary chats have been disabled due to an ongoing technical issue, and image generation isn’t yet supported—though that may change in future iterations.

With its 200,000-token context window, expanded reasoning capabilities, and integration with advanced tools, o3-Pro represents another major step toward AI systems that think, analyze, and adapt more like humans.