Indian-origin Techie Develops Technology to Charge Phones/Laptops in A Minute and EVs in 10 Minutes

Ankur Gupta, an Indian-origin researcher and assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder, a public research university in Boulder, Colorado, United States, has made a significant breakthrough. His research has led to the development of a technology that can charge laptops and mobile phones in just one minute. Moreover, this technology also has the potential to charge electric vehicles in about 10 minutes.

The key to this innovation lies in the efficient movement of ions within a complex network of minuscule pores, which could lead to more efficient energy storage devices like supercapacitors. Supercapacitors are known for their rapid charging times and longer lifespans compared to traditional batteries. Gupta's work modifies Kirchhoff’s law, which has governed current flow in electrical circuits since 1845, by demonstrating how ions move due to both electric fields and diffusion.

This discovery is not only promising for personal electronic devices but also for power grids, where fluctuating energy demand requires efficient storage to avoid waste during periods of low demand and to ensure rapid supply during high demand¹. It's indeed an exciting development in the field of energy storage and could revolutionize how we charge our devices in the future.

The research is still in the development phase and has been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. Gupta's team at the University of Colorado Boulder has discovered how ions move within a complex network of minuscule pores, which is a significant step towards developing more efficient energy storage devices like supercapacitors

Technology

Ankur Gupta's technology is based on the efficient movement of ions within a complex network of microscopic pores, leading to rapid charging capabilities for devices like laptops, mobile phones, and electric vehicles.

Simplified Explanation of How Ankur Gupta's Tech works:

Supercapacitors: The technology utilizes supercapacitors, which are energy storage devices that store and release energy by accumulating ions in their pores.

Ion Movement: Unlike traditional batteries, where ions move relatively slowly, Gupta's technology allows for a more efficient movement of ions. This is achieved by optimizing the flow within a complex structure of interconnected pores.

Charging Speed: By enhancing ion mobility, the charging process becomes much faster, allowing for a laptop or phone to be charged in just a minute and an electric vehicle in about 10 minutes.

Energy Storage: This method is not only beneficial for personal electronics but also for power grids, where efficient energy storage is crucial to handle fluctuating demands.

The breakthrough lies in modifying Kirchhoff’s law, which traditionally describes current flow in electrical circuits. Gupta's research demonstrates how ions move due to both electric fields and diffusion, which is a significant departure from the behavior described by Kirchhoff’s law in a single straight pore.

This discovery enables the simulation and prediction of ion flow in a complex network of thousands of interconnected pores within minutes, which was previously not possible¹. It's a leap forward in energy storage technology, promising faster and more efficient charging for a variety of applications.

The research is ongoing, and it may take some time before we see this technology implemented in everyday devices. However, the potential impact of such a technology on the market and our daily lives could be substantial, offering much faster charging times and longer-lasting energy storage solutions.

Via ~ Sagar Khubchandani @LinkedIn

Source – Colorado.edu

Here're the Indian Innovators Who Are Presenting at Fashion/textile Innovation Platform FFG's Fashion Week in Amsterdam

What effect does Fashion Week have on consumer buying behaviour? In recent decades, the concept of fashion week has changed and fashion weeks have grown in parallel with the ongoing commercialization of the fashion industry. This results in growing marketing budgets at fashion houses and clothing brands who organise ever larger fashion shows. Products are copied directly from the catwalk by 'fast fashion' brands and in addition to spring/summer and autumn/winter collections, evermore collections are added. Consumers are used to this rapid output of new products in stores, buying more clothing and swiftly discarding them for the next trend.

The unsustainable nature of this fast pace has been widely criticised: collections become irrelevant once fashion week is over and the industry is already looking to the next season. On the other hand, fashion weeks have become more democratic, images are immediately shared online, everyone can get an unfiltered look of the shows and can form their own opinions about it.

The Fashion for Good (FFG) Museum opens a new exhibition “Fashion Week: A New Era” on May 20. Every year during Fashion Week the latest fashion is shown on catwalks in Paris, Milan and New York and other metropoles across the globe.

Fashion for Good Museum new expo  [credits - Kyla Elaine]

This iconic event has a major impact on the fashion industry and on our own wardrobes. In 'Fashion Week: A New Era', the Fashion for Good Museum unpacks the Fashion Week, delving into its past, present and future. View historic looks from the runways of Balenciaga, Versace, Moschino and many more; discover the innovative work of Dutch fashion designer Ronald van der Kemp and digital fashion house The Fabricant. 'Fashion Week: A New Era' celebrates fashion through the years and explores how this phenomenon influenced the fashion industry and what the future of Fashion Weeks will look like.

An important focus for the exhibition is a glimpse into the future of fashion weeks which includes a showcase of unique sustainable looks from the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) with Lakmé Fashion Week, composed of collaborations between fashion designers and start-ups. Presenting this in the exhibition is significant to the story exploring the future of fashion weeks as it demonstrates a future that celebrates a recent push towards more collaboration and accountability when it comes to the industry.

Below are the Indian Innovators who took the Lakme Fashion Week by the storm and are now presenting their work at FFG's fashion week in Amsterdam.

ALTMAT

AltMat is an alternative materials company closing the gap between the waste of today and the materials of tomorrow.

One of its key technologies transforms agriculture waste from food crops into a rich natural fibre called Altag. Altag is made through a scalable technology and extensive ecosystem that helps thread sustainability, inclusivity and performance into one. Altag is not only apt at saving water, carbon, chemicals and energy but also performs par excellence.

Passed through tests and pilots, the materials are now made at industrial scale and are selectively commercially available. AltMat eyes continuous scaling to bring materials change for the world with 0% guilt, 100% sustainability.

GRAVIKY LABS

Graviky Labs uses carbon sequestration to store carbon from the atmosphere. They process those emissions into usable carbon. From fueling a jet to inks that print the most incredible art – this usable carbon changes the world, quite literally. Plastics, Ethanol, Liquors, AIR-INK Paints and more can be made from sequestered carbon. Their invention AIR - INK is made from upcycled carbon emissions - it is black, carbon negative, and directly usable in existing production lines.

KBCOLS SCIENCES

KBCols Sciences, a biotech studio fueled by innovation, is producing sustainable natural colours from living, safe microorganisms. Microbes, which are omnipresent in nature (and not visible to naked eye), are sourced by KBcols Sciences through their technology to get natural colours of choice. The food which is supplied to microorganisms to produce colours is composed of agricultural waste, thus making a completely circular production process. The final product (bio-colours free from any microbes) can be used as a universal drop-in solution to dye the majority of natural and synthetic fibres.

What Is the Future of Fashion Week Worldwide?

The new exhibition from the Fashion for Good Museum lets visitors discover how the 'Fashion Week' began at the end of the 19th century as intimate salons and which clothes were on display. Travel through the timeline to get a closer look at the highlights and the iconic runway looks from the likes of Balenciaga, Versace and Moschino.

The Future Is Sustainable

For all the praise of the fashion novelties on display during Fashion Week, there is also criticism of major fashion shows as sustainability is becoming indispensable in the design and production of clothing. FDCI x Lakmé Fashion Week (India) raises awareness of this and has been organising a Sustainable Fashion Day during the fashion week for more than five years. 'Fashion Week; A New Era' features several sustainable looks from a collaboration between the Fashion for Good Museum and The Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) with Lakmé Fashion Week. The looks created by fashion designers Divyam Mehta, Ka-Sha and Nitin Bal, together with Fashion for Good innovators AltMat, KBCols Sciences and Graviky Labs respectively, show for example, how agricultural waste can be converted into a new material and how carbon dioxide is converted into a type of dye.

Helsinki Fashion Week digital village - credits Evelyn Mora

Due to the COVID pandemic, a lot of activities shifted online, including shopping and work. The fashion industry also continued to develop online, physical shows were cancelled and new creative presentations took their place. In 'Fashion Week; A New Era', discover how runways, shows and entire collections look virtually. Attend digital shows from The Fabricant or Tommy Hilfiger (Decentralands' Metaverse Fashion Week) and explore what a fully digital Fashion Week looks like (Helsinki Fashion Week). Finally, you can also enter the metaverse yourself. In the new expo you will find the Digital Village installation where you can build your own digital model and have it walk in a digital fashion show designed by you.

Street Style Photo Wall

Not only are the fashion shows themselves a highlight, but also the visitors of those shows have become part of Fashion Week. On the streets outside of the show locations, photographers shoot Fashion Week visitors in their most beautiful outfits. Street style photography is an essential part of the exhibition, and the Fashion for Good Museum has selected works from New York Times photographer Bill Cunningham on display. He photographed the first Paris Fashion Week, but in the 1970s he became best known for his street photography which captured the intimate atmosphere around fashion shows, the visitors on the street and the goings on behind the scenes. Become part of the 'fashion scene' yourself; pose at the photo wall and shoot your own 'street style photography'.

Why This Exhibition?

What effect does Fashion Week have on consumer buying behaviour? In recent decades, the concept of fashion week has changed and fashion weeks have grown in parallel with the ongoing commercialisation of the fashion industry. This results in growing marketing budgets at fashion houses and clothing brands who organise ever larger fashion shows. Products are copied directly from the catwalk by 'fast fashion' brands and in addition to spring/summer and autumn/winter collections, evermore collections are added. Consumers are used to this rapid output of new products in stores, buying more clothing and swiftly discarding them for the next trend.

The unsustainable nature of this fast pace has been widely criticised: collections become irrelevant once fashion week is over and the industry is already looking to the next season. On the other hand, fashion weeks have become more democratic, images are immediately shared online, everyone can get an unfiltered look of the shows and can form their own opinions about it.

Discover the evolution of the Fashion Week in the new exhibition "Fashion Week: A New Era" from May 20, 2022 to October 2022 at the Fashion for Good Museum.

Fashion for Good Museum is located at Rokin 102 in Amsterdam. The museum is open from Wednesday to Monday from 10am to 6pm (closed on Tuesdays only).

To visit the museum tours with a private guide are recommended, this can be done both virtually as well as physically in Amsterdam. For more information, visit www.fashionforgood.com/museum

ABOUT THE FASHION FOR GOOD MUSEUM

The Fashion for Good Foundation, with ANBI (Public Benefit Organisation) status, opened its doors in October 2018 as Experience and is an interactive sustainable fashion museum at the Rokin in Amsterdam. The museum tells the stories behind the clothes you wear and how your choices for those clothes can have a positive impact on the fashion industry. Fashion for Good believes that this industry can and must change, and helps to spread the right knowledge about this. A must-visit for anyone interested in fashion, sustainability and innovation.

Fashion for Good not only works as a changemaker with the museum, but also brings the fashion industry together through their Innovation platform. This platform brings together innovative solutions and international fashion labels and manufacturers to drive and scale new technologies and business models to transform the industry.

The organisation is supported by the Laudes Foundation as initiator and also receives support from the AFK (Amsterdam Fund for the Arts), the Kickstart Cultuurfonds and the European Union through the Allthings.bioPRO project, part of the Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme. The Fashion for Good Museum is officially registered with the Museum Register and the Museum Association.

8 Girl Innovators to Present Their Projects Before the Startup Advisory Council

Union Minister Mr. Piyush Goyal interacts with Girl Innovators on the occasion of National Girl Child Day

“When girls are empowered, then countries become stronger & more prosperous”: Shri Goyal

Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution and Textiles, Shri Piyush Goyal held an Interaction with eight Girl Innovators today to mark the National Girl Child Day.

Addressing on the occasion, Shri Goyal said there is huge potential in each of the sectors that the eight Girl Childs have shown today:

• Low-cost biodegradable sanitary napkins
• Smart gloves which converts sign language to text & speech
• Use of AI & GPS

"I am very inspired to see these Girl Innovators, making the nation as well as their parents proud at such a young age (10-18 yrs). You are the true leaders of India," said Shri Goyal, during the programme held over Video Conference.

Stating that "When girls are empowered, then countries become stronger & more prosperous," Mr.  Goyal said we have to strengthen our Nari Shakti, as Prime Minister said, "Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao."

Mr, Goyal said women today are challenging status quo and have stepped up as nation builders & change makers. India has been a powerhouse of strong women across fields: Be it sports (Meerabai Chanu, Mary Kom), Business (Falguni Nayyar of Nykaa, Indira Nooyi), Science & Technology (Kalpana Chawla), etc.

Shri Goyal gave a four point call for action:

1. Make Vocal for Local a Jan Andolan:
2. Become ambassadors of Quality Revolution: Increase consumer awareness & create sustainable goods with utmost focus on quality.
3. Collaborate with each other and with other fellow women entrepreneurs: Harness the immense potential of women in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities.
4. Connect with India’s heritage: Explore our country’s rich culture & traditions to innovate in areas of handlooms, handicrafts, art & craft etc.

Mr. Goyal said the projects of these eight Girl Innovators will be presented before the Startup Advisory Council after three months. During the programme, the Women & Child Development Minister Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani complimented Shri Goyal for his initiative and leadership in promoting Innovation among Girl students “in tribute to the Prime Minister’s clarion call of ensuring that New India will see Women led development.”

Mr. Goyal said our women have time & again proven their capabilities. I would urge all girl children to:

• Dream big
• Never fear failure, failure is stepping stone to success
• Lead with conviction & confidence

Quoting Steve Jobs, - “The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do,” who really change the world,” Shri Goyal said, for a civilization to truly flourish we need to “Empower, Educate & Encourage” our girl child.

Sany India Reaches Out to a Young Creator who Built a Working Model of an Excavator

The ingenuity of a 7th class boy from Jharkhand who created a working model of an excavator using the principle of hydraulic pressure captured the attention of Sany India, a leading manufacturer of construction equipment, heavy machinery and renewable energy solutions. Sany has decided to sponsor the boy's education for one year and present him with a remote-control model of the machine.

The boy's creative skills first came to light through a video shared on twitter wherein the budding genius displays his creation built entirely by using easily available materials like cardboard, syringes, ice cream sticks, plastic tubes etc. This 'toy' excavator perfectly replicates the functions of an excavator, which is a complex machine. It's an impeccable representation in a miniature form which is a commendable feat for a 11 year-old boy like Joy Anugrah Kerketta.

"It's heartening to see that we have such little geniuses tucked away in remote corners of our country. With limited financial help and educational support, the boy's creation stands out as a fine example of putting his inherent intellectual ability to practical use. As a socially conscious company, we are delighted to support such budding engineers who have all the makings of becoming illustrious citizens of tomorrow," said Mr. Dheeraj Panda, Director - Sales, Marketing & Customer Support at Sany Heavy Industry India Pvt. Ltd.

The video was first shared by Pradeep Kerketta who tagged Sany India with a request to support the boy on Twitter. The company responded swiftly and reached out to the boy's parents and assured financial support for his education.

About Sany India

Sany India was incorporated in 2002 and offers the widest range of Construction Machinery in India & South Asia. In 2012, Sany India invested more than INR 500 crore to develop infrastructure for R&D, Manufacturing, Quality Inspection, Testing and Service at their manufacturing facility in Chakan, Pune. Through this facility, the company operates in four Business verticals viz: Excavator, Heavy Equipment, Concrete Machinery and Renewable Energy. Presently, Sany India offers products like excavators, truck mounted cranes, all terrain and rough terrain cranes, crawler cranes, transit mixers, batching plants, boom pumps, trailer pumps, piling rigs, motor graders, pavers, compactors, reach stackers, rubber tyred gantry cranes, rail mounted gantry cranes, mining equipment, wind turbine generators and many more.

The company has already established a strong network of around 25 dealers across India to cater to the growing demand and provide support to all its customers & associates. Sany has more than 12000 machines delivered on ground, contributing to infrastructure development projects in India & other South Asian countries. Owing to its widest product range, superior build quality, service commitment, innovative solutions, and global expertise, Sany India has achieved market leadership in various construction equipment segments. With Government of India's focus on infrastructure development and modernization, the company is poised for tremendous growth.

IIT Gold-Medalist’s Innovation Wins the “Oscars” of Education in London

“International Changemaker Olympiad”, a global program founded by Rahul Adhikari, an IIT Gold-Medalist, has won the Wharton-QS Stars Reimagine Education Award, popularly known as the “Oscars” of Education, here in London on Dec 10 for their transformative work in the education space. These “Oscars” celebrate and reward global innovations in education that are effective, scalable, unique, and transformative.

Rahul’s work was the winner in the “Sustainability” category and was also the top innovation from the entire Asia-Pacific region. The awards were given after a rigorous evaluation by an extended panel of 180 international judges from over 1500 nominations received from 39 countries. International Changemaker Olympiad was, in fact, the only nomination from India that made it to the final shortlist. Rahul and the other founders of the shortlisted innovations were flown to London to attend the 2019 Reimagine Education Conference & Awards from Dec 8-10 where they showcased their innovations to a global audience of 600 educational leaders, post which the winners were decided and felicitated with the award.

International Changemaker Olympiad (ICO) (www.ico-official.org) won the award for their innovative work to provide an international platform for children in schools to launch social initiatives and solve a real-world problem in their home, school, or community, thereby making a positive difference in the world, while also developing the critical 21st-century skills of empathy, teamwork, creative problem-solving, and a Changemaker mindset while doing the same. More than 20,000 students have participated in ICO till date and launched initiatives to solve problems as varied as saving 5,000 Kg of food monthly from hostel canteens, conducting over 100 menstrual hygiene awareness sessions in low-income communities, rescuing 200 injured animals from the streets, and saving 3 million+ litres of water in public washrooms.

"It’s an honour for us to win this award out of so many tremendous educational innovations and great to see our work being recognised globally. We are scaling rapidly to achieve our vision of every child growing up as a Changemaker, and for us to do that, we need others to join the movement. This award has supported us in spreading our vision worldwide and we are very grateful,” said Rahul Adhikari, after receiving the award.

Jack Moran, Program Manager for the Reimagine Education Awards, said, ‘International Changemaker Olympiad was selected among numerous highly-competitive entrants because it meets a number of criteria we believe to be essential to good pedagogy: it encourages peer-to-peer learning, actively involves learners in the learning process, promotes real-world problem-solving, and inculcates students with the ability to come up with creative, testable solutions to those problems. The projects empower students to think about how they might serve to meet the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, in a pedagogically-sound way: it is a deserving winner of our Sustainability Award, and we look forward to its further progress.”

At the awards conference, the final nominees showcased their innovations to a global network of educational leaders, attended active learning workshops, and networked with leading academic faculty, ed-tech founders, investors, and other practitioners within the sector to scale their idea and impact.

The 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development emphasizes young people as "critical agents of change" and the International Changemaker Olympiad is making that a reality.

~ Newsvoir