T.J. David and Kudikala Shravan Kumar, from the International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad have won the Intel India Embedded Challenge grand prize for 2011 of Rs 1 million, for their project Solar Powered Crop Harvesting Robot. The nationwide competition is an initiative by Intel in India to recognize and reward outstanding ideas in embedded technology, based on the Intel Atom processor. This year’s Intel India Embedded Challenge had two main categories – ‘Embedded Geeks’ and ‘Embedded Solutions for a Social Cause’. Entries were submitted under five themes: Biomedical and healthcare, Education, Smart Solutions, Industrial and Consumer Electronics, Rural IT, e-governance and citizen services. In addition to the grand prize, each of the theme winners received a Rs. 50,000 prize for the best innovation in their category.

Following more than 1,600 applications from across the country, Intel short listed 119 teams based on their innovative ideas in embedded technology. An expert panel then selected the 31 finalists for the prototype phase of the contest. In this final phase, each of the finalists worked on Intel Atom Processor kits to prototype their idea. The prototypes were then showcased to a jury consisting of senior academic researchers, government representatives and industry leaders, who selected the winners
“Intel believes technological innovation is the driver of future economic and social success. By providing India’s engineering students and technical professionals with exposure to the highest level of proficiency, Intel seeks to nurture an ecosystem in which innovation can thrive,” said  Praveen Vishakantaiah, President, Intel India. “This platform offers students and professionals an environment where their talent can be nurtured.”
Winners will also have the opportunity to participate in ‘The Next Big Idea’, conducted by Intel, the Department of Science and Technology and the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore.
List of theme winners: Project/Theme/Award/Participant’s name(s)/Institute/ Organization
VORWIS(Virtual Object in Real World - Interacting & Sharing); Education Theme; Ganesh Pitchiah; Indian Institute Of Technology, Kanpur.
A Novel Approach to 4 Dimensional Interfacing Schemes using Intel Atom Processor; Industrial & consumer Electronics; Gaurav Jain; Shanmugha Arts, Science, Technology & Research Academy University.
3D Mapper & Navigation System for Autonomous Ground Robots; Smart Solutions; Akash Mohan Singhal, Aditya Shanker Raghuwanshi; Birla Institute of Technology & Science (BITS), Pilani, Rajasthan.
Smart Arm; Bio Medical & Health Care; Deepender Singla, Amit Ranjan; Thapar University.
Portable Electronic Nose for Tea Industry; Rural IT & Agriculture; Amritasu Das, Hena Roy; Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Kolkata.
Remote Operation of Electrical Gadgets Using Simple Mobile Phone; Smart Solutions Jury Special Award; Debapratim Sarkar, Saikat Das Adhikari;Techno India College of Technology.
Embedded Eyes for the Blind; Biomedical & Healthcare; Popular Choice Award; Anurag Awasthi & Avani Nandini; Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur.
Details of the Grand Prize winner: Solar Powered Crop Harvesting Robot/ T J David & Kudikala Shravan Kumar/ International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad: This invention relates to the most energy efficient, lightweight, remote-operated solar powered crop harvesting robot. The objective of this invention is to overcome drawbacks of prior arts of conventional harvesting machines. This most energy efficient crop harvesting machine requires only 500 W of electric energy stored in batteries, which can be charged by solar PV panels or by grid power with domestic current. Even the same can be operated with 500W of PV panel. The cost of harvesting one acre of land is Rs 10, if grid power (at Rs 5 per kW) is used for charging batteries, while a conventional harvester consumes worth diesel worth Rs 800.The weight of the machine is about 125 kg. It is operable both via remote and electrically, and it requires an embedded system and control to operate. The overall cost of the reaping system is Rs 50,000, and it is the only machine of its kind in this segment, at this cost. It can be adapted for cutting various crops apart from paddy and wheat by changing the cutter bar. It can provide both fodder and food grain at the same time.
It saves 80% of the harvesting cost, benefiting the farmers. The invented machine comprises of a lightweight metal chassis, having a low friction cutter bar with a dual edge cutting blade, without requiring a pressure plate to minimise energy losses. The self-balancing cutter bar remains suspended on the ground without requiring manual balancing of the machine, as compared to conventional systems. The machine can manoeuvre in all kinds of farm field terrains, whether wet or dry. It has a two wheeled drive mechanism that can revolve 360° in either direction, and has a very steep turning capability. It is a mass impact innovation /technology that will benefit farmers all over the globe. Aug 21 2011