IT sector chases artificial intelligence, Internet of Things to stay relevant

Hundreds of startups, technology companies display products at BengaluruITE.Biz 2016

November 28, 2016 10:08 pm | Updated 10:08 pm IST - BENGALURU:

A visitor enjoys 3D effect with virtual reality, at BengaluruITE.BIZ-2016 in Palace Grounds, Bengaluru, on Monday.

A visitor enjoys 3D effect with virtual reality, at BengaluruITE.BIZ-2016 in Palace Grounds, Bengaluru, on Monday.

Smartwatches that track the health of patients and send out an alarm if they fall down, anti-loss alarm chip, and apps that convert mobile phones into a television remote were just some of the innovative technologies on display at BengaluruITE.Biz 2016, a flagship event of Karnataka government.

Hundreds of startups and technology companies pitched their products and services to an audience of top business executives, government officials, and investors at the event held in Palace Grounds here.

Industry stalwarts said they had come together on a single platform because information technology was changing significantly and they needed to equip themselves with future technologies to stay relevant.

Kris Gopalakrishnan, co-founder of Infosys, India’s second-largest software exporter, said these significant changes are creating new opportunities such as autonomous vehicles and telemedicine. “We require new tools and techniques to create and manage new knowledge,” said Mr. Gopalakrishnan. “With demonetisation, everybody is talking about mobile banking and point of sale devices for retail.”

Bhaskar Ghosh, group chief executive of Accenture Technology Services, said the whole technology landscape is changing. He said that there is a need to learn new technologies such as artificial intelligence and Internet of Things — a technology where devices communicate with each other intelligently — so that India has a leadership in the IT industry in future as well.

“The mantra which has given us success, the success of Indian IT industry for the last 20 years may not work in the next 10 years,” said Mr. Ghosh. “We need to learn and define new so that we stay relevant.”

Taking note of the concerns of the industry, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said the State intends to support setting up of technology incubators in areas such as Internet of Things, robotics, 3D printing, and medical devices. The government has also approved a proposal to set up six common instrumentation centres across Karnataka. These centres will provide an opportunity for electronic hardware startups and small enterprises to have access to instrumentation facilities to fine-tune their products.

“By nurturing innovation, the State intends to create a Tsunami of beneficial impact from its initiatives,” said Mr. Siddaramaiah. He said the government is also planning to set up centres of excellence in aerospace, cyber security and big data.

The Chief Minister said the government is partnering with the industry and the academia from within and outside the country. For instance, at the event, the Karnataka government signed a memorandum of understanding with Hague, a city in Netherlands, for collaboration in technology for elderly care, genetics research, startups, and cyber security.

Wi-Fi in 11 GPs

He also launched an initiative by Karnataka State Electronics Development Corporation Ltd. to provide Wi-Fi connectivity to 11 gram panchayats in the State.

Minister for Large and Medium Scale Industries R.V. Deshpande urged the tech industry to invest in the tier-2 cities and replicate the IT ecosystem of Bengaluru in these places.

He said Mysuru, Mangaluru, Hubballi, Dharwad, Belagavi, and Kalaburagi also have skilled manpower and other necessary infrastructure.

Startups that drew attention

1. Uber Diagnostics: Has developed a smartphone-sized electrocardiogram (ECG) machine that gives physicians all details needed to make a diagnosis.

The ECG captured in a rural area can be instantaneously transferred to a cardiologist far away for interpretation.

2. LabInApp: Has designed a 3D, interactive virtual laboratory tool that allows teachers and students to perform experiments on computers or mobile.

3. Sensy: An app that converts a mobile phone into a TV remote. It also shows the TV guide and channel information on the screen enabling users to quickly switch to their channel of choice.

4. EasyM2M: The startup has developed a smartwatch called ‘SmartKavach’ that can monitor the health and safety of elderly people and send alerts to their family and doctors during an emergency.

5. BMS Innolabs Software: Has built a device for women’s safety, which can be used to trigger alarms and send signals to pre-identified phone numbers. It has also built similar gadgets that can be implemented in bikes and cars to track them.

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