What Should be IIT K’s Research Vision?-A Difficult Question with Simple Answer or Vice Versa

Amitabha Ghosh INSA Senior Scientist and Distinguished Professor Aerospace and Applied Mechanics Department Bengal Engineering & Science University Shibpur P.O. Botanic Garden, Howrah 711103

Simplifying the question –“ What Should be IITK’s Research Vision?”

It needs a little expansion to clear the objectivebehind the question as follows:

“What Should be IITK’s Research Vision so that the Institute Continues to Remain as theMost Attractive and Reputed Destination forBright Students and Faculty in India and ItBecomes a Leading Academic Institution in theWorld?”

Let us analyze the past 50 years’ historyof IIT Kanpur.

We all know that among the IITs IITKhas been the place with best academic reputation.

But what feature (s) made this possible? Theacademic freedom ?The structural flexibility?Carrier growth opportunities? Decentralizedinformal administration?

Perhaps all these played some part in helpingthe brightest students and faculty membersmaking a bee line to IITK in spite of so many locational disadvantages.

All the above mentioned points are importantno doubt, but those are reviled only when onejoins this place! Not before.

But I feel that the primary reason why IITKbecame the best was something else as presentednext.

It is now accepted that during the periodfrom 1960s to 2000 the world experienceda very major event, known as the ‘SecondIndustrial Revolution’ that has transformedour society in many ways.

The principal players in this were ‘Micro-electronics’ and ‘Computer Engineering’.

IIT Kanpur is the institution that playedthe centre stage role in these two areaswithin India.

Of course, it does not mean that only thedepartments of Electrical Engineering andComputer Science were involved.

Computer application and microelectronics were relevant (and important) for modernR & D in almost all areas of science andtechnology.

New areas like CFD, Robotics/Mechatronics,CAD-CAM all had a major boost from thepioneering research work at IIT Kanpur

I believe that IIT Kanpur was so attractive a place to all primarily because the Institutestarted academics in Microelectronics andComputer Science in India in a big way andIIT Kanpur played the centre stage role inbringing the 2nd Industrial Revolution to India.

First Industrial Revolution

Second Industrial Revolution

Is it possible to ensure a repeat performance?

According to most scientists and engineersa major phenomenon, termed as the ‘ThirdIndustrial Revolution’, is knocking at ourdoor.

Can IIT Kanpur again take necessary stepsso that it again plays a centre stage role inbringing this revolution to India?

Let us examine the matter and that can yieldthe answer we are looking for.

As computer science was the foundationon which the ‘Second Industrial Revolution’depended upon what will be the fundamentalprinciple for the ‘Third Industrial Revolution’?

If IIT Kanpur can take a preemptive move toorient its activities that will be closely relatedto the impending revolution we can hope tomaintain our track record for being the best.

There are enough indications that the slowlyemerging trend of close interaction among the various branches of physical, engineeringand life sciences will ultimately lay down thefoundation for the ‘Third Industrial Revolution’.

The Third IR will be based upon the principlesof Artificial Intelligence and Bio-inspired Synthetic Biology based Advanced Engineering .

In the Second Industrial Revolution theprimary engineering activity was 2 ½ Dminiaturization.

In the Third Industrial Revolution theprimary engineering activity will be 3Dminiaturization

Material manipulation for the engineering involved in the Third Industrial Revolution can be represented in the next two slides

1/Size1/Size

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Intelligent Microrobots/ Intelligent Microrobots/ Manipulating Blood CellsManipulating Blood Cells

Molecular MotorMolecular MotorMicro Machine ToolMicro Machine ToolCNC Machining CentreCNC Machining Centre

Autonomous Autonomous Humanoid RobotsHumanoid Robots

Mars Land RoverMars Land Rover

As a consequence, ‘Fabrionics’, i.e.shape, pattern and characteristicgeneration by material manipulationat the micro, nano and molecular levels, will be the key element for3D miniaturization in an economicway.

Thus we realize that in Second Industrial Revolution the manipulation was mainly for 2 1/2D miniaturization.

But the Third Industrial Revolution willrevolve around 3 D miniaturization.

The key requirement will be manufacturingeconomically miniaturized 3 D machinesand devices.

Biomimetic self assembly can be,perhaps, the only way to achievepracticable 3 D miniaturization.

Components that interact irreversibly give rise to Components that interact irreversibly give rise to disordered productsdisordered products

Components that can adjust positions once in contact Components that can adjust positions once in contact can form ordered objects if the ordered form is the can form ordered objects if the ordered form is the lowest energy configurationlowest energy configuration

Self Assembly – Molecular Level

Pattern Generation by Self Assembly

HPB

Pattern Generation by Self Pattern Generation by Self AssemblyAssembly

HPB

It is a well known fact that faculty memberswill feel encouraged if the advanced coursesthey teach are also helpful for the kind ofactivities mentioned above. For example suchcourses could be on• Molecular engineering and scaling laws• Fabrionics and self assembly based manufacturing• Bio inspired engineering and synthetic biology based systems and devices• Intelligent macromolecules and smart materials• New energy sources like ATP type biochemical energy • Self learning and self correction• Self replication

One of the very important matter that hasto be addressed for the academics to createthe foundations of the 3rd IR is merger of thescience, engineering and life science areas.

In this aspect IIT Kanpur is way ahead of other institutes of higher learning in India.From the very inception the Institute’s academicactivities have not recognized the usually foundboundaries between science and engineering.

This makes IITK as the most suited place forinitiating the next Industrial Revolution.

Following the nature of evolutionthrough which the traditional engineering curricula have developeda dependable guess may be possible.

Very little difference will exist betweenthe science and engineering in thefuture except some aspects of theirbasic goals.

SCIENCE

?

The basic feature is ‘analysis’ using the capability to observeand understand

ENGINEERING

The basic feature ischaracterized by ‘synthesis’using the capability tomanipulate

Civil Engineering

Mechanics Thermodynamics

Military / Mechanical EngineeringElectricity & Magnetism

Materials Technology

MechanicalEngineering

ElectricalEngineering

Chemistry

Chemical Engineering

Modern PhysicsQuantum Mechanics

MechanicalEngineering

AerospaceEngineering

ElectricalEngineering

Electronics

Biotechnology

Life Science

ComputerEngineering

Math

Extending the presently observedtrends the evolved science and engineering curricula in the nearfuture can be guessed as shown next.

Traditional Engineering Subjects

Mathematicsand Computationfor ExtensiveSimulation & Modeling

Physics

Chemistry

LifeScience

Science and Engineering Curricula of the New Era

The major activities in scientificand engineering disciplines canbe diagrammatically representedas in the next slide.

Miniaturization Massive parallelism

Embedded Biochemical Energy Source And Control Electronics

Bottom up Fabrication And Self Assembly Based MassManufacturimg

Futuristic Systems and Devices

SMART

MATERIALS

When will this manipulativecapability be achieved??

It is a million dollar question;but it is expected that oncethe bottom up techniquesreach a matured state, 3 Dminiaturization in an economicmanner will be possible

The important foundational areascan be schematically represented as shown in the next slide

Life Science

Math &Comp Sc

Physics Chemistry

ThermodynamicsMechanics

Electromagnetism

Material Science

Synthesis, Simulation & Modeling, Design

Fabrionics

Scaling Laws

IIT Kanpur needs to innovate an appropriateacademic system that will regroup the facultyand students so as to produce maximumimpact in the areas of science and technologymentioned above.

This will ensure that the Institute remains asthe best destination for research and studiesin the country. Furthermore if the Institutecan make some early breakthroughs it can become one of the best in the world.

Thank You