Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar’s Curiosity Lab is hosting an online camp for school students of classes 8 to 12 besides teachers, parents, and scholars of education to inspire, encourage exploration and build curiosity. 

IIT Gandhinagar’s Curiosity Lab to host Camp Inspire for School Children

Kanpur: Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur on Tuesday announced the development of a bio-inspired artificial muscle for next-generation space robots and medical prostheses.Encouraged by the industry demand and growth in the field of miniature, light weight, non-magnetic gear-free actuators, shape memory alloy (SMA) based actuators have emerged with an excellent power-to-weight ratio as a suitable alternative to the conventional actuators.However, existing SMA actuators have limited scope in terms of higher force or torque output due to the relatively simple architecture of the actuation mechanism. To address this limitation, the team from Smart Materials, Structures and Systems (SMSS) Lab at IIT Kanpur expanded the design space of the SMA actuator by leveraging the characteristics of bi-pennate muscle architecture with about 70 per cent enhanced muscle force output per unit weight.This will result in the creation of a new class of space robots which will reinforce Indian space technology, the team wrote in the paper published in Nature Scientific Reports."This invention will not only result in the development of next-gen space robots and medical prostheses, but will also help aviation and some other industries. In a way, it will help make multiple sectors self-reliant and more advanced in the long run," said Prof. Abhay Karandikar, Director at IIT Kanpur in a statement.The primary goal of an actuator is to generate mechanical output, such as force and displacement, by transforming electrical energy. SMAs are a class of smart materials that can restore their shape after being exposed to high temperatures.The interesting property of the customisable multi-stage hierarchy of the SMA-based bio-inspired muscle design will also encourage researchers in the domain of bio-mechatronics to develop adaptive robotic prostheses for bio-medical application in the country. This will significantly reduce (one third of the current cost) the cost of bio-medical devices and increase the affordability of high performance systems like MRI scanner, CT scanner and surgical robots. The technology will also enable development of patient rooms with low maintenance and quieter operation. —IANS

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur on Tuesday announced the development of a bio-inspired artificial muscle for next-generation space robots and medical prostheses.

IIT Kanpur Team Develops Bio-Inspired Artificial Muscle For Space Robots

Mumbai: Scams - big or small - have always been a part of the society. While earlier there were thugs duping people, with the advancement of technology, the scams have diversified into online scams of varied nature of which phishing scams are prime.
The soon-to-be-released second season of the popular webseries 'Jamtara' tells the story and modus operandi of such scams, the people involved and how it affects the life of everyone, who are part of it.
IANS recently spoke with the show's creators -- Trishant Srivastava (writer) and Soumendra Padhi (director) -- about the nature of these scams, the upcoming season of the show and their findings while they were piecing together the information to tell a compelling story.
One would wonder about the people behind such scams being 12 to 15-year-old school dropouts. As per the 2011 Census, the city of Jamtara in Jharkhand had an average literacy rate of 63.73 per cent, lower than the national average of 74.4 per cent.
In such a scenario, crime becomes the prime outlet to make money and Jamtara is no different as Trishant says, "The boys, who operate from Jamtara, don't have any training for these scams. For them it's just trial and error. They just learnt it from somewhere and got better at it."
The cash flows have swollen to the point where the scammers forget where they buried the money.
"A lot of times these boys forget where they have buried the money so there have been instances where bags full of cash have been recovered after the scammers forgot to take their share," Soumendra, the show director, adds.
But, like other crimes, phishing has its own set of challenges when it comes to countering them.
"The thing with these scams is that the person itself is willing to fall into it as they expect so much more to come out of it. These are not very serious like other crimes, like a murder. These scammers find themselves in a tricky spot," Trishant tells IANS.
As the internet continues to boom, there are dark alleys of fin-tech scams which benefit from the rise of the internet.
Soumendra adds an important point, "This crime is now getting organised much like the underworld."
Imagine coupling the phishing and organised crime, the picture looks dreary as there are lots of possibilities for the scammers, the worst can be asking ‘protection money' from the ones at the receiving end of phishing or sextortion where scammers get remote access to your device and blackmail you over explicit content.
The scams are in their nascent stage and are "dynamic in nature", as Trishant mentions, "A lot of people are still falling for the scam because this crime keeps on evolving. The earlier modus operandi also kicks in action sometimes. The new modus operandi and the old ones co-exist."
While Season 1 focused on OTP scams, the upcoming season of 'Jamtara' will diversify into a lot many scams just like the nature of this crime. Soumendra mentions, "For the second season, the one word that we had as a theme was ‘revenge'."
"The stakes will be much higher for all the characters involved and the narrative will push the characters to the edge. Things will get more serious and risky in the second season," he adds.
But, where do the scammers get their data from? Trishant has an answer: "These guys get their data from the bank grievance redressal fora where bank customers leave their numbers."
"Most of the time, these guys don't even know whom they're talking to. They can be scamming a celebrity on the other side without even knowing about that person," Soumendra adds.
What's worrisome is that in a hyperconnected world, these scams have now spread out to the entire country although Jamtara remains the scam capital of India.
The 4G penetration and demonetisation have given boost to these scams, courtesy the rising popularity of digital payments and e-wallets, and scammers are doing everything in their capacity to exploit digital payments. They're now extending their network. Since the OTPs were failing, they were forced to come up with new ways.
"During our research, we found a guy from Maharashtra and a guy from Kerala in Jamtara trying to get a hang of these scams," says Trishant, as he gives an idea of what's about to befall on the people at large.
Soumendra adds a darker hue to Trishant's comments, saying, "There's a reason behind Jamtara being the scam capital of India. There's a place in Jamtara called Karmatand, where only 5,000 people live, but it had its first cyber police station before a normal police station. There are more than 40 mobile shops and huge towers, 'network bahut accha aata hai wahan pe' (the telecom network there is unparalleled)."
"I have seen homes in that place where they open their doors with a remote. They have got houses bigger than Amitabh Bachchan's Jalsa. Earlier, there used to be mud houses, which have now been converted into palatial residents, the real estate prices have shot up!" Soumendra says as he draws a parallel between Jamtara and the millennium city of Gurugram.
The only difference is that Gurugram owes its rapid development to the government and administrative actions, and the rush of global corporates to set up shops there, but the money in Jamtara owes its origin to the dark world of cyber crime.
"There, entire families are in the business of conning. In addition to boys of 12-15 years, females have also entered this business. The situation is becoming very complex and we are not prepared to counter a scam of this scale," the director adds.
Season 2 of the show will see new entrants in addition to the existing set of characters.
"A lot more players have come in for Season 2. The story demanded the introduction of new characters and we designed the overarching narrative and character set-up accordingly," Soumendra points out.
Another major factor forming the backbone of Season 2 will be how phishing money drives elections, a phenomenon which is part fact and part fiction.
As Soumendra puts it, "It came up during our research that in the 2019 general elections, the phishing money played a definitive role."
Trishant lauds his actor Amit Sial, who never fails to impress the audience, sating, "Amit brings so much more to the character of Brijesh Bhaan than what's written on paper. He himself adds such small nuances that the character really comes alive. It's his acting prowess that despite being the sort of an antagonist, you still root for Brijesh Bhaan."
The season 2 of ‘Jamtara - Sabka Number Ayega' will stream exclusively on Netflix from September 23.&nbsp;&nbsp;
—IANS

Scams - big or small - have always been a part of the society. While earlier there were thugs duping people, with the advancement of technology, the scams have diversified into online scams of varied nature of which phishing scams are prime.

 Life inspires fiction: 'Jamtara' showrunners recount experiences in scam capital

New Delhi (The Hawk): Union Minister of State (IC) Ministry of Science and Technology; Minister of State (IC) Ministry of Earth Science; MoS of Prime Minister's Office and Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances &amp; Pensions Dr Jitendra Singh today presented INSPIRE awards to 60 Start-Ups and financial support to 53,021 students. The award is instituted by the Department of Science &amp; Technology (DST), Govt of India, and these innovators will be extended complete incubation support for their entrepreneurship journey.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, during the year 2020-21, while the country like rest of the world was battling with the severe impact of COVID-19, the annual INSPIRE Awards – MANAK (Million Minds Augmenting National Aspiration and Knowledge) competition attracted an unprecedented 6.53 Lakh ideas and innovations from all States and UTs of the country. He said, the scheme touched an unparalleled level of inclusivity by representing ideas and innovations of 702 districts of the country (96%) including 123 out of 124 aspirational districts, 51% representation from girls, 84% participation from schools located in rural areas of the country and 71% of the schools run by the State / UT Governments.
Dr Jitendra Singh informed that out of 6.53 lakhs, a total of 53,021 students were identified for financial support of Rs 10,000 each so that they could develop prototypes of the ideas which they submitted for the scheme. As a next step, they competed at respective District Level Exhibition and Project Competition (DLEPC’s) and State Level Exhibition and Project Competition (SLEPC’s) and now a total of 556 students have made their way to 9th National Level Exhibition and Project Competition (NLEPC).
Dr Jitendra Singh said, these 556 students who will be part of NLEPC, are the country's most promising Scientists, Researchers, Scholars and an overall group of S&amp;T talent in the making. He said, their innovations have a societal focus which gives India an opportunity to solve the problems by application of S&amp;T. The Minister informed that dedicated mentoring workshops are organized at the top Technological Institutes of our country like the IIT’s, BITS, NIT’s etc for these students, which will not only raise their exposure level to the latest trends in Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) but also coach them to make right decisions for their innovative technologies and gain an insight into what is going to help their innovation most.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, every year, from all recognized eligible schools, amongst the school students of 10-15 years of age, studying in class VIth to Xth, a million ideas are aimed to be scouted and a lakh to be identified for further value addition and an opportunity to compete and move ahead on account of their inherent merit in their incubation trajectories.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, the awards jointly implemented by Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India and the National Innovation Foundation (NIF) – India is a flagship scheme of the Government of India for nurturing the ideas and innovations of school students and motivate them to pursue Science and a career in Research. The scheme aims to help build a critical human resource pool for strengthening, expanding the science and technology system and increase the research &amp; development base on the same, the Minister added.
Secretary, DST Dr S. Chandrasekhar said, to ascertain their value proposition and to mentor students at each stage, a series of District Level Exhibition and Project Competition (DLEPC) for each District in the country, followed by a series of State Level Exhibition and Project Competition (SLEPC) for each State / UT are organized. Students get an opportunity to present their innovations, articulate the merit of their ideas and thoughts, build confidence, gain knowledge of Science and Technology like never before and finally, about a thousand students are aimed to be invited annually to participate in the NLEPC (National Level Exhibition and Project Competition). As an outcome of NLEPC, a total of 60 innovative ideas and innovations are desired to be identified, recognized and rewarded which will be extended a complete incubation support so that their entrepreneurship journey could also begin.

 Union Minister of State (IC) Ministry of Science and Technology; Minister of State (IC) Ministry of Earth Science; MoS of Prime Minister's Office and Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions Dr Jitendra Singh today presented INSPIRE awards to 60 Start-Ups and financial support to 53,021 students. 

Dr Jitendra Presents INSPIRE Awards To 60 Start-Ups And Financial Support To 53,021 Students

Doha, Qatar (The Hawk): On Sunday at Lusail Stadium, Argentina overcame a few tense moments to defeat France in a dramatic 4-2 penalty shootout, fulfilling Lionel Messi's lifelong dream of winning the FIFA World Cup.
Both sides were tied at two goals each at the completion of regulation play, and they each added a goal in extra time to make it three goals each, forcing the final match into a penalty shootout.
Kylan Mbappe scored the first goal for France in the tie-breaker, but after that, the French players were unable to defeat Martinez in the Argentinian goal, with one kick being saved by the keeper and one being off-target.
Kolo Mani scored for France, but it wasn't enough because their competitors made all four kicks.
Messi opened the scoring for Argentina, and then his three teammates did the same, giving their captain the ideal send-off gift. The 35-year-old has declared that the World Cup in Qatar will be his final.
Messi and Mbappe were the main topics of conversation leading up to the game because of their significant roles in the final, and they did not dissapoint. Mbappe scored a hat trick while Messi scored twice.
The roughly 90,000 spectators were kept on their toes by six goals, three penalties, and a lot of drama in extra time, which forced a penalty shootout.
Messi gave Argentina the lead for the second time in the game with a goal in the 109th minute, but Mbappe tied the score with his third and second penalty kick in the 118th minute to make it three all.
The defending champion's game included two distinct facets in the championship match. They were essentially passengers in the first half until roaring back late in the second half to match their opponents.
Both teams started the scoring from the penalty spot, and the important players for each squad made no mistakes in slamming the ball home from a distance of 12 yards.
Messi gave Argentina the lead in the 23rd minute, and Angel Di Maria scored a second to make the score 2 -0 at the break.
The Les Blues rallied to tie the score and added a second goal, both of which were scored by Mbappe in the 80th and 88th minutes.
Argentina were not the same team against the Asian side despite playing in the same stadium where they started their tournament campaign and shockingly lost 2-1 to Saudi Arabia.
The Argentinians were all over France's defence after playing six matches and developing communication and fluency with one another.
The fact that thousands of their fans were yelling, singing, and beating drums to motivate their players gave Argentina an additional advantage.
Argentina made a strong start and sent a few attempts directly at goalkeeper Hugo Lloris. In the first half, France only managed one shot on goal at the other end.
With Antoine Griezmann not playing the crucial role in the midfield for the French team, Argentina had made sure to shut off the supply line to Mbappe in the first half.
On the other hand, Argentina made good use of Angel Di Maria on the left flank. Messi frequently squared the ball or floated it to send some probing crosses deep inside the French defence.
Attended by 89,966 viewers Through the successful conversion of a spot kick, Argentina took the lead. When Di Maria was hauled down within the box, the Polish referee pointed to the location.
To make it 1-0, Messi, who stepped up to take the penalty, sent Lloris the wrong way.
Argentina added a second goal, which was initiated by Messi on the right after a few passes found him there again. The mercurial left-footed magician then skillfully released Di Maria to make it 2-0 for Argentina.
Close to halftime, French coach Didier Deschamps made two substitutions in an effort to turn the tide after falling down by two goals.
Despite Argentina's continuing dominance, Lloris stopped a few chances that were headed for the net, preventing them from adding a third to end the game.
The first of Mhappe's two goals sparked the action.
He scored twice from the penalty spot, making it 2-2 after the first conversion.
When France requested a second penalty kick, the referee instead issued the French striker a yellow card, adding to the tension on both sides of the field.
In injury time of the second half, Lloris was had to make a spectacular stop to deflect Messi's graceful drive for a corner kick.
Argentina stopped a couple dangerous efforts to force extra time by stopping more goalmouth action at both ends.
Argentina and France did not play as well in the extra period, engaging in numerous sloppy tackles that required the Polish referee to repeatedly maintain control of the situation.
Messi was denied by Lloris in the second period of extra time after he unexpectedly created an opportunity.
But it did not take long for Argentina to score after the French goalkeeper had first blocked a shot; in the 109th minute of the game, Lloris' defence gave way.
(Inputs from Agencies)

On Sunday at Lusail Stadium, Argentina overcame a few tense moments to defeat France in a dramatic 4-2 penalty shootout, fulfilling Lionel Messi's lifelong dream of winning the FIFA World Cup. Both sides were tied at two goals each at the completion of regulation play, and they each added a goal in extra time to make it three goals each, forcing the final match into a penalty shootout.

FIFA World Cup: Messi shines as Argentina won their third title by defeating Mbappe-inspired France

soumitra bose
Miriya, the (true, veritable, majestic) inspirer of 2022 and beyond, her colleagues assert emphatically with stress on her ability to "sway the masses 'naturally, automatically' like the Pied Piper then as was visible during her inaugural walking with the Bharat Joro walkers". Her mother Priyanka Gandhi too walked during the same time but she maintained considerable distance from Miriya letting her be "independent, freewheeling, natural, show off-free, superciliousness-free" keeping "tomorrow" in focus, rationally analyse their co-walkers. They point out, Miriya was "just another walker like them joyfully waving her left hand to the huge crowds in Rajasthan". Interestingly, many "youngsters, not-so-youngsters, past-youngsters" also mighty excitedly "marched" with Miriya evincing the latter indef is "kal ka Bharat Joro symbol personified now itself". Naturally "they" are right that Miriya is an inspirer + needs to be watched closely.
—The Hawk

Miriya, the (true, veritable, majestic) inspirer of 2022 and beyond, her colleagues assert emphatically with stress on her ability to "sway the masses 'naturally, automatically' like the Pied Piper then as was visible during her inaugural walking with the Bharat Joro walkers". 

Miriya, The Inspirer

Los Angeles [US]: A new teaser-trailer of filmmaker Eli Roth's horror film 'Bloody Thanksgiving' has been unveiled. 'Bloody Thanksgiving' follows a mysterious killer who terrorizes Plymouth, Massachusetts, after a Black Friday riot ends in tragedy.
The cast includes TikTok star Rae, Dempsey, Milo Manheim, Nell Verlaque, Jalen Thomas Brooks, Dempsey, Rick Hoffman, Gina Gershon, Chris Sandiford, Tim Dillon and Tomaso Sanelli round out the cast of the slasher. Rae's feature in 'Thanksgiving' comes after she recently debuted her "2 Die 4" single which features pop artist Charli XCX. The makers on Wednesday dropped the teaser-trailer of the film which has definitely left fans excited. Take a look
Sharing the link, Sony Pictures wrote, "Will you survive the holidays? Watch the new trailer for #BloodyThanksgivingMovie and see it exclusively in cinemas on November 17."
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cx-0JFIyB-q/" target="_self">https://www.instagram.com/p/Cx-0JFIyB-q/</a>&nbsp;
Reacting to it, a social media user commented, "It looks interesting." "Wow...can't wait," another one wrote. "After a Black Friday riot ends in tragedy, a mysterious Thanksgiving-inspired killer terrorizes Plymouth, Massachusetts - the birthplace of the infamous holiday," the film's logline read -- as per Variety. 'Thanksgiving" was co-written by Roth and Jeff Rendell. Roth, too, joins as a producer alongside Roger Birnbaum. In the first trailer, we see a woman being marinated like a supermarket turkey, her toes housing rosemary aromatics and thick crystals of sea salt.
—ANI

A new teaser-trailer of filmmaker Eli Roth's horror film 'Bloody Thanksgiving' has been unveiled.

Take a look at teaser-trailer of Eli Roth's horror film 'Bloody Thanksgiving'

Mumbai: Renowned actor Shah Rukh Khan recently unveiled the trailer for his latest production, 'Bhakshak,' which stars Bhumi Pednekar in the lead role. Taking to Instagram SRK shared the captivating trailer. Described it as "A story of resilience that deserves to be heard. #Bhakshak, a film inspired by events will be released on 9th February exclusively on Netflix!"  The movie showcases Bhumi Pednekars performance as Vaishali Singh, a determined journalist driven by the mission to expose a heinous crime. Based on real life incidents 'Bhakshak' promises to captivate audiences with its gripping narrative of courage and pursuit of justice.  Directed by Pulkit and produced by Gauri Khan and Gaurav Verma 'Bhakshak' boasts an ensemble cast including Sanjay Mishra, Aditya Srivastava, Sai Tamhankar and Bhumi Pednekar.
 <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C2wTPxNP6ow/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_self">https://www.instagram.com/reel/C2wTPxNP6ow/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading</a>&nbsp;
 Director Pulkit expressed his personal connection to the story and how fulfilling it was for him to shape the journey of an investigative journalist. He also expressed his aspiration for the film to reach an audience as it makes its mark on Netflix across 190 countries.  Bhumi Pednekar shared her thoughts on the film emphasizing her attraction, towards narratives in her acting career. She spoke about 'Bhakshak' as being one of the important movies in her career expressing gratitude for scripts and characters that have the courage to tell impactful stories. Bhumi is dedicated to selecting roles that challenge stereotypes. Promote discussions for meaningful change.  Apart from 'Bhakshak' Bhumi Pednekar has an untitled film, alongside Arjun Kapoor and Rakul Preet Singh. The actress is excitedly looking forward to sharing this project, which she has poured her heart into with audiences.

Shah Rukh Khan unveils 'Bhakshak' trailer starring Bhumi Pednekar. A tale of resilience and justice, inspired by true events. Streaming on Netflix from 9th February.

Shah Rukh Khan Reveals Trailer for Bhumi Pednekar's 'Bhakshak' Film

Mumbai: The teaser for the much-anticipated action film 'Vedaa' is out now. The teaser provides a glimpse into a world of bravery and struggle, accompanied by high-octane action scenes and jaw-dropping feats recorded on a huge scale.
It provides an insight into the intense confrontation between John Abraham and Abhishek Banerjee. Other than the two, Sharvari Wagh also shines and offers an exhilarating cinematic experience. 'Vedaa' follows the journey of a young woman (played by Sharvari Wagh) who faces and resists a repressive system against Abhishek Banerjee's portrayal of an elusive antagonist. With the help of her saviour (John), this unusual ally becomes her weapon in the struggle for justice. John Abraham took to his Instagram handle to share the teaser of the action thriller film. He wrote in the caption, "Jhagadna nahi aata mujhe, sirf jung ladni aati hai! #VedaaTeaserOutNow. (Link in bio) Releasing in cinemas on 12th July. @sharvari @nowitsabhi @tamannaahspeaks @nikkhiladvani @onlyemmay @madhubhojwani @shariq_patel @minnakshidas @aseemarrora @zeestudiosofficial @emmayentertainment @johnabrahament @zeemusiccompany @zeecinema"
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C4rs1BxoKsP/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_self">https://www.instagram.com/reel/C4rs1BxoKsP/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading</a>&nbsp;
Helmed by Nikkhil Advani, the film also stars Tamannah Bhatia in lead roles. Director Nikkhil Advani earlier said in a statement, "Vedaa is not just a film. It's inspired from real events and is a reflection of our society and pushes the boundaries of reality. Working with John, Sharvari and Abhishek Banerjee has been an incredible experience and I'm glad to finally announce the release date and fingers crossed the audiences gets moved the way we all did when we first heard the story of Vedaa."  Madhu Bhojwani, producer, Emmay Entertainment said in a statement, "We are delighted to announce the release date for our film. Vedaa is an inspiring tale based on true events with engaging performances and high-octane action and drama, perfect for a big screen experience."Written by Aseem Arora, Vedaa is produced by Zee Studios, Emmay Entertainment and JA Entertainment. 'Vedaa' is set to hit the theatres on July 12 this year.
—ANI

Explore 'Vedaa'—an action-packed journey of resistance, starring John Abraham and Sharvari Wagh. A cinematic marvel hitting screens on July 12.

The Hawk

Tag : INSPIRE

IIT Gandhinagar’s Curiosity Lab to host Camp Inspire for School Children

Preeti

Tag : INSPIRE

IIT Gandhinagar’s Curiosity Lab to host Camp Inspire for School Children

Preeti

More about INSPIRE