NIT Rourkela Showcases People-Centric Innovations at IInvenTiv 2026.
National Institute of Technology Rourkela (NIT Rourkela) showcased its strong innovation and research capabilities at IInvenTiv 2026, a flagship annual R&D fair organised by the Ministry of Education, Government of India, to showcase indigenous innovations and strengthen the research-to-technology ecosystem. The event hosted at IIT(ISM) Dhanbad brought together leading IITs, NITs, and premier institutions from across the country to showcase cutting-edge research, industry-ready technologies, and innovative solutions developed by students, researchers, and faculty.
Participating in IInvenTiv 2026, NIT Rourkela teams presented Three Innovative Technologies across diverse thematic areas, reflecting its interdisciplinary research strengths.
1.} Under the thematic area of 'Artificial Intelligence', titled "AI-Powered Assistive Robotic System for Children with Autism” was showcased by Prof. Anup Nandy (Department of Computer Science & Engineering). The innovation is an intelligent assistive robot, named CARAT (Caregiver Autism Robot with AI-based Technology), designed to support children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). CARAT observes and interprets the child’s movements and responds with coordinated actions to learn social and behavioural skills through simple gestures and interactive responses. CARAT is designed for use in therapy centres, classrooms, and homes. The invention is protected under an Indian patent.
2.} Under the thematic area of 'Materials Science', the represented project titled “Conductive Creations: 3D Printable Conducting Materials for Electrochemical Applications” was showcased. These are special, custom-made conducting materials that can be coated, written or 3D printed to make circuits, sensors and electronic parts, making the production faster, cheaper and indigenous. For its strong commercialisation potential, this research has already led to a startup named Conductive Creations Pvt. Ltd., supported by DST NIDHI Prayas and incubated in FTBI-NIT Rourkela. The project team comprises Prof. Adhidesh S. Kumawat and Mr. Singuru Rajesh (PhD Scholar) from the Department of Chemical Engineering, along with Dr Disha Verma (Co-Founder – Conductive Creations Pvt. Ltd.).
3.} Under the thematic area of 'Artificial Intelligence', a novel approach titled “So-Connect: Recommending Layer-Wise Connections in Social Networks Using SNN-DBSCAN,” was presented by Prof. Panthadeep Bhattacharjee (Department of Computer Science & Engineering). This innovation proposes an approach for predicting social network connections based on user interests rather than just network topology. It focuses on improving how people are connected in social media platforms over conventional approaches like “friends of friends”, "geo-tags" etc. Instead, it analyses users’ interests and engagement patterns across areas such as education, sports, lifestyle, and more to suggest more meaningful connections. By grouping users based on shared preferences, the system recommends people who are more likely to interact and engage with each other in a layered manner. This makes online networking more relevant, personalised, and useful for building genuine connections.
The participation received a good response from visitors and experts at the exhibition held on April 6–7, 2026. Through its strong presence at the event, NIT Rourkela demonstrated its leadership in innovation, research translation, and contribution to India’s growing technology ecosystem.
