iNexus STEM Research Pvt ltd Story

Dr. B. Suresh Kumar is a professor and head of the mechanical engineering department at K. Ramakrishnan College of Technology. He has a unique blend of experience in academia and industry. Dr. Kumar is a multifaceted individual with expertise in various fields:

• Academic Leadership: Steering Committee coordinator for K Ramakrishnan College (NAAC A+ Grade) and Mechanical Engineering Board Chairman for curriculum development.

• Research Grant Procurement: Secured funding for student programs through CSIR, AICTE, and TNSCST (ICAR-IISWC Collaborative Research).

• Innovation and Patenting: Granted 16 patents, published 6, and filed 1 (official Indian Patent Office Journals).

• Knowledge Sharing: Authored/co-authored around 50 professional journals, Guest Editor for international journals, and a Yoga for Human Excellence teacher.

• Industry Experience:

  • Supplier Chain Management: Extensive experience in managing supplier chains at Harihar Alloy Castings Pvt. Ltd.

  • Product Development: Led the development of valve stems and warm shafts for Franklin Valves USA, Gulf Coast Valves, and Baker Valves through reverse engineering. This involved:

    • Analyzing competitor products to understand design and functionality.

    • Identifying suitable materials and manufacturing processes.

    • Optimizing designs for cost and performance.

    • Collaborating with suppliers to ensure quality and timely delivery.

• Collaborative Research: Source person for joint projects with ICAR-NRCB (completed 5 projects) and an expert member in their project selection committee.

Design Thinking Stories:

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Story 1: Revolutionizing Banana Cultivation Through Automation

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Challenge: Banana cultivation faces challenges like labor shortage, inefficient irrigation, and disease management.

Design Thinking Process:

1. Empathize: Dr. Kumar collaborates with ICAR-NRCB researchers to understand the challenges faced by banana farmers.

2. Define: The team defines the need for automated solutions to address labor shortages, optimize irrigation, and enable early disease detection.

3. Ideate: Brainstorming sessions generate ideas for automated irrigation systems, AI-powered disease detection software, and robotic harvesting solutions.

4. Prototype: The team develops a scaled-down prototype of an automated irrigation system using low-cost sensors and microcontrollers.

5. Test: The prototype is tested in a controlled environment and refined based on data collected.

Outcome: The project demonstrates the feasibility of automated solutions in banana cultivation. Dr. Kumar secures funding for further development and pilot testing in farms.

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Story 2: Democratizing Mechanical Engineering Education

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Challenge: Limited access to quality mechanical engineering education, particularly in remote areas.

Design Thinking Process:

1. Empathize: Dr. Kumar interacts with students from diverse backgrounds to understand their learning needs and access to resources.

2. Define: The need for a user-friendly, accessible platform for delivering mechanical engineering education is identified.

3. Ideate: The team explores various online learning platforms, gamification elements, and the potential for vernacular language integration.

4. Prototype: A pilot version of the "Mechanical Digital Drive" YouTube channel is launched, offering free video tutorials on core mechanical engineering concepts.

5. Test: The channel receives positive feedback from students. Data on engagement and learning outcomes is analyzed.

Outcome: The "Mechanical Digital Drive" channel expands its content library and establishes itself as a valuable resource for students worldwide. Dr. Kumar explores partnerships to translate content and ensure wider accessibility.

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Story 3: Optimizing Valve Production Through Reverse Engineering

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Challenge: Harihar Alloy Castings, a supplier to major valve manufacturers, faced challenges in meeting tight deadlines and cost constraints for complex valve components.

Design Thinking Process:

1. Empathize: Dr. Kumar, leading the product development team at Harihar Alloy Castings, interacted with engineers and production personnel to understand the challenges in manufacturing valve stems and warm shafts.

2. Define: The team identified the need for a more efficient approach to develop these components while maintaining quality and cost targets.

3. Ideate: Brainstorming sessions explored reverse engineering existing products from leading valve manufacturers like Franklin Valves USA, Gulf Coast Valves, and Baker Valves.

4. Prototype: The team reverse engineered a sample valve stem, analyzing its design, materials, and manufacturing processes. They then created a prototype using this knowledge.

5. Test: The prototype was rigorously tested for functionality, durability, and cost-effectiveness.

Outcome: Through reverse engineering, Dr. Kumar's team developed high-quality valve stems and warm shafts at a competitive cost, enabling Harihar Alloy Castings to meet client demands efficiently. This success story highlights Dr. Kumar's ability to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical applications.

These stories showcase Dr. Kumar's multifaceted expertise. He leverages design thinking for innovative solutions in both academic and agricultural domains, while his industry experience in supplier chain management and product development strengthens the connection between theory and real-world applications. Dr. Kumar's profile on iNexus STEM Research will inspire young minds and demonstrate the transformative power of STEM education across diverse fields.

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Story 4:  Dr. B. Suresh Kumar and Dr. T. Avudaiappan: Rejuvenating Watersheds for Agricultural Resilience (REWARD) Project

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Great news! Drs. B. Suresh Kumar and T. Avudaiappan are excited to announce their collaboration on a new research project funded by the World Bank! This project, titled "Rejuvenating Watersheds for Agricultural Resilience through innovative Development (REWARD)," has been awarded a grant of Rs. 7.8 crores.

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Building on a Successful Collaboration

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This project follows Dr. Kumar's productive visit to your Centre in December 2023. The presentations, discussions, interactions, and field visits during that time proved highly valuable. Based on these experiences, Drs. Kumar and Avudaiappan jointly developed research proposals that impressed the selection committee.

Research Focus: Smart Irrigation and Watershed Management

The REWARD project focuses on utilizing sensor-based IoT (Internet of Things) technologies and machine learning to advance our understanding of smart irrigation and watershed management. The ten research proposals funded under this project encompass a wide range of areas:

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1. Sensor-Based Soil Monitoring: Estimating soil moisture and temperature for efficient irrigation.

2. Runoff Water Estimation: Utilizing sensors and IoT devices to quantify runoff water in small streams.

3. Automatic Water Level Recording: Developing an automated system to monitor water levels in open wells and pan evaporation.

4. Soil Sediment Level Estimation: Employing sensor-based IoT to estimate soil sediment levels in runoff water.

5. Evapotranspiration Detection: Using sensors to automatically detect evapotranspiration across different canopies on a watershed basis.

6. Machine Learning for Forecasting: Leveraging machine learning to forecast soil moisture, cropping patterns, crop stages, and the status of water conservation structures like ponds and check dams.

7. Trench cum Bund Planning: Utilizing technology to optimize rainwater harvesting and infiltration through strategic trench and bund placement.

8. Water Discharge Monitoring: Utilizing sensor-based IoT to monitor water discharge in streams of various orders (first to fourth).

9. Agricultural Field Identification: Identifying agricultural fields using satellite imagery, spectral signatures, and machine learning.

10. Machine Learning for Forecasting: Developing machine learning models to forecast soil sediment and water discharge.

Commitment to Success

Drs. Kumar and Avudaiappan understand the immense responsibility associated with this project. They are firmly committed to ensuring its successful execution within the stipulated timeline (2024-2025 and 2025-2026). Regular updates on progress, milestones achieved, and significant developments will be provided throughout the research period.

This project presents a valuable opportunity to broaden our knowledge of smart irrigation and watershed management, ultimately promoting agricultural resilience. Drs. Kumar and Avudaiappan are eager to embark on this journey and contribute to its success.