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By:

Rajendra Joshi

3 December 2024 at 3:50:26 am

Proud moment for Shivaji University researchers

Indian patent for portable sound absorption testing device Kolhapur: Researchers from Shivaji University, Kolhapur, have developed a portable sound absorption testing device that can scientifically assess whether an installed sound system and its acoustic treatment are functioning effectively. The innovation has been granted an Indian patent, marking a first-of-its-kind development in this field, the university said on Thursday. The patented device, named the Portable Sound Absorption Tester,...

Proud moment for Shivaji University researchers

Indian patent for portable sound absorption testing device Kolhapur: Researchers from Shivaji University, Kolhapur, have developed a portable sound absorption testing device that can scientifically assess whether an installed sound system and its acoustic treatment are functioning effectively. The innovation has been granted an Indian patent, marking a first-of-its-kind development in this field, the university said on Thursday. The patented device, named the Portable Sound Absorption Tester, has been developed by senior chemist Dr Kalyanrao Garadkar of Shivaji University, along with Dr Sandeep Sable and Dr Rohant Dhabbe of Jaysingpur College, and Dr Chandrala Jatkar of the D K T E Society’s Textile and Engineering Institute, Ichalkaranji. The device is designed to test the sound absorption capacity of professional acoustic systems used in recording studios, theatres, auditoriums and soundproof chambers. Until now, the effectiveness of such sound-absorbing installations has largely been assessed through experience and trial-and-error after installation. The newly developed portable tester allows for immediate and scientific evaluation of sound absorption performance once the system is installed. Sound-absorbing sheets and panels are widely used in theatres, studios and vocal recording rooms to absorb echo around microphones and create a controlled acoustic environment, enabling cleaner and more professional audio output. The new device can be used to evaluate a wide range of absorbers, including perforated foam, fibre, fabric, membranes, panels and resonant absorbers, helping improve the quality and effectiveness of acoustic materials. Explaining the working of the device, Dr Garadkar said that the human audible frequency range extends from 20 Hz to 20 kHz. The device generates sound waves within this spectrum and projects them onto the acoustic material under test. The sound waves that are not absorbed are detected by a microphone and displayed on the screen in the form of current or voltage readings. This enables users to instantly determine whether the sound absorption system is functioning as intended and make corrective interventions if required. The researchers said the device would also be useful for those engaged in acoustic fabrication and sound absorption research. Apart from being portable and easy to transport, the device is also cost-effective, making it suitable for field applications. The team expressed confidence that it would prove highly useful in the sound system testing sector. Shivaji University’s in-charge Vice-Chancellor Dr Suresh Gosavi and in-charge Pro Vice-Chancellor Dr Jyoti Jadhav congratulated the research team on securing the patent.

Start-ups Have the Potential to Power India to a Viksit Bharat

Viksit Bharat

The Indian government’s Vision 2047 envisages turning India into a developed economy by the centenary of our Independence with a GDP of USD 30 trillion and a per-capita income of USD 18,000-20,000. One critical element for India to realise its ambitions is creating jobs. However, the capital-intensive model of development is not inherently labor-intensive, particularly in a post AI economy where robotic process automation is taking root.

Developing manufacturing sector to generate meaningful employment through Make in India, alone may not be sufficient to achieve the intended goal. This is where the role of government’s startup support programs that aim to spawn a million entrepreneurs in our entrepreneurial ecosystem comes in.


Incubators play a critical role in fostering entrepreneurship and nurturing tech start-ups by providing 'Start to Scale' support and taking ideas/research from labs to the market driving innovation and creating economic benefits. The Society for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (SINE), one of India’s earliest academia backed incubator birthed at IIT Bombay has been doing just that, by encouraging students, faculty members and alumni to become entrepreneurs, especially the students - turning them into job providers rather than simply job seekers.


As of June 2024, there were over 1,40,803 start-ups in India. The dual impact of incubators and the Government’s various startup support programmes is already beginning to show.


According to the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) data, Indian startups created over 1.5 million jobs since in 2016. Barring the pandemic years, when the growth rate slowed, start-up jobs have been growing at over 25% year-on-year (Y-o-Y). In 2023, start-ups provided 391,000 jobs as compared to 274,000 in 2022 – a 42% growth rate.


Even if one assumes that in the future, jobs provided by start-ups grow at a more modest 10% Y-o-Y, they could employ over 18 crore people in the next 25 years, genuinely emerging as India's growth engine!


(The author is a Professor-In-Charge, Society for Innovation & Entrepreneurship, IIT Bombay. Views personal.)

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