Mumbai: Manipal Institute of Technology bagged both the first and second prizes of the "Innovation Challenge" competition organized by the reputed Schneider Electric Global Technology Centre, Bangalore recently, beating 160 teams from all over the country including IITs and NITs.

The Schneider Electric Global Technology Centre, Bangalore has been organizing an annual contest "Innovation Challenge", for engineering students in India, since three years. The idea behind this contest is to instigate the young engineering minds of the country to think 'out of the box' and come up with solutions to key issues. 

In the recently held 2008 contest, 160 teams from all over India submitted their innovative proposals, in three challenges namely, Electrification of rural areas at low cost, Innovative Solutions to Optimize Energy Usage and Web and Wireless Technologies to measure, monitor and control energy. An elite panel of seven eminent judges from all technical sectors evaluated these entries on the basis of Quality of innovation, Technical feasibility of solution, Alignment to the contest theme and Proof of concept given by the team and shortlisted ten teams from the three challenges, for the final round of the contest held on 12th December 2008 at Schneider Electric, Bangalore. Among them were the teams from IIT Kharagpur, IIIT Hyderabad, NIT Rourkela, BITS Pilani, MSRIT Bangalore and other institutes including 2 teams from MIT, Manipal. In the finals, MIT, Manipal bagged both First (Rs. One Lakh) & Second (Rs. 75,000) Prizes putting MIT, Manipal in the limelight once again! Incidentally, MIT, Manipal won the Third Prize in 2006, First prize in 2007 and both First and Second Prizes in 2008 at this prestigious Innovation Challenge.  
 
The two-member MIT student team named 'Photon' comprising  Arpit Gandhi (BE Second year, E&E) and Mrityunjai Tiwari (BE Second year, E&C), directed by Prof. Dr. Radhakrishna S. Aithal (Associate Director, MIT), presented "Solar Powered Embedded LED Street Lamp", a reliable, smart intelligent, highly energy efficient working model with Auto Adjust Circuit. This eco-friendly approach to counter Energy Crisis was adjudged the First Prize winning innovative proposal. 

The three member MIT student team named 'Reset' comprising Rupan Sarkar (BE Final, E&C), Mrityunjai Tiwari (BE Final, E&C) and Pranab Purkayastha (BE Pre-final, E&C) presented "Wireless Energy Meter", an efficient energy management system (tamper proof), using micro controllers that can check Power Thefts and provide accurate display of energy consumption and cost details using internet software database. This versatile, user-friendly, reliable, remote metering and controlling concept was awarded the Second Prize.