Auroville’s summer workshops train youth in new technologies

Press Release:

The Auroville Institute of Applied Technology (AIAT), which offers a Bachelor of Vocation (B.Voc) in future technologies, has concluded a round of free short-term summer programs for young students in cutting-edge domains.

The workshops that attracted over 50 students from in and around Puducherry and the Auroville bioregion are an initiative supported by the Auroville Foundation under the Ministry of Education, seeking to level up technological knowledge and contribute to a smarter nation.

The courses were aimed at students aged 13 years and above and provided hands-on exposure in fields, such as 3D printing, robotics and drones.

Each workshop was of one-week duration and imparted practical learning with the aim to equip the participants with future-ready skills. The sessions also focused on grooming them as ethical leaders with tools and templates of transformational leadership, so that technology is turned into a force of good.

The short course on 3D Printing and Modelling led participants to explore additive manufacturing, design and create their own 3D models using software like TinkerCAD, and learn how 3D printers function. Apart from initiation into slicing software (Cura) and various printing materials and techniques, the workshop covered the fascinating process of converting real-world objects into digital models and back again.

The electronics workshop equipped students with the fundamental principles of electronics and their practical applications. They learned to calculate and design simple circuits and gained valuable hands-on experience in practical electronics and soldering, culminating in building a custom board to charge their own phones.

The Robotics and Drones course explored the core components and logic behind robotics. Participants were taught basic programming for robots that enabled them to control robots for various tasks, such as driving, path following, obstacle detection, maze escaping, and even colour sorting, using Mindstorm robots and robotic arms.

The workshop also introduced students to the world of drones, including the principles of autonomous flight, and provided an introduction to using Computer Vision to analyse and understand the surrounding environment.

According to Sanjeev Ranganathan, an alumnus of IIT Madras who heads AIAT and SAIIER, these workshops, which align with the National Education Policy, reflect AIAT’s philosophy of providing quality education and bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application.

The B.Voc courses offered by AIAT combine 40% theoretical education with 60% practical training across four specialised streams — Software Development and Machine Learning, Applied Electronics and Chip Design, Green Energy and Electrical Systems, and Production Technology.

Students who have been part of previous workshops and training at AIAT and its partner, Auroville-based C3STREAM Land Designs had found that the workshop filled gaps in the regular engineering courses, the press note said.