Techfest Day 6: Living works come to life

2012

Fluorescing bacteria, Stress-o-Stat (2011), Techfest 2012, IIT Bombay, January 2012

Fluorescing bacteria, Stress-o-Stat (2011), Techfest 2012, IIT Bombay, January 2012

Second day of exhibition and things were getting more crowded. Our fermentation had been going for 24 hours and things were growing well. The bacteria were expressing stress as light and could be seen wearing special polarised glasses despite the bright light conditions.

Fluorescing bacteria, Stress-o-Stat (2011), Techfest 2012, IIT Bombay, January 2012

Fresh banana bacteria had been grown overnight and was brought in.

Fluorescing bacteria, Stress-o-Stat (2011), Techfest 2012, IIT Bombay, January 2012

The plants had finally taken and were growing in ferrofluid solution.

Fluorescing bacteria, Stress-o-Stat (2011), Techfest 2012, IIT Bombay, January 2012

By 11am we were told to clear our exhibition space of people to allow the organisers to flush people through.

Fluorescing bacteria, Stress-o-Stat (2011), Techfest 2012, IIT Bombay, January 2012

People outside had been waiting for 4 hours in temperature above 30ºC. We were overwhelmed by the amount of people and their great enthusiasm to see the exhibits.

Fluorescing bacteria, Stress-o-Stat (2011), Techfest 2012, IIT Bombay, January 2012

Fluorescing bacteria, Stress-o-Stat (2011), Techfest 2012, IIT Bombay, January 2012

Exhibiting living works requires more than "plugging in a battery" and after nerve-wrecking days of putting it all together we were relieved that our efforts were working.

Fluorescing bacteria, Stress-o-Stat (2011), Techfest 2012, IIT Bombay, January 2012

Fluorescing bacteria, Stress-o-Stat (2011), Techfest 2012, IIT Bombay, January 2012

Srishti Malpath and Shivanjali Yadav, took the reins while we explored the other exhibits in the Techconnect hangar with Sai Prashanth. Most of the exhibits in our own hall involve robotics. Much of the research shown at Techconnect resembled a scientific poster exhibition. 

Centre for Research in Nanotechnology & Science, Techconnect Hanger, Techfest 2012, IIT Bombay, January 2012

It was interesting to see more interactive visual displays of research through models and devices.

Techconnect Hanger, Techfest 2012, IIT Bombay, January 2012

Techconnect Hanger, Techfest 2012, IIT Bombay, January 2012

We found a curious piece of rural technology we tested, allowing farmers and their families to carry large amounts of water whilst reducing the strain on their body.

Bailya adapted for water fetching, Techconnect Hanger, Techfest 2012, IIT Bombay, January 2012