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The Promise of Physical AI

11 Mar 2026 Yesterday at the 60th Edition of Cobotalks organised by I-Hub Foundation for Cobotics Technology Innovation Hub of IIT Delhi, I had a chance to attend a talk on physical AI by Dr Santanu Chaudhary, Former Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Delhi. This talk came just weeks after the India AI impact summit but I was excited nonetheless to learn more about some of the academic aspects of AI.  Dr. Santanu emphasized that while chatbots have taken over the mindspace there is more to AI than just interactions with a server on the cloud. The chatbots represent a more general-purpose intelligence, they are quietly disrupting several industries in the ‘knowledge-work’ space but physical AI is narrow task specific intelligence that has applications in industrial automation and handling tasks that are either too dangerous for humans or too much of a chore.  Autonomous vehicles are a great example of physical AI. They have demonstrated that it is...
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Thoughts on INCERS webinar covering Polymer derived ceramics technology its processing and applications

I thank the Indian ceramics society for hosting a Webinar Series titled "Global Connect: Ceramics & Beyond", featuring monthly online lectures by distinguished global experts in the field of ceramics and materials science. INCERS has provided researchers in the country a great platform to learn from and network with global experts in the field of ceramics.  It was a pleasure for me to attend the 11th lecture in this series on polymer derived ceramics as this is an area that I'm immensely interested in. Dr Günter Motz gave an hour long presentation comprehensively covering critical aspects of PDC technology from synthesis of polymers to their final processing as they are converted into hard ceramics.  PDCs have been applied in the biomedical,aerospace, electronics & coatings industry. Anywhere a combination of high strength,high temperature oxidation resistance & high hardness becomes important PDCs shine. The key advantage of PDC is  that they can be transform...
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Strengthening Asia–Africa Tourism Corridors

It was a great honor for me to connect today with the Uganda High commission promoting Uganda as a travel destination to the Indian outbound market. With direct air flights to India and a single visa (the East African Tourist Visa) that unlocks access to Rwanda & Kenya , Uganda offers a compelling value proposition to Indian travellers.  I had great fun discussing opportunities for expansion in Asian markets beyond India. Especially for wildlife enthusiasts (where Uganda shines) and for beach lovers ( where Kenya has some of the most stunning beaches that are slowly starting to offer luxury travel experiences)  More African countries would benefit from a Schengen-like single Visa system that would allow them to compete with the European market. Africa is definitely a destination for the more adventurous traveller. While Egypt, Tunisia & Morocco offer a rich history and Central Africa is famous for its safaris, coastal nations could become paradise for beach...
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Bankability in Long Duration Energy Storage: Beyond Energy Arbitrage

23 Feb 2026  I thank the LDES Council for organising a highly informative webinar on Accelerating Bankability for Long Duration Energy Storage, gathering several professionals in the energy storage sector.  Long-duration energy storage (LDES) is important because it allows energy to be stored for many hours, or even days, quite cheaply, helping balance electricity supply and demand over longer time periods. This is important because it supports renewable energy as both solar and wind power are variable; the sun doesn’t always shine and the wind doesn’t always blow. LDES stores excess energy when production is high and releases it when production drops. By improving grid reliability it helps prevent blackouts by supplying power during extended outages, extreme weather, or periods of high demand. LDES provides an incredible variety of storage mechanisms that can store energy ,mechanically,chemically,electrically or thermally unlike traditional lithium ion batteries that are full...
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Power, AI, and Governance at India AI Impact Summit

The India AI impact summit, one of the most high profile events of 2026  drew in large crowds from all across the nation and key stakeholders from the rest of the world to deliberate upon the AI & its impact upon society.  I had the good fortune of attending pre summit meetings at IIT Delhi where I learnt about some of the technical aspects that GOI together with the Anusandhan National Research Foundation are considering to position the nation to benefit from this wave of AI which has ,by this time ,largely proven itself to be one of the most transformative technologies to have been developed in the last century.  From what I understood the strategy seems to be this. First India is one of the biggest markets for new technology. The administration wants to leverage India's growing economic strength & purchasing capability of the middle class to incentivise big corporations to invest in India which would further enhance the rate of growth.  Second,...
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The materials blind spot in clean energy policy

20 Feb 2026 Delhi Climate Week was kickstarted in IIT Delhi yesterday with an opening session on ‘people first low carbon technologies to bridge the climate ambition with economic growth’. As the speakers emphasized, the purpose of Delhi Climate Week is to position Delhi as the leading voice of the global south on climate and green technology issues & to shape the discourse rather than just follow along on the issues set by others.  Mr Erik Solheim, Former Minister of Climate and the Environment of Norway, gave opening remarks as he recalled the success of Brazil COP 30 last November.  This was followed by a very inspiring talk from Dr RK Malhotra ,the president of hydrogen association of India, in which he outlined some of the challenges in green hydrogen production and steps that can be taken to overcome them.    I could not help but notice ,not just in this particular climate focussed event but in several others that I have had the pleasure of atte...
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International Conference on Composite Materials, Design and Engineering

  13 Feb 2026 At the International Conference on Composite Materials, Design and Engineering in IIT Delhi, it was a great privilege for me to be learning from scholars sharing their findings in the field of composite materials. More than 100 papers were presented over a period of 3 days making the conference one of the most productive ones that I have ever had the honor of attending.  Composite materials have already revolutionised the field of materials science. GFRPs are used everywhere from aerospace to circuit boards and sports equipment. Carbon fibers are being seen as promising future materials if the cost of production could be managed.  Under load composite materials differ significantly from metals. Generally they are quite strong if fibers are aligned along the direction of the load. However they are prone to failure if load is applied transverse to the fiber orientation. This means that for fiber composites careful engineering is required which makes them somew...
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