The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur has partnered with NimbleQ Eduventure Private Limited with the aim to nurture children as young as 10 by giving them an opportunity to experience and work in the IIT Kanpur labs. According to the official statement, over 20 children from grades five to 10 visited labs at IIT Kanpur on October 3 and 4. These children are part of a technology and entrepreneurship programme facilitated by NimbleQ across India, USA, and UAE, the statement added.

As per the statement, the programme started with a visit to the National Centre of Flexible Electronics on the first day. The young learners got an opportunity to tour the clean-room and the systems lab, besides viewing some other associated labs. They were further exposed to one of the latest innovations from the Centre, The Haptic Watch, released in May 2022. It is a touch-sensitive smartwatch designed for visually impaired people, the statement claimed.

Furthermore, NimbleQers built basic electrical circuits on flexible paper substrates using conductive and resistive inks. The process aimed to teach the students some basic electrical concepts, including completing a circuit properly to make an LED glow, staircase switch and charging a capacitor.

On day two, the children were taught how to manipulate different materials to model and shape different products. They prototyped a bio-degradable water bottle and presented a Business Plan to launch it. “The NimbleQ experience focuses on real-world connections. This technology partnership with IIT Kanpur will bring to life technology that the children have only read about. Experiencing the innovation-led environment of premier institutes such as IIT Kanpur will leave a mark on these young minds—such that they make informed career decisions and truly pursue their passion,” Madhukar Varshney, founder, NimbleQ, said.

Further, S. Sundar Kumar Iyer, professor, Department of Electrical Engineering and current coordinator of the National Centre for Flexible Electronics, IIT Kanpur said this collaboration is aimed at encouraging children and expose them to technology and innovations. “Such exposure at their young age should help the children evolve into innovators in the future. The children who visited us demonstrated great general awareness and keenness to learn,” he said.

“This partnership will lead to the greater vision of creating a better future for these kids. These future leaders will go on to build the next Fortune 500 companies out of India,” J. Ramkumar, professor, department of mechanical engineering, IIT Kanpur, concluded.