Low-flying craft and humanoid stand out at IInvenTiv2025

IInvenTiv2025 at IIT Madras showcased innovative technologies, including affordable sea travel and combat drones.

The third edition of IInvenTiv2025, held at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, brought together innovators, angel investors, and companies. The event had a competition of sorts: innovators would be given 10 minutes to pitch for funds.

IInvenTiv2025 featured technology that could make travel from Chennai to Kolkata a breeze at affordable rates. Waterfly Technologies promises a ride over the Bay of Bengal from Kolkata to Chennai for ₹600.

The company, supported by IIT Madras, has announced plans to offer a new form of transport with the Wing-in-Ground (WIG) craft. This craft, which would travel just four metres above the sea surface, aims to cut travel time and fare. For a distance of 1,000 km, the cost would come to ₹600, says Harish Rajesh, co-founder and CEO of Waterfly Technologies, who is also an alumnus of IIT Madras.

The electric sea gliders are an alternative to aeroplanes and ferries, he says. A trip from Kolkata to Chennai, a distance of 1,600 km, will cost just ₹600 a person, whereas a ticket in a Third AC compartment could cost more than double that amount, he points out. The craft will have 20 seats and could weigh around one tonne. Mr. Harish hopes to hit the commercial market by the end of 2026.

A start-up from IIT Jammu has designed an unmanned combat aerial vehicle. When the ground control gives a command, the vehicle that carries a missile will hit the target. The vehicle will be powered by a microwave turbine engine. “We are targeting a range of 250 km,” says Preetam Jamod, who has graduated from IIT Jammu. The start-up, SAP Aerospace, is led by Shanmugadas K.P.

IIT Tirupati showcased porous radiant burners, which have helped to cut the fuel cost at temple and university kitchens by nearly 50%, says P. Muthukumar, professor in mechanical engineering. The burners could soon find their way to homes too. A humanoid, being developed by SRMIST, Kattankulathur, can speak to patients in intensive care units and soothe them. They are an answer to human resources shortage at hospitals.

A start-up from IIT Bombay has developed a quantum microscope to study cells more accurately. This could result in drug development in the future, says Kasturi Saha, professor in-charge at Qmet Tech.