IIT toppers’ magic in surveillance

In 1996, the duo realised there was a huge potential for embedded software exports. Since then, they have been busy creating intellectual property in security and surveillance systems, and expect to roll out the product in four months.

‘‘Incidents like that in Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute could have been prevented if there was a proper surveillance system in place,’’ Joshi pointed out. Crystalline Infotek uses the latest System-on-Chip (SoC), which makes it possible for the entire software to be re-configured. For instance, the chip helps them upgrade the software in a video camera by remote-control and in quick time.

With one eye on the 2008 Olympics, Joshi has already made a trip to China. ‘‘We have found customers in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan — they are the pioneers of new technology, never shy of testing it out.’’ With M.Tech degrees in Instrumentation, Joshi and Gokhale’s motto is to make technology more useful to common people. And they have tasted some degree of success to that end: the duo has built a product at a housing complex for senior citizens who can seek help with the push of a button. It has a central monitoring system which is hooked up with all the flats. And a senior citizen has to just press a button or pull a cord (the bathroom has a sensor-fitted cord). This will alert the CMS which can then come to their aid.

Since IP-led projects need lots of capital, Joshi and Gokhale are talking to private investors. They are also keen on tapping the domestic market. Joshi believes India has a 10-year lag factor vis-a-vis China. ‘‘We liberalised in 1990, 10 years after China. Now, we are building highways, China did it 10 years ago. Hopefully, in 10 years common people will use a lot more technology, like the Chinese are doing now.’’