Research Projects

IIT Tirupati plans to establish a STI Hub to address the needs of farmers in the SC community and nearby Blocks of Tirupati District. The STI Hub will be established through the Glovill Foundation, a section 8 company, and will focus on developing semi-automatic or semi-manual devices for farming activities such as de-weeding, harvesting, and purchasing mini-machines for making puff rice. The farmers, primarily small landholders, are seeking technology solutions to reduce manual labor costs and improve their livelihoods.

Preliminary tests on de-weeding will be conducted using existing models and prototypes will be developed at the STI Hub. The project aims to reduce the physical effort of farm laborers and make the farming process more self-reliant. The project aligns with make-in-India and Atma Nirbhar Bharat missions of India, reducing the heavy movement of farm laborers and bringing most below-poverty families up to decent standards of living. The collaboration with the Glovill Foundation will also involve partnering with fabricators to manufacture the de-weeder, de-huller, and mini puff-rice kiln.