World’s First Liquid-Mirror Telescope
Context: In early 2022, India’s first liquid-mirror telescope, which will observe asteroids, supernovae, space debris and all other celestial objects from an altitude of 2,450 metres in the Himalayas, saw its first light as it peered into the zenith from the Devasthal observatory in Uttarakhand. Having entered the commissioning phase, it became the world’s first liquid-mirror […]
Radio-Frequency Identification
Context: Baggage tags equipped with radio-frequency identification (RFID) will soon be available at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, marking a first of its kind for the country. Relevance: GS III- Science and Technology Dimensions of the Article: What is RFID tags? What is a barcode? Radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology Vs barcodes Is RFID enhanced version […]
D2M Technology
Context The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and India’s public service broadcaster Prasar Bharati are exploring the feasibility of a technology that allows to broadcast video and other forms of multimedia content directly to mobile phones, without needing an active internet connection. The technology, called ‘direct-to-mobile’ (D2M) broadcasting, promises to improve consumption of broadband and utilisation of spectrum. […]
What is An Artillery Rocket?
Context: As the fighting in eastern Ukraine turns into an artillery duel, the Pentagon announced that it would send its most advanced artillery rocket launcher and munitions to the Ukrainian military in the hope of giving it an edge over Russia. Relevance: GS III- Science and Technology Dimensions of the Article: What is an artillery […]
Astra Mk-1 : Air-to-Air Missile
Context: The Ministry of Defence said that it has signed a contract with the Hyderabad-based public-sector Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL) for supply of the Astra Mark-1, at a cost of Rs 2,971 crore, for deployment on fighter jets of the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy. The Astra Mk-1 is a beyond visual range (BVR), […]
National AI Portal (INDIAai)
Focus: Prelims, GS-III: Science and Technology Why in News? National AI Portal (INDIAai.gov.in) celebrates its second anniversary What is Artificial Intelligence (AI)? Artificial intelligence is the branch of computer science concerned with making computers behave like humans. AI refers to the ability of machines to perform cognitive tasks like thinking, perceiving, learning, problem solving and […]
Param Ananta
Focus: GS III- Science and Technology Why in News? Param Ananta, a state-of the art Supercomputer was commissioned at IIT Gandhinagar. Param Ananta Param Ananta is capable of offering peak performance of 838 teraflops. It is a joint initiative of Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and Department of Science and Technology (DST). This […]
What is E-Waste Management?
Context: The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has released the draft notification for Electronic Waste Management for public feedback. Relevance: GS III- Science and Technology Dimensions of the Article: About Draft Notification for Electronic Waste Management What is e-waste? e-Waste recycling in India Legislation related to e-waste recycling in India About Draft Notification […]
PARAM PORUL
Focus: GS III- Science and Technology Why in News? PARAM PORUL, a state-of-the art Supercomputer at NIT Tiruchirappalli under National Supercomputing Mission (NSM) was inaugurated. Features of PARAM PORUL PARAM PORUL system is equipped with a mix of CPU (Central Processing Unit) nodes, GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) nodes, High Memory nodes, High throughput storage and high-performance InfiniBand interconnect to cater […]
The Rise of AI chips
Context: AI chips with their hardware architectures and complementary packaging, memory, storage and interconnect technologies, make it possible to infuse AI into a broad spectrum of applications to help turn data into information and then into knowledge. Relevance: GS III- Science and Technology Dimensions of the Article What are AI chips? Difference between traditional chips […]