Developing cyber-physical systems as a new ecosystem will be the greatest challenge for science and technology now, said Ashutosh Sharma, secretary, department of science and technology, at the three-year report card conference of the science and technology ministry.
Sharma said the world was moving towards big data, robotics, internet of things and smart sensors, which need to be managed by trained experts. Noting that training in these areas is almost nil, he said
an entire crop of experts need to be trained to manage the new technology inputs which will become integral to existence soon.
He said the ministry has launched an interdisciplinary cyber-physical systems programme to foster research and development in this field. This is a mechanism controlled by computer based algorithms tightly integrated with the internet and its users.
The secretary also spoke about the cyber-physical reconstruction of the architectural heritage of Hampi in which researchers developed algorithms and techniques to acquire and print a three dimensional replica of complete structures in Hampi. This also allows for a virtual tour of the site. The technology has been transferred to a start-up company, which, in collaboration with the culture ministry, is working on digital reconstruction of the Varanasi Ghats, Buddhist Circuit and Dilwara temples.
