[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
[India] IIT students develop ‘infothela’ for villages
IIT students develop ‘infothela’ for villages
The most attractive feature of the `infothela’ is the `digital mandi’
(digital market) which will help provide an electronic platform for
the business of agro-commodities
In pursuit of the ‘technology at your doorstep’ mantra, scientists at
the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur, in Uttar Pradesh,
have developed a battery-powered `infothela’ or `IT kiosk’ equipped
with an assortment of Internet and telecom facilities to impart the
benefits of information technology to people in remote areas.
According to professor Prashant Kumar of the IIT’s mechanical
engineering and design department, a prototype of the infothela was
ready and would work with the help of BSNL’s cable network.
In the first phase, experts plan to conduct the services of this
appliance between Kanpur and Lucknow, covering about 50 villages.
The all-weather infothela has been designed keeping in mind the
outdoor services that it will provide. It is shock-and dust-resistant
and will offer the user 17-colour display.
The 200 kg, Rs 70,000 wireless infothela, developed under the IIT’s
Media Lab Asia Project, will enable the common man to access
information about education, health, the weather, agriculture and
employment and keep him abreast of new developments.
It will also come in handy in checking land records. The most
attractive feature about the infothela is the `digital mandi’
(digital market), which will provide an electronic platform for the
business of agro-commodities.
Professor Prashant said: “We envisage that application of the
infothela will touch the roots of the village economy. This task can
be accomplished by enabling digital marketplaces for agro-
commodities. This will also alleviate the cash crunch faced by
farmers through the active participation of various banking and para-
banking nstitutions.”
Source: Times News Network, November 16, 2002
http://infochangeindia.org/ItanddItop.jsp?section_idv=9#1703
