Chennai:

The Indian Institute of Technology – Madras has planned to tie up with the Automation Industry Association to set up a centre of excellence in the field in Chennai. The collaboration will enable the institute to get industry inputs in developing curriculum, and come up with industry-relevant and need-based research projects.

A memorandum of understanding will be signed between IIT-M and the association on June 7 in this regard. Each participating company will bring a ‘mentor’ and a subject matter or domain expert. There will be joint development of curriculum, research projects, individual technology demonstrations, and training workshops under the MOU. The idea is to infuse contemporary technology and content into the educational system.

Industrial automation is the use of control systems such as computers to control industrial machinery and processes, replacing human operators. In the scope of industrialization, it is a step beyond mechanization. Whereas mechanization provides human operators with machinery to assist them with the physical requirements of work, automation greatly reduces the need for human sensory and mental requirements as well.

Leading players in the field of automation, such as B&R Automation, Larsen & Toubro Control and Automation, Invensys Process Management and Siemens Limited, have announced immediate participation in the project with their state-of-the-art technologies. PV Sivaram, MD, B&R Industrial Automation and an alumnus of IITM, said, “The challenge here is to share and excite a global industrial vision amongst the new breed of B.Tech and M.Tech graduates.”

K Nandakumar, vice-president of the association, AIA, said the tie-up is an opportunity to showcase success ideas and to interact with emerging technical talent and users.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> Education / by M Ramya / June 06th, 2012