KPIT Sparkle 2018, a national design and development innovation contest for engineering and science students, asked them to develop next-generation technologies - applying artificial intelligence, new materials and cyber security- to make products in the energy and transportation sectors greener and safer. Of the 1,500 teams that participated, 30 were shortlisted for the finals, based on novelty, affordability and commercial viability.

Team Electrodes ( in pic) from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, won the top prize of Rs 10 lakh for developing a disposable battery that uses bacteria from sewage water. The second prize of Rs 5 lakh was awarded to Team SmartGear from the Sahyadri College of Engineering and Management, Mangalore, for developing a smart helmet which provides an accident alert along with location details to emergency contact numbers stored in the app. The third prize was shared by Team Nanoknocks from Pune Vidyarthi Griha's College of Engineering - for developing a solution that can manage massive oil spills and filter the water to make it fit for drinking by using new material - and Team Thermo from D.Y. Patil College of Engineering and Pimpri Chinchwad College of Engineering, Pune, for a device that converts waste heat from kitchen stoves into electricity using thermoelectric modules.