ANNUAL REPORT 2018-19

Indo-Taiwan Joint
Research Centre

on

Artificial Intelligence and
Machine Learning

Annual Report

2018-2019



Preamble 1

Organizational Structure 1

1. Collaboration 2

2. Major Activities (2018-19) 3

2.1 Inaugural Ceremony 3

2.2 Webinars 6

CONTENT 2.3 Seminars 6

2.4 Visitors 7

2.5 Outreach Activities 8

2.6 Other Activities 8

3. Activities planned (2019-20) 9

3.1 Webinars on AI 9

3.2 M.Tech. Projects 9

3.3 Joint Phd Programme 12

3.4 Lecture Series 12

3.5 Workshops 13

3.6 Hands-on Session and Faculty 13
Development Programmes

3.7 Planned Visits 13

3.8 Short visit to CCU, Taiwan 13

3.9 Annual Workshop 2020 - CCU, Taiwan

and IIT Ropar 14

3.10 Annual Meet 14



1

Preamble

The Indo-Taiwan Joint Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning is
bilateral, non-profit, industry and academic research centre at IIT Ropar, which is
established in cooperation with the overseas Science and Technology Innovation
Center, Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan and operates as a platform for
cooperation and innovation in Artificial Intelligence between India and Taiwan. The
common ambition is to provide academic platform to strengthen the foundation of
research in important applications, conduct research in AI and ML, promote student
and faculty exchange and provide platform for incubation.

The purpose of the centre is to encourage international education in Artificial
Intelligence, Academia-Industry Innovations in manufacturing, Fintech and smart city
and Skill-training & technology innovations in image analysis, Text mining and Big data
etc. The centre not only conducts academic activities but also participates in business
opportunities, smart industrial technology consulting service, technical exchange and
talent cultivation.

Organizational Structure

Prof. Shi-Ming Huang

Project Investigator
National Chung Cheng University, Taiwan

Prof. P. A. Hsiung Dr. Rohit Sharma

Project Coordinator Project Coordinator
National Chung Cheng University, Taiwan Indian Institute of Technology Ropar

Ms. Ellen Hsu Ms. Harsimrat Kaur

Project Manager Project Manager
National Chung Cheng University, Taiwan Indian Institute of Technology Ropar

2

1. Collaboration

A delegation from National Chung
Cheng University of Taiwan visited
IIT Ropar on January 23, 2019 to
setup a collaborative research
ecosystem. The CCU, Taiwan
signed an MoU with IIT Ropar
agree to cooperate in the following
areas:
Ÿ Faculty exchange
Ÿ Student exchange
Ÿ Exchange of scientific and

teaching research materials
Ÿ Joint research projects including

set up of technical research centers
Ÿ Dual degree
Ÿ Conferences

CCU visited IIT Ropar to work on the modalities of an Indo-Taiwan Joint Research Center
on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.

Members of the Delegation

Name Title and Affiliation

Prof. HUANG Shi-Ming Dean of Research and Development

Prof. HSU Hua Fu Dean of International Affairs

Prof. HSIUNG Pao-Ann Director of Smart Living Technology Research Center

Prof. CHANG She I Dean of College of Management

Prof. CHEN Chien Yen Dean of College of Science

Prof. WANG Hsian Chen Professor in Opto-Mechatronics

Prof. JEN Chun Ping Professor in Mechanical Engineering

Mr. YANG Shih Yi Manager, Taiwan Incubation Center, CCU

Mr. HSU Hsiu Chun Manager, Smart Living Technology Research Center

Mr. WANG Guey Ling Assistant, Office of International Affairs, CCU

3

2. Major activities (2018-19)

The duration of the first year was November 2018 to October 2019. The activities of the
centre in the first year are as follows:

2.1 Inaugural Ceremony

The Indo-Taiwan Joint Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning is
an inter-government agreement for the promotion of the research. It receives it financial
support from the Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan. The journey of the Centre
started on July 27, 2019. An MoU was signed between National Chung Cheng University,
Taiwan and Indian Institute of Technology Ropar. The agreement agreed for the set up of
the centre, administrative task and research initiatives. A 26 members delegation was
present at the inauguration of the centre. On the occasion of the inauguration of the
centre two, MoU's were signed with the Simco Groups and the Best Marketing Company.
DR. YU-CHIN HSU, Hon'ble Deputy Minister for Science & Technology, Taiwan and H. E.
TIEN CHUNG-KWANG, The Ambassador of Taiwan to India graced the occasion.

DR. YU-CHIN HSU H. E. TIEN CHUNG-KWANG DR. SHI-MING HUANG
Hon'ble Deputy Minister for Science The Ambassador of Taiwan to India National Chung Cheng University, Taiwan
& Technology, Taiwan

4

Glimpses of the Inauguration

5

MoU Signed with SIMCO GLOBAL
TECHNOLOGY & SYSTEMS LTD.

The MoU signed with Simco Global Technology & Systems Ltd., to collaborate academic-
industry in sales/marketing of High Technology Equipment related to Semiconductor VLSI
Devices, Laser Spectroscopy and Fiber Optics technology.

Dr. Shi-Ming Huang, CCU,
Taiwan, Mr. Navin Singhal,
President, SIMCO and Dr.
Rohit Sharma, IIT Ropar

MoU Signed with
BEST MARKETING COMPANY

The MoU signed with Best Marketing Company, to collaborate in the all fields related to
Joint Research Centre and BMC area of research and business.

Dr. Shi-Ming Huang, CCU, Taiwan,
Mr. M.I. Benedict Raj, BMC, Chief
Operating Officer and Dr. Rohit
Sharma, IIT Ropar

6

2.2 Webinars

Webinar on "Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning: Where are we
and Challenge Ahead" by Dr. Mathukumalli Vidyasagar, Distinguished
who is a Distinguished Professor and SERB Distinguished Fellow at IIT
Hyderabad on August 25, 2019 .

2.3 Seminars

Research Opportunities in AI, IoT, and Big Data

Speaker : Prof. Ren-Song Ko, Associate Professor
Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering,
Date : National Chung Cheng University, Taiwan
September 5, 2019

Abstract: This talk illustrated some research opportunities in artificial intelligence. An
important area of research involves building a machine that can solve complicated
problems normally requiring human intelligence via self-learning. Data is a crucial part
of learning, and it becomes difficult to design a machine that can manage big data
efficiently for large-scale applications. These real-world research opportunities from
different disciplines involve huge amount of data collected from sensors. Challenges
include false data, real-time data processing, faulty sensors, software integration, etc.
Issues, approaches, and progresses were discussed at length.

7

AL/ML Applications in Complex High-Speed Server Designs

Speaker : Dr. Bhyrav Mutnury, Senior Distinguished Engineer,
Date Dell EMC, Austin, USA.

: October 22, 2019

Abstract: In today's world, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML)
approaches are becoming pervasive and impacting every aspect of life. While their
influence in day-to-day life can be felt easily, their value and importance in designing
complex systems is known to a lesser extent. In this presentation, AI/ML techniques
used at Dell EMC to design high-speed complex servers were discussed. Importance of
modeling and simulations in server design and how AI/ML techniques are used for
design optimizations was discussed using examples. The advantages and limitations of
few AI/ML techniques were discussed in detail.

2.4 Visitors

1. Delegation from Dell EMC
A team from Dell, EMC visited AI Centre at IIT Ropar from October 21-23, 2019.
Dr. Bhyrav Mutnury, Senior Distinguished Engineer, Dell EMC, Austin, USA led the
delegation. The team had a detailed discussion about possible collaborations with
IIT Ropar and jointly funded projects.

2. Visit of the Heads of CRICKS Institutes
A team of Heads of the Chandigarh Region Innovation and Knowledge Cluster
Institutes visited the centre on September 21, 2019.

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2.5 Outreach activities

1. AI & ML Applications in Manufacturing at National Institute of Technical Teachers
Training and Research, Sec 26, Chandigarh on August 30, 2019.

2. Role of Artificial Intelligence in Defence at Institution for Strategic & Security
Studies and Research Gyan Chakra (Think Tank), Chandimandir, Chandigarh on
September 20, 2019.

3. Innovation of Biomedical Devices and Role of Artificial Intelligence at
Biomedical Instruments and Devices Hub, Post Graduate Institute of Medical
Education & Research, Chandigarh on September 30, 2019.

4. Consultative Meeting : Vision for Data Science and AI in India at Office of the
PSA to GoI, Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi on November 04, 2019.

5. Innovative and Technology Summit 2019 by Department of Science and
Techonology Punjab, at The Lalit Chandigarh on November 5, 2019

2.6 Other activities

1. Project floated for M. Tech. CSE, B..Tech. CSE, B..Tech Mathematics and Computing,
Project Supervisor - Dr. Himanshu Paliwal, Assistant Prof., Chemical Engineering
Topics-

a) Using molecular information to predict thermodynamic properties
b) Using thermodynamic data engine to predict vapour liquid equilibrium

2. Scholarship in BOLT IoT and ML Innovation Challenge opened registrations till
September 30, 2019 by Bolt IoT (Inventrom Private Limited). The project will be
submitted by December 31, 2019 to the company.

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3. Activities Planned 2019-2020

3.1 Webinars on AI

Name of the Affiliation Talk Title
faculty
Taitung University, Department of AI in Sports IoT
Prof. Shih Computer Science and Information
Chih Siong Engineering Smart IoT Gateway

Prof. Pao-Ann National Chung Cheng University, Regtech: The way
Hsiung Department of Computer Science and forward
Information Engineering Application and Limitation
of Artificial Intelligence in
Prof. Shi-Ming (Jack) National Chung Cheng University Electronic Commerce
Huang

Prof. Wei Dong National Chung Cheng University
Wang (Visitor)

The webinars for the students, faculty of CCU Taiwan and Industry practitioners of
Taiwan by the faculty of IIT Ropar are planned in the coming year.

3.2 M.Tech. Projects

For students of M.Tech. in AI, M.Tech. in Communications and M.Tech. Microelectronics
8 projects will be floated in December 2019. The following are the details of the projects:

a) AIOT Security through Blockchain and SDN- The IoT is an integrated network of
technologies such as converged networks, application services, mobile, and cloud.
Therefore, the risks of security problems in various technologies are also present in
the Internet of Things, and they are more likely to be more complex. Many experts
believe that Blockchain technology is the missing link in the Internet of Things to
address security, privacy and reliability issues. The encryption algorithms used by
Blockchains make consumer data more private. The single-point attack happens to
be the mode of the DDos attack server, so it can automatically defend against this
common IoT security loss. SDN techniques is used to first simulate the deployment
weakness and then populate the source code directly. An adaptive defense system
is used to detect the threats and deploy an energy efficient solution for the AIOT.
The SDN simulates an AI training process of normal and abnormal thief attacks on
the IOT network. We are eagerly in need of graduate students to joint the project for
SDN and AI scheme development.

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b) Smart IoT Gateway - Calling for collaborations in the design of smart IoT gateways.
We have a 3-year project on the design of a smart gateway for IoT applications.
Currently, the target is LoRaWAN gateway design using two Raspberry Pi 3 boards.
Deep neural network models such as LSTM and Blockchain architecture based on
HyperLedger Fabric have been implemented at the Edge (Smart IoT Gateway).
Docker containers and Kubernetes have also been implemented in the gateway
design. The current status of the project is to integrate everything into two boards.
The target application is smart metering system. This project invites students of
MTEch in AI as well as those in MTech in Communications for collaborations in
developing smart gateway design.

c) Intelligent Cancer Imaging Identification- As the technology improved rapidly,
artificial intelligence was naturally developed. Since AI technology was invented,
this epoch-making and high potential technology has been applied in various
fields. Especially recently, the enthusiasm for using AI in biomedicine has not only
increased but also been the most hottest topic. Besides, esophageal and skin
cancer was less predictive than other diseases, and patients were usually
diagnosed at an advanced stage, so effective treatment was usually too late.
Therefore, AI with deep learning had made significant progress in the medical
field. However, most of the predicted targets were the cancer either presence or
absence. The number of cancers was not predicted. Because of this, we are
currently working on esophageal and skin cancer prediction by the method of AI
diagnosis. The diagnostic ability of the cancer phases is expected to assist doctors
in using endoscopy with artificial intelligence to increase the accuracy of the
diagnosis in esophageal and skin cancer.

d) Regtech: The way forward - A technology trend analysis uses data concerning
historical performance and extrapolates it to estimate the future capability of a
technology. Such an analysis predicts emerging technologies or markets that
influence social or economic development and assists effective decision-making.
Traditional trend analysis methods are time consuming and require considerable
labor efforts; moreover, their processes largely rely on the knowledge of domain
experts. In recent years, text mining techniques have been applied to trend analysis
mechanisms, such as Google Trends, to detect the relative popularity of a search
query. Numerous studies are currently exploring emerging trends. With the
advancement of science and technology, emerging cross-domain trends have
considerably influenced society and the economy. Emerging cross-domain
predictions combining various technologies or disciplines may be more crucial than
those in the same domain. This study employs a design science research
methodology as well as a text mining technique and social network analysis to
analyze the development trend concerning the presentation of product or service
information on a company website. The study considers regulatory technology or
Regtech, the emerging cross-disciplinary trend, as an example. Finally, an

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experimental study is conducted using the Google search engine to verify our
research mechanism. The study results reveal that compared with Google Trends
and Google Correlate, the research mechanism in this study is more illustrative and
reduces noise and the need for in-depth exploration of information.

e) Development of the Pluggable Software Component IoT Integration Platform -
In this project, we will develop an IoT system via the component-based software
engineering approach. Sensors, intelligent analysis and action software modules,
and actuators are represented by software components, and each component can
be visualized on the graphical user interface. Users then can visually make logic
connections between components, which will simplify the operation and
management of an IoT system. In addition, the standard interface between
components makes software reusability, software substitutability, and component
composition become possible. Finally, distributed components allow small IoT
systems can be integrated hierarchically into a large IoT system, and various
intelligent analysis and action components can be easily plugged into the IoT
system, including the state of the art research results of AI.

f) Face Recognition for Dark Complexion - The accuracy of Face Recognition for
dark-skinned persons can be as low as 30% to 40%, especially for female faces. This
project would like you to work on to address this problem and increase the accuracy
at least to above 80%. Simple enhancements of image (contrast, brightness, etc.)
and facial part ignoring (hair, etc.) do not really work. You need to come up with
more innovative solutions that might work for dark complexion. We have the data
benchmark called PPB for testing your final deep neural network model.

g) Impedance Measurements in Cells and Proteins - The development of a protein
detection biochip which consists of a preconcetrator and a capactive
immunosensor structured by microelectrodes was proposed. The measurements
are implemented at high frequency range of 100 KHz to 1 MHz using a very small AC
signal of 10 mV with exceptation that the exciting signal will not affect to the
antibody surface modification process.

h) Smart Grid Design - A 3-year project from the Ministry of Science and Technology,
Taiwan includes the design of a smart grid architecture with blockchain and deep
neural networks. The current plan is to integrate these two techniques into a Multi-
Agent System (MAS) design model where blockchain is used to automatically isolate
mal-functioning micro-grids, perform smart meter functions, load scheduling, load
shedding, etc. and deep neural network models will be used by the smart contracts
in blockchain on how, when, and where functions should be applied. For example,

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the inter micro-grid trading process can be made more smart through deep neural
network models and then blockchain can be used for automating everything in the
MAS-based Smart Grid design. Students and professors are welcome to collaborate
with the Embedded Systems Lab of National Chung Cheng University, Taiwan.

Similarly, projects for the students of CCU Taiwan will be offered by the faculty of IIT
Ropar.

3.3 Joint Phd Programme

IIT Ropar and CCU, Taiwan have started working on the Joint PhD programme to
enhance the academic collaboration and encourage research exchange.

3.4 Lecture Series

a) Mr. Ajay Kahyap, CEO and [email protected], AI for e-commerce.
b) Prof. Shivaji Badhopadya, Director NIT Silchar, Assam.
c) Prof. Arvind Basu, Director, NIT Durgapur.
d) Prof. Sourajeet Roy, Assistant Prof., Electronic and Communication Engineering,

Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee.
e) Dr. Mathukumalli Vidyasagar, Distinguished Professor and SERB Distinguished

Fellow from Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad.
f) Prof. Pushpak Bhattacharya, Director, Indian Institute of Technology Patna .
g) Prof. Soumen Chakrabarti, Department of Computer Science and Engineering,

Indian Institute of Technology Bombay .
h) Prof. Balaraman Ravindran, Heads Robert Bosch Centre for Data Science and

Artificial Intelligence at Indian Institute of Technology Madras.
i) Dr. Manish Gupta, Indian Institute of Technology Banglore- ACM Fellow and Infosys

Chair person.
j) Invitation to delegation from Taiwan.
k) Speakers from Industry for lectures and sessions.

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3.5 Workshops

a) Workshop for Statistical Techniques on AI and Data Science with collaboration of
Department of Mathematics and Computer Science and Engineering, IIT Ropar
from December 9-13, 2019.

b) One day workshop - Punjab State Council of Science and Technology in Februray.
c) National Workshop in association with IIT Madras in March .
d) 5-Days Short Term Training Program organized By EICT, IIT Guwahati.
e) Talk on NLP by Prof. Pushpak Bhattacharya, Director IIT Patna at the second

linguistic symposium- Bridging Research on Cognition and Speech (BROCAS) 2019 -
jointly with Department of Humanities and Social Sciences on December 13, 2019.

3.6 Hands-on Session and Faculty
Development Programmes

a) Faculty Development Programme proposed by the Finland Labs.
b) Hands on session by Mr. Srikanth, Senior Scientist at Grammner.

3.7 Planned Visits

a) Mr. Ankur Srivastava, Co-founder, Vitaraya Technologies Pvt. Ltd.
b) Visit to Punjab Engineering College is planned to meet Dr Dheeraj Sanghi, Director

PEC for the collaboration on AI.
c) A meeting with Mr. Rakesh Verma, Principal Secretary to Govt. of Punjab, Deptt. of

Science, Technology & Environment, DST Punjab is planned to start work with
Punjab government.
d) Visiting faculty at IIT Ropar from Taiwan.
e) Visit to near by colleges such as Chitkara University, Chandigarh University, Lovely
Professional Unversity, Jalandhar etc.
f) Visit to Punjab State Council of Science and Technology, Chandigarh for
collaborative projects and workshops under PSCST.

3.8 Short visit to CCU, Taiwan

The short visit is planned to Taiwan. In the visit Dr. Shashi Jha, Assistant Professor,
Computer Science and Engineering will visit CCU and other universities in Taiwan.

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3.9 Annual Workshop 2020 - CCU, Taiwan and IIT Ropar

An annual workshop will be conducted in March 2020 and March 2021. The workshop
will include talks, lectures and hands-on session. It will be conducted for the students,
faculty and industry practitioners from CCU and IITR.

3.10 Annual Meet

An annual meet, at CCU, Taiwan will be conducted in the month of April (tentative). A
delegation of few member including Director, IIT Ropar, faculty and some students will
visit the National Chung Cheng University, Taiwan.



CONTACT US

Harsimrat Kaur,
Project Manager

Indo-Taiwan Joint Research Centre on
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
Room no. 223, S. Ramanujan Block
Indian Institute of Technology Ropar
Punjab-140001
Email: [email protected]
Phone no. 01881-232023/9023411605