India has made a mark on the global platform with its technological contribution but much of this is just a fraction of what this country is capable of.

All it takes is just one small inn­ovation to change our world. Since the 1950s, when the first integrated circuit was invented, the role of electronics in myriad and innovative applications across a wide range of sectors has increased manifold. The Indian ICT sector has evolved and we are in urgent need of similar innovations in other critical areas like renewable energy, power and healthcare.

However, the technology is concentrated in certain pockets. This disparity is driven further by a cos­t-sensitive market. But latest innovations in embedded technologies can not only bring down the cost but also bridge the digital divide.

The intelligence embedded in devices has a potential to make our infrastructure better and is the key to environmental sustainability, enabling the world to adopt cleaner technologies. For instance, solar lighting that uses solar cells to convert energy directly to electricity has taken off in a big way. Available at a low cost, the solar lighting devise holds great potential. Cam­paigns like Lighting a Billion Lives have only ignited the spark that can remove darkness from our lives. Smartbooks/netbooks are absolute examples of how embedded technologies can bring down the cost of devices and reduce the form factor. Programmes such as one laptop per child and such initiatives aim at propagating the computing and internet experience and to a larger cause of aiding lesser privileged students in education. The programme calls for corporate involvement as well to succeed.

Keeping in view the ambitious aim of the government to connect 20 million Indians through broadband by end-2010, the fundamental requirements need to be addre­ssed first, the topmost being a dev­ice that can connect you. The ne­wage devises can come in handy he­re, because they cost less than traditional desktops and come with little or no difference in providing the same user experience.

These benefits are not limited to education. It can enable a farmer easy access to information on latest prices in the market to sectors like banking, ITES and governme­nt departments. Smartbooks/n­etbooks can be adopted across verticals since the requirements entail basic computing tasks. The­se devices cater well to our young generation that needs high-speed internet browsing experience.

Similarly, eBooks can revolutionise the sector and help take education to rural area. India is moving towards great cellular and broadband infrastructure. Gov­ernment can use this infrastructure to modernise our education system. The combination of online textbooks and web-based classes will only deepen the reach of education. Not only are the eBooks a boon for frequent travellers but, when applied to education, it can also help evolve the concept of paperless school. Though the present cost of eBooks in India is a big deterrent, but the volume can surely help address this issue.

Technology can address another critical area — the power sector, which is plagued by huge transmission and distribution (T&D) losses. According to the World Resou­rces Institute, India’s electricity grid has the highest T&D losses in the world. The figures published by government agencies put that number at 30-40 per cent and even greater in some areas. This is attributed to technical losses (grid’s inefficiencies) and theft. Apart from these losses, we have to cope with billing irregularities due to manual meter reading.

Technology is slated to revolutionise the sector. Once deployed, the smart metres will reduce energy distribution losses, reduce cost to the consumer and increase reliability. The smart metering techno­logy, built on advanced micro-controllers and transceivers, enables automated metre reading, on-the-spot bill printing and home area networking. Smart metres can curb power theft.

In fact, smart metreing is gaining momentum globally as it overhauls outdated power grids and builds smart grids that maximise system efficiency by reducing energy consumption by continuously monitoring and analysing the grid capacity. Once functional, smart grids and metering systems hold a vision to change the way electricity is consumed.

While many countries are working on this technology, in India it will take participation from both the government and the corporate sector to adopt it. The third area where embedded intelligence has a role to play is medical electronics.

Rise in geriatric population and cost of healthcare have led to the need for affordable medical care without compromising on quality. Several semiconductor companies involved in developing chips for medical electronics have been able to reduce the size of several medical equipment and trimmed down its cost in order to make it more accessible to the masses.

Advances in medical electronics have made significant contribution towards development of portable home diagnostic solutions such as BP, ECG and blood sugar monitors and other diagnostics such as CT, MRI, angiogram and ultrasound, which are increasingly becoming popular in developing countries like India. Semicondu­ctors and embedded technologies can change the world.

The writer is vice-president and country manager, Freescale Semiconductor India