Mapping the Foetal Brain

The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) has carved out a niche in global neuroscience by unveiling the most intricate 3D high-resolution images of the human foetal brain. Dubbed DHARANI, this open source dataset comprises 5,132 digital brain sections—an unprecedented achievement in brain-mapping science. Conceived at the Sudha Gopalakrishnan Brain Centre at IIT Madras, the research, led by Mohanasankar Sivaprakasam, brings together an interdisciplinary team spanning India, Australia, the US, Romania, and South Africa. Medical collaborations with Chennai-based Mediscan Systems and Saveetha Medical College Hospital lent crucial clinical expertise. The result is a global first: a dataset that advances understanding of foetal brain development while providing a foundation for treating neurological conditions such as autism and learning disabilities. For India, which witnesses 25 million births annually, the implications are monumental.

Constructed between 2020 and 2022, the dataset was created with less than a tenth of the funding that had propelled the Allen Brain Atlas, a landmark project in neuroscience. Experts say the DHARANI dataset advances the field 20-fold, enabling quantification of neurodevelopmental disorders and breakthroughs in foetal medicine. Funded by a consortium of private, public and philanthropic entities, the project also enjoyed technological backing from NVIDIA, which processed petabytes of brain data using cutting-edge AI.

Alexa Overhaul

Amazon is on the cusp of overhauling the Alexa personal assistant and making it into a generative AI tool. This would make it more intelligent and human-like in its responses while also being able to perform tasks. The hurdle they have to overcome before making it public is to ensure that ‘hallucinations’ where chatbots make up stories decrease to a negligible point.

Metro Watch

Bengaluru’s Metro will see drones with AI technology scrutinising pillars and viaducts for damages. Bids are expected to be sought soon. The drones will point out the issues and also give a report of the extent of the damages. The engineering department’s job will become easier. Making the process AI-driven will lead to lower costs and more efficiency.

Limited Access

The US came out with a new policy that denied advanced AI chips from companies to countries like China and Russia. It gave 18 of its allies unrestricted access to them while most countries fell in the middle, where they could buy a capped number of chips and would need exemptions for more. India falls in that latter bracket.

(By Madhavankutty Pillai)

artificial intelligenceBengaluruChinafoetal brainIIT-MadrasIndiametronew technologyUS