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Information Technology and Computers

IT and Computers

Science and Technology By Jwala Kumar

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PDFelement
Information Technology and Computers

Content

● Information Technology
○ What is IT?
○ Types of computer
■ Microcomputers
■ Mini computer
■ Mainframe computers
■ Super computers
○ Application of Supercomputers
○ India and Super Computers
○ Cloud Computing
■ Types of cloud services
■ Cloud computing and India
○ Edge computing
● Quantum Computing
○ Basics of Quantum computing
○ Potential application of quantum Computing
○ Challenges to quantum computing
● Big Data
○ Basics of Big data
○ Application of Big data
○ Challenges to Big Data
○ Big Data in India
● Semiconductors
○ What are semiconductors?
○ Types of Semiconductors
○ National Semiconductor mission
○ Blue LED
● Artificial Intelligence
○ What is artificial Intelligence
○ Types of AI
○ Application of AI
○ AI and India
● Blockchain Technology
○ What is blockchain?
○ Benefits of Blockchain
○ Challenges to Blockchain technology
○ Advantages of Blockchain technology
○ Cyptocurrency
■ Historical background
■ Advantages of cryptocurrency
■ Issues with cryptocurrency

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■ Global policy with respect to cryptocurrency

■ India and Cryptocurrency
● Intenet of Things
○ Basics of IoT
○ Application of IoT
○ Challenges of IoT
○ Net Neutrality
○ 3-D Printing
● 5-G Network
○ Development of 5G
○ What of 5G?
○ Application of 5G
○ Challenges of 5G technology
○ Virtual and Augmented Reality
● Robotics
○ Definition
○ Evolution of Robotics
○ Advantages of Robots
○ Component of Robots
○ Application of Robots
○ Ethical Issues and other challenges
○ Latest development in robotics
○ India and Robotics

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Information Technology and Computers

Information Technology

What is IT?
Information technology refers to the use of computer systems or devices to access
information. It is a broad term which involves the use of technology to communicate, transfer data
and process information.

Types of computer

On the basis of function and performance

● Analog Computers
○ Analog computers store data in a form of physical quantities and perform
calculations with the help of measures and does not involve the use of symbolic
numbers to represent results. Analog computers are used when data is required
to be measured directly without converting into numerals or codes.
● Digital Computers
○ A digital computer stores data in a numerical format and performs operations on
the data using mathematical manipulation. They use a sort of device to store
information, method for input and output of data, and various components which
allow mathematical operations to be performed on stored data.
● Hybrid Computers
○ A hybrid computer is a type of computer which perform functions of bohth analog
and digital computers. It include a working analog unit that is powerful for
calculations, yet has a readily available digital memory.

Microcomputers
A microcomputer is a personal computer designed for use by one person at a time. It is
a complete computer on a small scale and a device based on a single-chip microprocessor.
The most common example of microcomputers includes laptops and desktops. It also includes
some calculators, mobile phones, notebooks, workstations and other embedded systems.

Features:
● Microcomputers use a single integrated semiconductor chip for its central processing
unit (CPU).
● It contains memory in the form of read-only memory (ROM) and random access memory
(RAM), input/output (I/O) ports, and a bus or system of interconnecting wires, all housed
in a single unit i.e. motherboard.

History of microcomputers
The term microcomputer originated in the 1970s. It was the advent of various microprocessors
that paved the path to the creation of the microcomputer for example the Intel 4004

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microprocessor in 1971, and later the Intel 8008 and Intel 8080 microprocessor in 1972 and 1974
respectively.

Mini computer
A Minicomputer commonly called a Mini is a small computing device, developed in the
mid 1960s. It consists of all the features and functionality of a large computer, in its
smaller size. They lie between the mainframe and the microcomputer, it is smaller than
the mainframe and larger than a microcomputer.

Features
● These are multiprocessing computers with two or more processors.
● Minicomputers are used in an organization to perform basic tasks such as billing,
accounting, and inventory management.
● It has transistors and core memory technologies.
● It was developed for computing tasks such as calculation, storing records, controls, human
interactions, etc.
● Size of minicomputers ranges between 7 to 12 inches in width or less than 7 inches.
● Due to its smaller size it is lightweight and portable.
● Minicomputers can be used anywhere.
● Minicomputers are less expensive than super and mainframe computers.
● It is more powerful than microcomputers, but not much more powerful than the mainframe
and supercomputer.
● Examples of minicomputers include smartphones, drawing tables etc.

History
● They came into existence in the mid-1960s.
● In the 1960s minicomputers was the only small computer that uses transistors and core
memory technologies.
● The first ever minicomputer was known as Digital Equipment Corporation and costs
approximately 16000 USD.

Application of Minicomputer
● It can be used for business accounting
● They are also used as the sub-computer for a mainframe computer. For example, it is
used in the sub-departments of organizations because it is cheaper than a mainframe
computer.
● Minicomputers in the group can be used for creating its internal network.
● Minicomputers are used for circulation, cataloging, series control, management,
acquisitions, communications, data retrieval, etc.

Disadvantages of Minicomputers
● A few of them lack USB ports.

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● Minicomputers lack a CD/DVD drive.

● It is comparatively hard to operate for users due to different operating systems.
● It has a smaller display, smaller keyboard and small storage space.

Mainframe computers
Mainframe computers are designed to
support hundreds or thousands of
users and multiple programmes at the
same time and thus can perform
multiple processes at one time.
Mainframe computers are ideal for big
organizations like banking and telecom
sectors, which need to manage and
process high volumes of data.

Characteristics of Mainframe
Computers
● They have the potential to
process huge amounts of data
of transactions in a second
● They can run smoothly for up to 50 years and thus have a longer life after proper
installation.
● It has large-scale memory management.
● It can share or distribute its workload among other processors and input/output terminals.
● It is less prone to errors or bugs during processing in mainframe computers.
● It can protect stored data and other ongoing exchanges of information and data itself.

Applications of mainframe computers

● Health Care: it facilitated hospitals or health care centres to maintain a record of millions
of patients for proper care and follow-ups.
● Defence: it is used in exchange or sharing of a large amount of sensitive information with
other branches of defence.
● Education: It is useful to store, manage and retrieve data related to their courses,
admissions, students, teachers, employees and affiliated schools and colleges.
● Entrepreneurship: companies have a huge customer base and branches which can
make use of mainframe computers to handle and execute information related to their
inventory management, customer management, and huge transactions in a short time
span, thus easing doing business.

Supercomputer

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Definition: A supercomputer is the biggest and fastest computer in the current period,
designed to process huge amounts of data so much so that a supercomputer can process trillions
of instructions in a second. It contains thousands of interconnected processors to process such
high-speed information. They are generally used in scientific and engineering applications
such as weather forecasting, scientific simulations and nuclear energy research. The first ever
supercomputer was developed in 1976 by Roger Cray.

FLOPS
Floating point operations per second (FLOPS) are used to measure the performance of a
computer’s processor.

PETAFLOP
It is used as a measure of a Supercomputer’s processing speed. It is expressed as a thousand
trillion floating point operations per second.

Application of supercomputers
● Application in the Health Sector
○ Supercomputers are generally used to diagnose various diseases, and provide
assistance for producing good results in strokes, brain injuries and other blood flow
issues in your body. Coupled with Artificial intelligence supercomputers can bring
in revolutionary changes in the health sector.
● Application in Security
○ Supercomputing is used for Military and Defense Missions as it helps in
providing virtual testing for nuclear explosion and weapon ballistics.
○ Supercomputer provides enhanced protection and security as it has the potential
to decrypt passwords.
● Application in Environment
○ Supercomputers can be used to study and understand climate patterns and thus
aid in adapting towards climate change.
○ They are useful for gathering information related to weather forecasting.
Supercomputers are used in the NOAA’s system (National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration) which is able to execute all types of simple and logical
instructions.
○ Also they are used by scientists for predicting the fog and other pollution levels in
particular areas.
● Application in Scientific research
○ Supercomputers can be used for analyzing data from the exploring solar system,
satellites that round earth, and other areas such as nuclear research.
○ They are used in Data mining as some large-scale companies need the
supercomputer to extract useful information from data storage houses or in the
cloud system.

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● Industrial Application
○ In the airline industry supercomputers are used designed flight simulators for
newbie pilots and this simulator helped to train new pilots.
○ They play a vital role in real financial success and also in the emerging online
currency world such as bitcoin and the stock market.
○ It has huge potential in animations.

Disadvantages

● They are extremely expensive.

● They demand extensive infrastructure and need more space for setup and another High
power requirement
● They require well-trained staff.
● It needs more maintenance and needs massive external storage for huge data
● It needs water cooling in addition to an A/C system because a supercomputer produces
more heat during processing time.

Global Supercomputer
● China leads the world with the maximum number of supercomputers.
● China is followed by the US, Japan, France, Germany, Netherlands, Ireland and the
United Kingdom.
● As per World economic forum, the Frontier supercomputer developed by the
US is the world’s fastest supercomputer.
● Top 5 fastest supercomputers in the world:
1. Frontier by US
2. Fugaku by Japan
3. Lumi by Finland
4. Summit by
Tennessee
5. Sierra by US
6. Sunway TaihuLight
by China

India’s Supercomputer
● PARAM 8000 was India’s
first supercomputer.
● PARAM Shivay was the first
supercomputer assembled
indigenously and is installed
in IIT (BHU). It was followed
by PARAM Shakti (IIT-
Kharagpur,), PARAM
Brahma ( at IISER, Pune),
PARAM Yukti (JNCASR, Bengaluru ), PARAM Sanganak (IIT Kanpur).

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● PARAM Siddhi, the High-Performance Computing-Artificial Intelligence (HPC-AI)

supercomputer entered the top 500 supercomputers with a rank of 63. Mihir is another
supercomputer with 114 global ranks.

Steps taken by the Government of India to promote Supercomputers

● In the 12th five-year plan, the government of India committed $2.5bn for research in the
supercomputing field.
● In 2015, the government of India approved a 7-year supercomputing program National
Supercomputing Mission with an aim to create a cluster of 73 supercomputers connecting
various academic and research institutions across India with a $730mn investment.

National Supercomputing Mission

The National Supercomputing Mission was launched in 2015 to enhance the research
capacities and capabilities in the country by connecting them to form a Supercomputing grid
with the backbone of National Knowledge Network (NKN). This is a project under the
Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the Ministry of Electronics and Information
Technology (MeitY) and will be implemented by the Centre for Development of Advanced
Computing (C-DAC), Pune, and the IISc, Bengaluru.

National Knowledge Network

NKN is a project aimed at establishing a strong and robust Indian network which will
be capable of providing secure and reliable connectivity.

Features of Mission:
● The National Supercomputing mission was planned in three phases
○ Phase I includes assembling supercomputers,
○ Phase II includes manufacturing of certain components within the country.
○ Phase III includes the designing of a supercomputer.
● Rudra, an indigenously developed server platform is also tried out in a pilot system, with
Trinetra as an inter-node communication called Trinetra.

Cloud Computing
Cloud computing is a kind of internet-based computing providing an on-demand on-
demand access to computing resources such as applications, servers (physical servers and
virtual servers), data storage, development tools, networking capabilities, and others which are
hosted at a remote data centre managed by a cloud services provider (or CSP). etc.
Cloud computing makes database resources more accessible from anywhere, for as long
as per the need of consumers, without worrying about any maintenance or management of actual
resources. Various cloud providers include google cloud, Microsoft azure, IRBM cloud, google
drive etc.

Salient features of Cloud Computing

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● Attributes
○ Reduces infrastructure cost: Instead of buying, owning and maintaining physical
data centres and servers, one can access technology services directly, thus
reducing the cost of physical infrastructure.
○ Elasticity: A user can have as much or as little of a service as they want at any
given time and thus can be reduced or expended as per the need.
○ Lesser
Maintenance: it is
fully managed by the
provider thus the
consumer requires
nothing other than a
personal computer
and internet
connection.
○ Multiple tenancies:
it includes sharing of
resources by many
consumers at one
given point in time.
○ Easy global
deployment as it
needs only minutes
to deploy at new
geographical
locations.
○ Data-intensive: The focus of cloud computing is on data rather than computation.
● Deployment Models
○ A cloud computing service works in four deployment models
■ Public cloud
■ Private cloud
■ Community cloud
■ Hybrid cloud.

Types of cloud services models

Cloud Computing services are divided into 3 categories

● Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS):
○ IaaS involves delivering on-demand services and computing infrastructure.
○ It is very similar to traditional computer hardware (via operating systems, networks,
servers, etc.), however, the only difference is that it operates virtually.
○ Thus one need not buy physical infrastructure, but can easily purchase it in the
form of virtual service.
○ Example: Google Computing Engine, AWS (Amazon Web Services), etc

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● Platform as a Service (PaaS)

○ PaaS is a cloud delivery service model for various applications.
○ Using PaaS, developers can build various services and applications over the
internet itself.
○ PaaS is used to easily and quickly customize and build apps.
○ Example: Apple Developer Xcode, Google App Engine, Microsoft Azure etc.
● Software as a Service (SaaS)
○ It is the most prevalent cloud service available.
○ It allows its users to run existing online apps.
○ SaaS provides various software like word processing, email, software designing,
various collaboration software, and other application hosts.
○ Users can access these SaaS applications directly through web browsers thus in
turn eliminating the need to install any application.

Cloud computing and India

● MeghRaj: National Cloud Initiative
○ It is aimed at hosting various government applications and services on the cloud.
○ Focus of the MeghRaj initiative is to accelerate the delivery of e-services in the
country while optimizing the ICT spending of the Government.
● Various other applications of cloud computing in India:
○ Infrastructure sector:
■ Cloud computing can be useful in infrastructure development for example
India’s Smart City mission utilizes cloud computing and facilitates local
development.
○ Banking sector:

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■ The Reserve Bank of India is working towards achieving 100% financial

inclusion with the help of technology including cloud-computing, especially
for cooperative banks.
■ The use of cloud computing can help in reducing timelines, reducing capital
expenditure and thus focusing more on core banking business.
■ Indian Banking Community Cloud (IBCC), the first community cloud
initiative developed for the banking sector in India.
○ Manufacturing sector:
■ Cloud computing is useful in CRM (Customer Relationships Management),
supply chain applications, data warehousing, information security, green
IT, Human Machine Interface (HMI) etc.
■ Digital MSME Scheme provides cloud-based services for MSMEs to
reduce their cost by avoiding the building of in-house IT infrastructure.
■ S3WaaS, NIC’s SaaS-based service has been developed to empower
district administrators to create, configure and deploy scalable and
accessible websites.
○ Governance
■ Local governments can easily adopt e-governance without the need to set
up significant IT infrastructure, for example, e-gram panchayat.
■ RailCloud launched by Indian railways is a cloud-based service that will
enable faster connectivity at a minimal cost.
■ Nivaran-Grievance portal is the first IT application on RailCloud which is
a platform for the resolution of service-related grievances of both serving
and former railway employees.
○ Digilocker
■ It is a public cloud-based storage.
■ Data is saved on the cloud and also digitally verified and signed by the
government of India.

Edge computing
Edge computing is a distributed computing framework which brings computation and data
storage closer to sources of data. It includes deployment of data-handling activities or other
network operations away from centralized and always-connected network segments (like
Dropbox, Gmail, etc.) and toward individual sources of data known as endpoints such as laptops,
tablets etc.
As per the reports, by 2025 the global edge computing market is forecasted to reach more
than $ 8 Billion valued growing at more than 32% between 2019-2025.

Advantages of Edge Computing

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● It allows for quick data processing

and content delivery for example
while streaming a video on
platforms like Netflix or accessing
a library of video games in the
cloud.
● Latest technologies like 5G
wireless technology and artificial
intelligence enable faster
response times, lower latency and
simplified maintenance in
computing.
● Edge computing is preferred over
cloud computing, especially in
remote locations, where there is
limited or no connectivity to a
centralized location. These remote
locations require local storage,
similar to a mini data centre edge
computing provides a solution for
it.
● Edge computing network reduces
the amount of data that travels
over the network as only important data is sent.

Previous Year Questions

2022
Q1.With reference to “Software as a Service (SaaS)”, consider the following statements:
1. SaaS buyers can customize the user interface and can change data fields.
2. SaaS users can access their data through their mobile devices.
3. Outlook, Hotmail and Yahoo! Mail are forms of SaaS.
Which of the statements given above is correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Q2: Consider the following communication technologies:

1. Closed-circuit Television
2. Radio Frequency Identification
3. Wireless Local Area Network

Which of the above are considered Short-Range devices/technologies?

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(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

2019
Q3. Consider the following statements:
A digital signature is
1. an electronic record that identifies the certifying authority issuing it
2. used to serve as a proof of identity of an individual to access information or server on the
Internet
3. an electronic method of signing an electronic document and ensuring that the original
content is unchanged
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

2016
Q4: Project Loon', sometimes seen in the news, is related to
(a) waste management technology
(b) wireless communication technology
(c) solar power production technology
(d) water conservation technology

Q5 With reference to ‘LiFi’, recently in the news, which of the following statement(s) is/are
correct?
1. It uses light as the medium for high-speed data transmission.
2. It is a wireless technology and several times faster than ‘WiFi’.
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answers
1(d) 2(d) 3(c) 4(b) 5(c)

Quantum Computing

Basics of Quantum Computing

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Quantum computing is a merger of computer science and quantum physics. Quantum

Technology is based on the principles of Quantum mechanics (developed in the early 20th
century) in order to describe nature at the scale of atoms and elementary particles.

Journey of Quantum technology:

● First phase:
○ It provided the foundations of our understanding of the physical world including the
interaction of light and matter.
○ It led to ubiquitous inventions such as lasers and semiconductor transistors.
● Second Phase:
○ It is currently underway and has a goal of putting properties of quantum mechanics
in the realms of computing. Thus the development of quantum computing is a part
of the second phase of quantum technology.

Difference Between Conventional and Quantum Computing

Conventional computing Quantum Computing

It processes the information in ‘bits’ or 1s and They compute in ‘qubits’ (or quantum bits).
0s,

It follows classical physics under which It follows the principle of quantum

superposition i.e. can process a 1 and a 0

computers can process a ‘1’ or a ‘0’ at a time. simultaneously.

It has the potential to mimic several classical

computers working in parallel.

Properties of Quantum Computing:

The basic properties of quantum computing include:

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● Superposition:
○ The ability of a quantum system to be in multiple states simultaneously is called
superposition.
○ Examples of superposition include the flip of a coin, when that coin is in mid-air,
it is both heads and tails and until it lands, heads and tails simultaneously.
● Entanglement:
○ The two members of a pair (Qubits) exist in a single quantum state i.e. Changing
the state of one of the qubits will instantaneously change the state of the other

one in a predictable way and this will happen even if they are separated by very
long distances.
○ Einstein called entanglement a spooky ‘action at a distance’.
● Interference:
○ Interference states that Qubits (the elementary particles) can not only be in more
than one place at any given time but that an individual particle, such as a photon
(light particle) can cross its own trajectory and interfere with the direction of its
path.
● Google Sycamore is a quantum computer that has achieved quantum supremacy.
Sycamore can perform calculations in seconds that the fastest computers would take
years.

Application of quantum Computing

Quantum computing has the potential to revolutionize various industries by solving problems
faster and more efficiently than classical computers, including
● Secure Communication
○ Secure communication, is significant to satellites, military and cyber security.
○ China demonstrated secure quantum communication links between terrestrial
stations and satellites.
● Research
○ Quantum computing can help in solving some of the fundamental questions in
physics related to gravity, black hole etc.
○ Quantum computing gave a big boost to the Genome India project.
● Disaster Management

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○ Quantum computing can make disasters like Tsunamis, droughts, earthquakes

and floods more predictable.
○ Quantum computers can help simulate and understand complex systems such
as the earth's climate, leading to improved predictions and decisions and thus
combating climate change.
● Drug discovery and simulation: quantum computers can simulate complex chemical
reactions and help in identifying new drugs.
● Cryptography: quantum computers can break many encryption algorithms that are
currently secure, so quantum-resistant algorithms are being developed.
● Supply chain optimization: quantum algorithms can optimize large, complex supply
chain networks, reducing costs and increasing efficiency.
● Financial modelling: quantum computing can be used to analyze large amounts of
financial data and help make predictions about market trends.
● Artificial intelligence: quantum computers can speed up the training of machine
learning models and make them more accurate.

Challenges to quantum computing

The development and deployment of quantum technology faces several challenges,
including
● Developing infrastructure
○ Hardware: creating reliable, large-scale quantum devices that can perform
complex operations is a significant technical challenge.
○ Software: developing software that can effectively program and control quantum
devices is a growing field, but still in its early stages.
● Error correction: Quantum computers are prone to errors due to their sensitive nature,
and correcting these errors is a difficult task.
● Interoperability: ensuring that different quantum devices and systems can work together
seamlessly is a major challenge.
● Regulation: the deployment of quantum technology raises many regulatory and ethical
questions that need to be addressed.
● Cost-intensive technology: quantum technology is currently expensive to develop and
deploy, and it may take some time before it becomes widely available and affordable.
● Skilled workforce: there is a shortage of qualified scientists, engineers, and technicians
with expertise in quantum technology, and this could limit its growth and deployment.
● Disruptive technology: Quantum computing can have disruptive effects on
cryptographic encryption, which secures communications and computers.
● Decoherence: Qubits (the fundamental unit) are highly sensitive to their environment and
can easily lose their quantum properties, making it difficult to preserve their state for long
periods of time. It needs a careful choice of materials, design and engineering is required
to get them to work.
● Complexity: Quantum systems are complex and difficult to control, requiring specialized
knowledge and skills to operate.
● Security: Quantum computers pose a threat to traditional cryptography, and new security
protocols need to be developed to protect sensitive information.

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Quantum computing in India

Globally, research in this area is about two decades old however, Quantum computing in
India is a recent and rapidly growing field with numerous research and development efforts
underway by academic institutions, research centres, and private companies.

Steps were taken by the Government of India:

National Mission on Quantum Technologies and Applications. The main areas of focus
for quantum computing in India include quantum cryptography, quantum simulation, and
quantum machine learning.
● QUEST – Quantum Enabled Science and Technology.
○ In 2018, the government initiated serious discussions in quantum technologies
and kick-started research projects across 51 organizations under QUEST
● National Mission on Quantum Technology and Applications (NMQTA)
○ It was launched in 2018 with the aim of creating a strong ecosystem for quantum
research, development, and innovation in India.
○ The mission covers a wide range of areas including quantum communication,
quantum computing, quantum cryptography, and quantum sensing.
○ It also involves collaborations between academia, research institutes, and
industries to achieve its goals.
○ The mission is expected to drive the development of cutting-edge quantum
technologies in India and position the country as a leader in the field.

Previous Year Question

2022
Q1. Which one of the following is the context in which the term "qubit" is mentioned?
(a) Cloud Services
(b) Quantum Computing
(c) Visible Light Communication Technologies
(d) Wireless Communication Technologies
Answer (b)

Big Data

What is Big Data?

Big data refers to large and complex datasets that traditional data processing systems are
unable to handle efficiently. The term "big data" is used to describe data sets with sizes beyond
the ability of traditional relational databases to capture, store, manage, and analyze.

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Big data typically includes

● Structured data: trаnsасtiоns аnd finаnсiаl reсоrds
● semi-structured data: web server lоgs аnd streаming dаtа frоm sensоrs
● unstructured data: suсh аs text, dосuments аnd multimediа files etc.

The growth of big data has led to the development of new technologies and approaches
for collecting, storing, and analyzing large amounts of data, such as distributed systems, NoSQL
databases, and cloud computing. Big data is used in many industries including finance,
healthcare, retail, and government for various purposes such as fraud detection, customer
behaviour analysis, and market trend analysis.

Characteristics of Big data

Big data is characterised by the 4Vs:
● Volume: The sheer amount of data generated, collected and stored, which can be
measured in terabytes, petabytes, or even exabytes.
● Velocity: The speed at which data is generated and processed, often in real-time or near
real-time.
● Variety: The diverse types of data, including structured, semi-structured, and unstructured
data, such as text, images, audio, and video
● Veracity: The uncertainty and unreliability of data, including issues such as data quality,
accuracy, and completeness.
The two additional Vs apart from the 4 original Vs are
● Variability: The differences in the data's structure, format, and content, which can make
it difficult to standardize and process
● Value: The potential business or societal value that can be derived from the data through
analysis and insights.
These 6Vs help organizations understand the full scope of the challenges and opportunities posed
by big data, and the importance of considering both technical and business factors when
developing big data strategies.

Application of Big data

● Industrial application:
○ Industries use big dаtа tо imрrоve орerаtiоns, рrоvide better customer service,
сreаte рersоnаlized marketing саmраigns аnd decision making
○ Healthcare industry: Big data can help in Predictive analytics, personalized
medicine, and medical imaging analysis. At present the data is generally present
in silos, big data can help in the integration of data of healthcare, thus better studies
and research.
○ Retail: big data can study customer behaviour analysis, targeted marketing, and
supply chain optimization.
○ Financial services firm:
■ They use big data for fraud detection, risk management, and customer
segmentation.
■ Big data help in decreasing financial loses.

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■ Tax officials can hold tax evaders using Project Insight.

○ Manufacturing: big data in these industries can be used for Predictive
maintenance, supply chain optimization, and quality control.
○ Transportation: Big data can aid in route optimization, predictive maintenance,
and traffic management.
○ Energy: Predictive maintenance, demand forecasting, and renewable energy
integration. Big dаtа can help оil аnd gаs соmраnies in identifying роtentiаl drilling
lосаtiоns аnd mоnitоr рiрeline орerаtiоns.
○ Education: Student performance analysis, personalized learning, and online
education.
● Gоvernаnсe:
○ Big data can help in social media monitoring, crime prediction, and policy
analysis.
○ Роwer Disсоms uses last mile data tо сut dоwn their Аggregаte Teсhniсаl and
Соmmerсiаl lоsses.
○ Seсurity аgenсies аnd Роliсe fоrсes use big dаtа tо prevent сyber-аttасks,
enhаnсe seсurity systems, deteсt саrd-relаted frаud саses, prediсt сriminаl
асtivities: Сrime аnd Сriminаl Trасking Netwоrks аnd Systems (ССTNS) etc.
● Аgriсulture аnd Fооd
○ Big data can help in research studies which can lead to better seed seleсtiоn.
○ Better weаther fоreсаsting: Advanced analytics capabilities and agri-robots such
as aerial imagery, and sensors help give local weather forecasts.
○ Irrigаtiоn and effeсtive wаter mаnаgement: precision agriculture aids farmers
in tailored and effective water management.
○ Crop disease: search engines can identify flu outbreaks based of web searches
using big data.
○ Food processing: optimising production schedules based on supplier, customer,
machine availability and cost constraints.
● Digitаl Technology
● Big data can be used in the teleсоm seсtоr соnneсting the hinterlаnd аreаs аnd
bringing them tо the mаinstreаm and also on Sосiаl Mediа fоr tаrgeting рlаtfоrm
users.
● It plays an important role in media and entertainment. Facebook alone handles 50
billion photos.

Challenges to Big Data

● Data Privacy and Security: With the increasing amount of sensitive personal
information being stored and processed, the privacy and security of the data become a
major concern.
○ Big Data Analytics has led to the twin problems of digitization i.e. Data privacy
and Net neutrality.

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○ It has also led to challenges of security. For example, several incidents of

leakage of Aadhaar data highlighted the need for the government to increase the
security and safety of the virtual data it collects from its citizens.
● Technical Challenges: Big data involves several inherent technical limitations like
○ Inefficient infrastructure for data collection and management
○ Storage and computational issues
○ Scalability and streaming challenges
● Challenges related to Governance:
○ For effective policymaking w.r.t. Big Data, the government needs to adopt a
consistent dynamic approach.
○ To percolate the benefit to the lowest level, constant evaluation of the generated
feedback and flexibly changing the related policy structures is required.
● Skilled workforce: The analysis of big data requires a specialized set of skills, including
data science, statistics, and programming, which can be difficult to find and retain.
● Cost: Storing and processing big data can be expensive, requiring investments in
hardware, software, and personnel.

Big Data in India

India is the most populated country in the world with a population of more than 1.3 billion
and with this population, big data holds a significant position in the Indian context. The Indian
analytics industry is predicted to reach the $16 billion mark by 2025 as per the study conducted
by NASSCOM.

Government Initiatives
● National Data & Analytics Platform: NITI Aayog is working on a plan in collaboration
with the private players to develop a single source of sectoral data for citizens,
policymakers, and researchers under the name of the National Data and analytics
platform.
● National Data warehouse on Official Statistics: it was proposed by the Ministry of
Statistics and Programme Implementation. It will leverage technology and use big
data analytical tools to improve the quality of macroeconomic aggregates.
● Big Data Management Policy: It was drafted by CAG for auditing large chunks of data
generated by the public sector in the states and the union territories.
● Good governance initiatives like Smart City Mission, Digital India, and digital economy
proposals like the BHIM app are important government initiatives that are using Big Data
for achieving good governance.
● National Policy on Software Products: A policy aimed at promoting the development
and growth of the software product industry in India, including big data and analytics
solutions.
● National Big Data Analytics Hub: A government-supported hub aimed at fostering the
development of big data analytics in India and promoting the use of big data in various
industries.

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Semiconductors

What are semiconductors?

Semiconductors are materials that have electrical conductivity between that of a conductor
like metal and an insulator like glass or rubber. They are made from elements such as silicon,
germanium, and gallium arsenide.

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Semiconductors make the essential components in a wide range of electronic devices,

including computer processors, smartphones, and other electronic devices. They can be
manufactured in various forms, including diodes, transistors, and integrated circuits. They are
also present in diagnostic machines, military protection systems and also in robots etc.
There performance and functionality of semiconductors can be controlled by doping (or
adding impurities to the material), which can change its electrical properties. The semiconductor
industry is a major global industry and plays a significant role in the growth of the electronics and
technology sectors.

Examples of Semiconductors:
● Most commonly used semiconductors are gallium arsenide, germanium, and silicon.
● Gallium arsenide is used in solar cells, laser diodes, etc.
● Silicon is the most widely used type of semiconductor, used in many electronic devices
or electric circuit fabrication.
● Germanium is a type of semiconductor that was used in early electronics, now mostly
replaced by silicon.
● Gallium arsenide is a type of semiconductor with high electron mobility, used in high-
speed and high-power electronics.

Properties of Semiconductors
● They show variable resistance ranging from 10-5 to 106 Ωm.
● High resistance to thermal and electrical breakdown.
● The conductivity of semiconductors is 105 to 10-6 mho/m
● Temperature sensitivity:
Semiconductor
properties can change
with temperature.
● Photosensitivity:
Semiconductors can
respond to light.
● Current Flow is due to
electrons and holes.
● Semiconductors are
smaller in size and have
less weight.
● The resistance of
semiconductor materials
decreases with the
increase in temperature.

Application of semiconductors in day-to-day life:

● Electronics: Semiconductors are used in many electronic devices, including computers,

smartphones, televisions, and radios.

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● Power electronics: Semiconductors are used in power electronics to control and regulate
the flow of electricity.
● Solar panels: Semiconductors are used in solar panels to convert sunlight into electricity.
● Automotive: Semiconductors are used in various automotive applications, such as engine
control systems, lighting, and infotainment systems.
● Medical equipment: Semiconductors are used in medical equipment, such as X-ray
machines, CT scanners, and ultrasound machines.
● Home appliances: Semiconductors are used in many home appliances, such as
refrigerators, washing machines, and air conditioners.

Types of Semiconductors

Major types of semiconductors are

● Intrinsic semiconductors:
○ They are pure semiconductors without any impurities, also known as undoped
semiconductors.
○ Here Density of electrons is equal to the density of holes.
○ They have lower electrical conductivity.
● Extrinsic semiconductors:
○ They are semiconductors with impurities added to alter their electrical properties.
○ They include p-type and n-type semiconductors.
○ They have a higher electric conductivity.
○ Here tensity of electrons is not equal to the density of holes.
● Compound semiconductors: Semiconductors made from multiple elements, such as
gallium nitride and indium phosphide, used in LEDs and high-frequency devices.

Semiconductor Industry
Major players in the semiconductor industry include Intel, Samsung, TSMC, Qualcomm,
and NVIDIA. It is a multi-billion dollar market, with global revenue expected to reach over $450
billion in 2022. The semiconductor market research association IC Insights reported that the
largest 10 semiconductor companies spent an average of 13% of sales on R&D in 2017.
The semiconductor industry is global, with companies and suppliers located around the
world. It is highly integrated, with companies involved in the design, manufacturing, and marketing
of semiconductor products and involves significant collaboration between companies,
governments, and research institutions.
The semiconductor industry is constantly advancing, with new technologies such as AI,
5G, and IoT driving growth. Success in the semiconductor industry depends upon creating
smaller, faster and cheaper products.

Leading chipmakers
● US firms form 47% of global semiconductor sales in 2020.
● Japan's dominance has waned whereas the dominance of South Korea has increased.

The Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the semiconductor industry

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● Increased demand: The COVID-19 pandemic had increased demand for semiconductors
due to a surge in online activity and remote work.
● Supply chain disruptions: The pandemic has further caused disruptions in the
semiconductor supply chain, leading to shortages and increased prices.
● Investment: The pandemic has led to increased investment in the semiconductor
industry, as companies seek to secure supplies and prepare for future growth.
● Manufacturing challenges: The pandemic has posed manufacturing challenges for the
semiconductor industry, with shutdowns and reduced capacity affecting production.
● Remote work: The pandemic has accelerated the trend towards remote work, increasing
demand for semiconductors and electronics.

Moore's law
● It is a prediction made by Gordon Moore, co-founder of Intel, in 1965 that the number
of transistors on a microchip would double every two years. At present, the doubling
period is often quoted as 18 months.
● This prediction has largely held true and has driven the rapid progress in computing
power and cost reduction in the semiconductor industry.
● The trend towards miniaturization and increased transistor density has enabled the
development of smaller, faster, and more powerful electronic devices.
● Moore's law has been a driving force behind the rapid pace of technological
advancement and has had a profound impact on the semiconductor industry and the
world at large.

Semiconductors Industry in India

The semiconductor industry in India is a growing industry and is driven by the increasing
demand for electronics and consumer devices. India’s semiconductor consumption is expected
to cross USD 80 billion by 2026 and USD 110 billion by 2030.

Advantages for India:

● Consumer demand: the demand-driven market of India and its huge population is
favorable for the semiconductor market in India.
● Talent pool: India has one of the largest talent pools of engineers and scientists, in the
world which makes it a competitive location for semiconductor companies.
● Manufacturing: India has a growing semiconductor manufacturing sector, with
companies such as Tata, Wipro, and Hindustan Semiconductors setting up production
facilities.
● Opportunities: The semiconductor industry in India offers opportunities for investment
and partnerships, with a focus on developing local manufacturing capabilities.

National Semiconductor mission

Need for the mission:

● In the current geopolitical scenario, trusted sources of semiconductors and displays hold
strategic importance and are key to the security of the critical infrastructure.

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● Development of Semiconductors and display ecosystem will have a multiplier effect

across different sectors of the economy with deeper integration to the global value chain.

About Semiconductor mission:

● The National Semiconductor Mission (NSM) is a program launched by the Indian
government to establish a self-reliant and competitive electronics system design and
manufacturing (ESDM) ecosystem in the country.
● The main objective of the mission is to boost the growth of the semiconductor and
electronics industry in India, create job opportunities, and reduce dependency on imports.
● Key features
○ Fiscal support of up to 50% of the project cost, in order to set up certain variants
of silicon-based semiconductor fabs across India.
○ It will provide financial support for 6 years.
○ Total financial outlay of the project is Rs 76,000 crore under the Ministry of
Electronics and IT (MeitY).
○ Creation of an enabling ecosystem for ESDM through a policy framework and
investments in R&D.
○ Development of human resources and skill development in the ESDM sector.
○ Promotion of entrepreneurship and innovation in ESDM.
○ Promotion of domestic manufacturing and exports in ESDM.
○ Creation of a vibrant domestic semiconductor ecosystem through investment in
infrastructure and technology.
● Key components
○ Scheme for setting up Semiconductor Fabs in India: It provides fiscal support
to eligible applicants for setting up Semiconductor Fabs. Fabs are is aimed at
attracting large investments for setting up semiconductor wafer fabrication
facilities in the country.
○ Scheme for setting up of Display Fabs in India: To provide fiscal support to
eligible applicants for setting up of Display Fabs which is aimed at attracting large
investments for setting up TFT LCD / AMOLED-based display fabrication
facilities in the country.
○ Scheme for setting up of Compound Semiconductors / Silicon Photonics /
Sensors Fab and Semiconductor Assembly, Testing, Marking and Packaging
(ATMP) / OSAT facilities in India.
○ Design Linked Incentive (DLI) Scheme: to provide financial incentives, design
infrastructure support across various stages of development and deployment of
semiconductor design for Integrated Circuits (ICs), Chipsets, Systems on Chips
(SoCs), Systems & IP Cores and semiconductor linked design.

Other semiconductor missions:

● Semi-conductor Laboratory (SCL):
○ It is an initiative by MeitY and the ministry will take requisite steps for the
modernization and commercialization of the Semi-conductor Laboratory (SCL).
● For Compound Semiconductors

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○ 30% of the capital expenditure will be provided by the government as financial

support to approved Compound Semiconductors units.
● Production Linked Incentives:
○ Incentive support to the tune of Rs.55,392 crore (7.5 billion USD) have been
approved under the scheme for Largest Scale Electronics Manufacturing.

Blue LED
A blue LED (Light Emitting Diode) is a type of diode that emits blue light when a current
is passed through it. They are commonly used in lighting and displays. Blue LEDs have a
longer wavelength than green and red LEDs and are used in combination with other diodes to
create white light. In 2014 Nobel Prize for physics has been awarded to Professors Isamu
Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano and Shuji Nakamura for the invention of blue light-emitting diodes
(LEDs) in the early 1990s.

Application of Blue LED:

The blue LED has several important applications and characteristics that make it valuable:
● Display technology: Blue LEDs are a crucial component of modern display technology,
such as computer monitors, televisions, and smartphone screens.
● White light creation: Blue LEDs are often used in combination with other diodes to create
white light, which is used in a variety of applications, including lighting and illumination.
● Energy efficiency: Blue LEDs are more energy-efficient than traditional light sources,
making them an important tool in reducing energy consumption and combating climate
change.
● Long lifespan: Blue LEDs have a long lifespan, which makes them an attractive option
for applications where changing light bulbs frequently is not feasible.
● High brightness: Blue LEDs have high brightness and can be used in a variety of lighting
applications, including automotive lighting, street lighting, and general illumination.

Impact of Blue LED

LEDs have had a significant impact on daily life in several ways:

● Energy-efficient lighting: LEDs consume much less energy than traditional light sources,
reducing energy bills and helping to save the environment.
● Improved display technology: The use of LEDs in displays has led to improved colour
accuracy, wider viewing angles, and higher resolution.
● Mobile devices: LEDs have revolutionized mobile devices, enabling smaller and more
efficient screens, as well as improved battery life.
● Automotive lighting: LED lighting has improved the visibility and safety of vehicles, and
is now commonly used for headlights, tail lights, and interior lighting.
● General illumination: LED lighting has become increasingly popular in homes and
commercial buildings, providing bright, energy-efficient lighting for a wide range of
applications.
● Smart lighting: LED lighting can be controlled by smartphone apps and voice assistants,
making it easier to control lighting in homes and buildings.

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Concerns related to Blue LED

● Extreme or prolonged exposure causes age-related macular degeneration.
● Blue light from smartphones/ laptops disturbs circadian rhythm.
● It might cause retinal damage, insomnia and even cancer.

The government after realizing the importance of blue LEDs in energy conservation has
encouraged their use through several schemes like UJJALA (Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for
All) and Street Light National Programme.

Previous Year Question

2022
Q1. With reference to street lighting, how do sodium lamps differ from LED lamps?
1. Sodium lamps produce light in 360 degrees but it is not so in the case of LED lamps.
2. As street lights, sodium lamps have a longer life span than LED lamps.
3. The spectrum of visible light from sodium lamps is almost monochromatic while LED
lamps offer significant color advantages in street lighting.
Select the correct answer using the code is given below
(a) 3 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 1 and 3
(d) 1, 2 and 3

2017
Q2: Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDs) are used to create a digital display in many devices.
What are the advantages of OLED displays over Liquid Crystal displays?
1. OLED displays can be fabricated on flexible plastic substrates.
2. Roll-up displays embedded in clothing can be made using OLEDs.
3. Transparent displays are possible using OLEDs.
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
(a) 1 and 3 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 1, 2 and 3
(d) None of the above statements is correct

Answers

1(c) 2(d)

Previous Year Mains Questions

2021

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The Nobel Prize in Physics of 2014 was jointly awarded to Akasaki, Amano and Nakamura for
the invention of Blue LEDs in 1990s. How has this invents impacted the everyday life of human
beings?

Artificial Intelligence

What is Artificial Intelligence

The term Artificial intelligence was coined by John McCarty is 1955. Artificial Intelligence (AI)
refers to the simulation of human intelligence or cognitive abilities in machines that are designed
to think and act like humans. These machines are trained to perform tasks that typically require
human intelligence, such as understanding natural language, recognizing objects, and making
decisions.

AI systems can be classified into three main categories

● Weak AI,

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○ It is also known as narrow AI or applied AI.

○ It is designed to perform a specific task, such as speech recognition, image
classification, or language translation.
○ Weak AI systems are trained on a specific set of data and use algorithms optimized
for a particular task.
○ They are not capable of general intelligence and cannot perform tasks outside of
their specific training.
● Strong AI
○ It is also known as General AI.
○ It refers to systems that have the ability to perform any intellectual task that a
human can.
○ These systems have the ability to think and reason like a human, and can perform
tasks that they have not been specifically trained on.
○ Strong AI is still in the developmental stage and has not yet been achieved.
● Super AI
○ Super AI is a level of AI at which machines could surpass human intelligence.
○ They can perform any task better than humans with cognitive properties.

Core components of Artificial intelligence:

Artificial Intelligence works by building models based on data and algorithms to simulate human
intelligence. The core components of AI systems include
● Data: AI models are trained on large amounts of data to enable them to make predictions
or decisions.
● Algorithms: AI algorithms are mathematical formulas that enable machines to perform
tasks, such as recognizing patterns or making decisions, based on the data they have
been trained on.
● Models: AI models are created by training algorithms on data and can be used for
prediction, classification, and decision-making.
● Neural Networks: Neural networks are a type of machine learning algorithm modelled
after the structure and function of the human brain. They consist of interconnected nodes
that process and transmit information.
● Machine Learning: Machine learning is a subfield of AI that focuses on the development
of algorithms that enable machines to learn and improve their performance over time.
AI systems use these components to process and analyze data, make predictions, and perform
tasks. The specific working of AI depends on the type of AI system and the task it is designed to
perform.

Working of AI

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Artificial Intelligence systems sense, comprehend, and act by following a series of steps

Categorisation of AI
Arend Hintze, an assistant professor of integrative biology and computer science and
engineering at Michigan State University categorise AI into the following based on the level of
human-like intelligence displayed by the systems.
● Reactive Machines:
○ AI systems that can only respond to the current situation.
○ They do not have the ability to form memories or make decisions based on past
experiences.
○ Example: IBM Deep Blue Chess Programme in the 1990s.
● Limited Memory: AI systems that have the ability to store and use past experiences to
inform future decisions, for example, the decision-making of cars is designed on this AI.
● Theory of Mind: AI systems that have the ability to understand and predict human
behaviour based on their beliefs, desires, and emotions. They do not exist in the practical
world.
● Self-Aware: AI systems that have a sense of their own consciousness and can reflect on
their own thoughts and actions. However, the development of truly self-aware AI is still in
its early stages and remains a topic of intense research and debate.

Application of Artificial Intelligence:

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Artificial Intelligence has a wide range of applications across various industries, and some of the
most common applications of AI include
● Healthcare:
○ AI is used for medical image analysis (such as detecting tumours in medical
scans), drug discovery, and personalized medicine (such as predicting disease
risk and treatment response).
○ IBM Watson, a healthcare technology has the potential to understand human
language and respond towards it. It mines patient data and other sources in order
to respond.
○ Niti Aayog is helping to roll out the technology for the early detection of diabetic
retinopathy using an AI-based portable device.
● Education: Ai has the potential to revolutionize the education industry by the following
means:
○ Personalized learning: AI algorithms can analyze data on a student's
performance and adapt the learning material to their needs, pace, and level.
○ Virtual tutors: AI chatbots and virtual assistants can provide 24/7 support for
students, answering questions and providing guidance.
○ Intelligent assessment: AI-powered tools can grade assignments, provide
feedback, and help instructors identify areas where students need extra support.
○ Adaptive textbooks: Interactive textbooks powered by AI can provide a more
engaging learning experience and adapt to a student's level and pace.
○ Predictive analytics: AI algorithms can analyze student data to predict
academic performance, providing early warning signs and targeted interventions.
● Natural Language Processing:
○ Natural Language Processing (NLP) is a subfield of AI that focuses on the
development of algorithms and models that enable computers to understand,
interpret, and generate human language.
○ Some examples of NLP in AI include text classification, named entity recognition,
part-of-speech tagging, sentiment analysis, and Text summarization.
● Transportation:
○ AI is used for traffic prediction, route optimization, and autonomous vehicles.
○ Self-driving car is a combination of computer version, image recognition and deep
learning to keep the vehicle in a given lane and avoid unexpected obstructions.
● Finance: AI is used for credit scoring (such as assessing loan risk), fraud detection (such
as detecting unusual credit card transactions), and algorithmic trading (such as executing
trades based on market data and algorithms). Various personal financial applications like
TurboTax are based on AI.
● Manufacturing: AI is used for predictive maintenance (such as predicting equipment
failure), quality control (such as detecting defects in production), and supply chain
optimization (such as optimizing the flow of goods and materials).
● Customer Service: AI is used for chatbots like Siri (such as providing instant support and
answers to customer queries), sentiment analysis (such as analyzing customer feedback
and improving customer satisfaction), and personalization (such as providing personalized
customer experiences).

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● Agriculture:
○ AI is being used in India to improve agricultural productivity by predicting crop
yields, optimizing irrigation, and predicting weather patterns.
○ AI can help in soil health monitoring without laboratory testing, thus easier
diagnosis help in the early restoration of soil health. For example, Plantix, a deep
learning app developed by a Berlin-based startup
○ Further Microsoft in collaboration with ICRISAT (International Crop Research
Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics, Hyderabad) has developed AI Sowing App which
sends farmers optimal sowing dates.
● AI for Climate Change: The use of AI to address some of the biggest challenges posed
by climate change, such as predicting and mitigating the impact of extreme weather
events, improving energy efficiency, and reducing carbon emissions.
Some latest developments in AI
● Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs): A type of AI algorithm that involves training
two neural networks to compete against each other, leading to the creation of highly
realistic synthetic images, videos, and other forms of data.
● Transfer Learning: A technique that enables AI models trained on one task to be fine-
tuned and applied to a new task, significantly reducing the amount of data and
computational resources required for training.
● Explainable AI (XAI): A subfield of AI focused on developing algorithms that can
provide interpretable and understandable explanations for their decisions, allowing for
greater transparency and accountability in AI systems.

Steps were taken by the Government of India to promote AI

● In 2018 NITI Aayog published a draft National Strategy for AI, it identified 5 sectors of
priority for AI
○ Healthcare
○ Agriculture
○ Smart cities and infrastructure
○ Smart mobility
○ Transportation
● To create policy on this Meity has constituted 4 committees
○ On platform and data for AI
○ Committee on leveraging AI for identifying National mission in key sectors
○ Committee on mapping tech capabilities, key policy enablers, skilling, reskilling
and R&D
○ Committee on cyber security, safety, legal nd ethical issues
● Government is digitizing all the records, especially the crime records. It will maintain
the repository in one single place called CCTNS where all the data including the image,
biometrics, or the criminal history of a convict or suspect will be available.
● National Programme on Artificial Intelligence
○ It envisages the setting up of a national centre hub on artificial intelligence under
MeitY, other government bodies and academic institutions.

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○ Aim: to set up
■ 15 technology innovation hubs
■ 6 application innovation hubs
■ 4 technology translation research Parke (TTRP)
■ Hubs and parks: connect academics, industry, central ministries and state
government.
○ It will tie up with the existing programme of the union science ministry i.e. national
mission on the interdisciplinary cyber-physical system.
● In 2019, NITI Aayog circulated the cabinet note to establish a cloud computing platform
called AIRAWAT (Artificial Intelligence Research, Analytics and Knowledge Assimilation
Platform.
● The CBSE has introduced AI as an elective subject for its ninth grade classes.
● IIT Hyderabad becomes the first Indian educational institution to launch a full-fledged
Bachelor of Technology (B Tech) program in AI and is also most likely the third
educational institute in the world after Carnegie Mellon University and the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology to have a full-fledged B Tech program on AI.
● Corporates have started collaborating with academia on AI and IBM’s Blue project is
an example.

India and AI
● As per estimates AI will add 957 billion dollars to India’s GDP by the year 2035 boosting
India’s annual growth by 1.3% points.
● As per the Global AI Report 2019 released by a Canada-based company, India stood
at the ninth position in terms of the number of AI specialists working in the field.
● The US, China and the UK topped the list as per the report.
● Issues: The countries at the top have many academic institutes with programs on AI and
thus they have a greater number of people skilled to do research in the field.

Major challenges for adoption of AI

● Niti Aayog highlighted several challenges like shortage of expertise, absence of data
ecosystem, privacy and security issues, lack of awareness and absence of collaboration.
● AI Bias: Data sets do have a human bias so AI also becomes biased. For example, the
Microsoft chatbot Tay learned misogynistic and Semitic vocabulary from twitter.
● Liability: fixing the liability is difficult for example if an accident happens in self-driving
cars who will be held responsible?, further in avoidable accidents how will it take ethical
decisions?
● Abuse of AI tools: various issues of exploitation of AI like deep fakes are there.

Previous Year Question

Q1. With the present state of development, Artificial Intelligence can effectively do which of the
following?
1. Bring down electricity consumption in industrial units.
2. Create meaningful short stories and songs.
3. Disease diagnosis.

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4. Text-to-Speech Conversion.
5. Wireless transmission of electrical energy.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1, 2, 3 and 5 only
(b) 1, 3 and 4 only
(c) 2, 4 and 5 only
(d) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5
Answer: d

Blockchain Technology

What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a decentralized, distributed ledger technology that is used to record
transactions across multiple computers so that the record cannot be altered retroactively without
the alteration of all subsequent blocks and the consensus of the network. It was originally
developed as the underlying technology for cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, but its uses have
expanded to other areas such as supply chain management, digital identity, and more.

Historical background
The concept of blockchain technology was first introduced in 2008 as a part of the Bitcoin
whitepaper, authored by an unknown person or group under the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto.
In the paper, blockchain was described as a solution to the problem of double-spending in digital
currencies.

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The first blockchain-based cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, was introduced in January 2009. Over
the next several years, blockchain technology gained attention as an innovative way to securely
record and verify transactions.

Feature of Blockchain:
Main features of blockchain technology include:
● Decentralization: Blockchain operates on a peer-to-peer network, without the need for a
central authority to manage or verify transactions.
● Immutable: Once data is recorded on a blockchain, it is extremely difficult to alter or
delete. This ensures the integrity and security of the data.
● Transparency: Transactions on a blockchain are public and can be viewed by anyone on
the network, adding an additional layer of security and accountability.
● Security: Blockchain uses cryptographic algorithms to secure transactions and protect
against tampering and hacking.
● Distributed ledger: A blockchain is a distributed ledger that is shared among all
participants in the network, eliminating the need for intermediaries and reducing the risk
of a single point of failure.
● Smart Contracts: Blockchain technology enables the creation of self-executing contracts
with the terms of the agreement between buyer and seller being directly written into lines
of code.
In contrast with the traditional processes, in blockchain, there are multiple shared copies of the
same database which makes it challenging to wage a data breach attack or cyber attack.

Benefits of Blockchain

● Increased time effectiveness due to real-time transactions.

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● Direct transactions
eliminate the overheads
and intermediary costs.
● It will aid in reducing
risks related to
cybercrimes, frauds
and tampering.
● More transparent
processes with proper
record creation and
tracking.
● High level of security
due to cryptographic
and decentralization
blockchain protocols.

Application of Blockchain

Blockchain technology has various applications in multiple industries such as finance, supply
chain management, digital identity, voting systems, and more. Some of the key applications of
blockchain technology include:
● Cryptocurrencies: Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other digital currencies are the most well-
known application of blockchain technology.
● Smart Contracts: Blockchain enables the creation of self-executing contracts that
automatically enforce the terms of an agreement between parties.
● Supply Chain Management: Blockchain can be used to track and verify the authenticity
of goods as they move through a supply chain.
● Digital Identity: Blockchain technology can be used to secure personal identification
information and prevent identity theft.
● Healthcare: Blockchain can be used to securely store and manage electronic medical
records.
● Voting systems: Blockchain-based voting systems can provide a secure and transparent
way of casting and counting votes.
● Fight corruption: The use of blockchain in government transactions can help in creating
a trusted history for any transaction and significantly reduce corruption.
● Identity and Land rights: Blockchain technology can help the World Identity Network and
Humanized Internet project can store identifiers such as birth certificates and university
degrees. Several governments like Dubai, Estonia, Georgia, and Sweden are making
early forays into blockchain-based technology to secure property rights
● Agriculture:
○ Blockchain technology can improve third-party involvement by ensuring that they
are tracking, collecting and managing data in the best possible way.

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○ For example Coffee board of India developed a blockchain-based

marketplace.

Global adoption of blockchain

● Estonia is the world’s blockchain capital. It is using blockchain infrastructure to verify and
process all e-governance services offered to the general public.
● BSN (Blockchain-based Service Network) was launched by China to deploy blockchain
applications in the cloud at a streamlined rate.
● The Centre for Digital Built Britain is running the National Digital Twin program (NDTp)
with an aim to foster collaboration between owners and developers of digital twins in the
built environment.
● Brazilian Blockchain Network was launched to bring participating institutions in
governance and the technological system that facilitates blockchain adoption in solutions
for the public good.

India and the Blockchain technology

● The Tea Board of India are planning to adopt blockchain technology to help increase
traceability across the entire supply chain to solve the issue of degradation in the quality
of tea being produced, due to adulteration.
● Three students from Malla Reddy Engineering College for Women have shown how
blockchain technology can be used to secure the voting process in our country through
a pilot project.
● Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has instructed all depositories to make
use of blockchain technology so as to maintain records to bring in more transparency in
the process.
● Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is working to apply Blockchain technology in the banking
domain.
○ For example, the State Bank of India (SBI) with commercial banks and financial
institutions is collaborating on a Blockchain-based application pilot.
○ Further, several banks like Yes, Bank, Axis Bank and ICICI Bank are also adopting
Blockchain in their banking business.
● NITI Aayog and Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilisers & Chemicals Limited (GNFC) have
developed a Blockchain-based system for fertiliser subsidy.
● The Directorate of Agriculture, Jharkhand, and global blockchain technology company,
SettleMint, India announced the successful launch of seed distribution to farmers
based on blockchain technology to enable the timely availability of seeds to distributors,
retailers and most importantly, the farmers.
● IIT Kanpur trying t develop e-governance solutions based on blockchain.

Government Measures to Promote Blockchain technology

● A draft framework for the use of blockchain technology in government services was
developed by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). It intends to

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use it in the areas of property record keeping, digital certificates, power distribution, health
records as well as supply chain management.
● NITI Aayog had also suggested the use of the distributed ledger technology for the
delivery of state-run services such as fertiliser subsidy disbursement and educational
certificates among others.
● MeitY with C-DAC has supported a multi-institutional project titled “Distributed Centre of
Excellence in Blockchain Technology”
● NIC and NICSI have established a Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Blockchain technology.
Cryptocurrency

Cryptocurrency is a type of digital or virtual currency that uses cryptography for security and
operates independently of a central bank. Some examples of cryptocurrencies are Bitcoin,
Ethereum, and Litecoin. Transactions with cryptocurrencies are recorded on a public ledger called
a blockchain.

Advantages of cryptocurrency:
● Decentralization: Cryptocurrencies are decentralized, meaning they operate
independently without the need for a central authority, like a government or a bank.
● Security: Cryptocurrencies use cryptographic algorithms to secure transactions and
control the creation of new units. This makes them resistant to counterfeiting and
hacking.
● Privacy: Cryptocurrency transactions are recorded on a public ledger but the identity of
the parties involved can remain anonymous.
● Fast and inexpensive transactions: Cryptocurrency transactions can be processed
faster and at a lower cost compared to traditional financial transactions that involve
intermediaries such as banks.
● Accessibility: Cryptocurrency can be accessible to anyone with an internet connection,
making financial services available to individuals in remote or unbanked areas.
● Transparency: Cryptocurrency transactions are recorded on a public ledger, providing a
transparent and tamper-proof record of all transactions.

Some common examples of cryptocurrency in use

● Bitcoin (BTC): Bitcoin is the first and most well-known cryptocurrency, often referred
to as the "gold standard" of digital currencies.
● Ethereum (ETH): Ethereum is a decentralized platform that enables the creation of
smart contracts and decentralized applications (dapps).
● Ripple (XRP): Ripple is a digital currency that aims to provide fast, secure, and low-
cost cross-border payments.
● Binance Coin (BNB): Binance Coin is the native token of the Binance cryptocurrency
exchange, and is used to pay for transaction fees and access certain features on the
platform.
● Dogecoin (DOGE): Dogecoin is another cryptocurrency.

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Issues with cryptocurrency

● Volatility: Cryptocurrency prices can be extremely volatile and subject to rapid
fluctuations, making them a high-risk investment.
● Sovereign guarantee: They pose risks to consumers as they do not have any sovereign
guarantee and hence are not legal tender.
● Regulation: Cryptocurrencies operate outside of government regulations, which can
make them susceptible to illicit activities such as money laundering and tax evasion.
○ This lack of regulation also creates uncertainty for investors and businesses.
○ The International Monetary Fund (IMF) had urged El Salvador to limit the
scope of unregulated assets as there are large risks associated with the use of
Bitcoin for financial stability.
● Scalability: Some cryptocurrencies have faced scalability issues, meaning they can only
process a limited number of transactions per second. This can lead to slow transaction
times and increased fees.
● Lack of widespread adoption: Cryptocurrencies are still not widely accepted as a form
of payment, which can limit their usefulness and practicality.
● Security risks: Cryptocurrencies are stored in digital wallets and can be vulnerable to
hacking and theft if proper security measures are not taken.
● Complexity: The technical nature of cryptocurrencies can make them difficult for the
average person to understand and use.
● Energy consumption: The process of verifying transactions and creating new units of
some cryptocurrencies, called mining, can be energy-intensive and contribute to
environmental concerns.
○ For example, The total electricity use of bitcoin mining, in the year 2018, was
equivalent to that of mid-sized economies like Switzerland
● Money laundering: Cryptocurrencies are more vulnerable to several criminal activities
like money laundering as they provide greater anonymity than other payment methods.
Thus the public keys engaging in a transaction cannot be directly linked to an individual.

Global presence of cryptocurrency:

● Japan: Japan has officially recognized Bitcoin as a currency and has put in place
regulations to support the use of cryptocurrencies.
● South Korea: South Korea has also embraced cryptocurrencies, with a thriving
exchange market and increasing use of digital currencies for payments.
● Switzerland: Switzerland, particularly the city of Zug, is often referred to as a "Crypto
Valley" due to its favourable regulations and support for the technology.
● Malta: Malta has positioned itself as a hub for cryptocurrency and blockchain
businesses, and has enacted favourable regulations to support the industry.
● United States: The United States has taken a more cautious approach to
cryptocurrencies, with some regulations in place, but is also home to many blockchain
and cryptocurrency companies.
● Canada: Canada has been supportive of the cryptocurrency industry and has introduced
regulations to provide a legal framework for the use and trading of digital currencies.

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Previous Year Question

2022
Q1: With reference to Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), consider the following statements.
1. They enable the digital representation of physical assets.
2. They are unique cryptographic tokens that exist on a blockchain.
3. They can be traded or exchanged at equivalency and therefore can be used as a medium of
commercial transactions.
Which of the statements given above is correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only.
(d) 1, 2 and 3

2020
Q2: With reference to “Blockchain Technology”, consider the following statements:
1. It is a public ledger that everyone can inspect, but which no single user controls.
2. The structure and design of the blockchain is such that all the data in it are about
cryptocurrency only.
3. Applications that depend on the basic features of blockchain can be developed without
anybody’s permission.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only

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(b) 1 and 2 only

(c) 2 only
(d) 1 and 3 only

2018
Q3: The terms 'WannaCry, Petya and Eternal Blue' sometimes mentioned in the news recently
are related to
(a) Exoplanets
(b) Cryptocurrency
(c) Cyber attacks
(d) Mini satellites

Answers
1(a) 2(d) 3(c)

Internet of Things

What is the Internet of Things

The term Internet of things was coined in 1999 by Kevin Ashton. It is known as pervasive
computing and ambient intelligence. IoT is a global infrastructure for the information society
enabling services by interconnecting physical and virtual things based on existing and evolving
interoperable information and communication technology.

IoT is expected to greatly integrate leading technology such as technology related to

advanced machine-to-machine communication. Autonomic networking, data mining and decision-
making with security, privacy protection and cloud computing with technology for advancing
sensing and actuation.

Features of IoT
● Interconnectivity
○ It means anything can be interconnected with global information and
communication infratsructure.
● Heterogeneity
○ It means devices in IoT are heterogeneous based on different hardware and
platform and network. They can intercat with other devices or service platforms.
● Dynamic Changes
○ It means the state of devices changes dynamically connected and disconnected
from the network environment.

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● In IoT most of the connected devices will have an Internet Protocol (IP) address and with
IPv6, billions of devices can be connected together with ease.

Experience with IoT:

● Connected Homes: It allows for the interlinking of household appliances to the network.
● Wearables like smartphones, smartwatches, fitness bands, etc. can be connected using
IoT.
● Cars or other vehicles can be connected to the network.
● The potential application of IoT in smart cities like smart meters that can analyze the
usage of gas, water, electricity, etc. connected traffic signals; smart bins, etc.
● Different networks would be connected to each other:
○ BAN (Body Area Network) for Wearables
○ LAN (Local Area Network) for Smart Homes
○ WAN (Wide Area Network) for Connected Cars or vehicles
○ VWAN (Very Wide Area Network) for Smart Cities etc.

Application of Internet of Things

● IoT and Industry:
○ It can reduce human-induced errors through software programming.
○ It can lead to increase efficiency and improved productivity.
● IoT and healthcare:
○ it can help doctors in monitoring patients in remote areas.

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○ Smart beds can

monitor patients’
movements.
○ Wearable devices can
be connected to
technically advanced
hospitals based in
urban areas.
● IoT in Daily life:
○ It can be used to do
small tasks in daily
life such as coffee-
making as soon as
the owner of the
house returns home.
○ Development of
refrigerator indicating
that vegetables need
to be bought and/or
ordering them
automatically from
the e-store, etc.
○ It can also be used in
handling door locks,
lights etc. .
● IoT in Agriculture:
○ It can contribute to
the improvement of productivity with enhanced weather forecasting, soil nutrient
content, pest infestation, etc.
● IoT in Transportation:
○ It can be used at toll booths, traffic management, driverless cars, etc.
○ It can be used in fleet management, safety assistance, improved logistics, etc.
● IoT in Advertising: various companies can use IoT to analyze and predict consumer
behaviour and apply target marketing.
● IoT and urbanisation: IoT can be used for the development of smart cities to make
cities better places to live and can be applied in solid waste management, smart power
grids, smart energy management systems, etc.

Challenges of IoT
● Loss of jobs because of the replacement of humans with machines. Automation will
naturally bring in job losses.
● Safety and privacy are challenges in this domain. There is the issue of selling personal
data without users’ consent to internet/social media companies. Digital surveillance also
poses a threat with smart homes being susceptible to privacy invasions.

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● IoT devices and networks brings in security challenge for India as they are vulnerable
to cyber-attacks and privacy concerns.
● India still lacks the necessary infrastructure and digital penetration such as broadband
connectivity and high-speed data networks, to fully realize the potential of IoT
● There are lack of standards and interoperability among IoT devices and platforms is a
hindrance to the growth of IoT in India.
● The high cost of IoT devices and services can be a barrier to widespread adoption in
India, especially among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
● Limited awareness about IoT among businesses and consumers in India can be a
challenge to its growth and adoption.

IoT in India
● Under the Digital India Mission, the government of India envisages using the Internet of
Things (IoT).
● In 2018, The National Digital Communications Policy was launched to develop and apply
IoT along with 5G technology, machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, etc.
● 100% FDI was permitted by the government of India in the telecom sector. This will also
aid the development of IoT in India.
● A draft policy of IoT was published by the Department of Electronics and Information
Technology (DeiTY).
● A target of USD 15 billion was set for the IoT market by the year 2020. This will be 5to 6
% of the global IoT industry.

Net Neutrality
Net Neutrality is the principle
that all Internet traffic should
be treated equally, without
any discrimination or
preference given to certain
types of traffic or websites.
This means that Internet
Service Providers (ISPs)
should not block, slow down,
or charge differently for
different online content or
services.

Net neutrality ensures an

open and accessible
Internet, however, some
argue that it restricts the
ability of ISPs to manage their networks and provide better services to customers.

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In 2018, the Government of India approved the principles of net neutrality in India. It will ensure
that netizens continue to have free and fair access to the internet. The Telecom Commission
approved the recommendations given by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) with
respect to Net neutrality.

Recommendations:
● The recommendations prohibit service providers from discriminating against Internet
content and services by blocking, throttling or granting them higher-speed access.
● Telecom and Internet service providers are bound to treat all data on the Internet equally.
They can not discriminate or charge differently by user, content, site, platform, or
application.
● Service providers cannot engage in practices such as blocking, slowing down or granting
preferential speeds to any content.
● Some mission-critical applications or services like remote surgery and autonomous cars
will, however, be kept out of the purview of the net neutrality framework.

3-D Printing
3-d printing is also known as additive manufacturing. It has a global market of $15.26
billion in 2021 and will grow to $68
billion by 2028. It is the process of
making three-dimensional objects from
a digital file. The creation of a 3D-
printed object is achieved using an
additive process.

About 3-D printing:

● It is an additive process an
object is created by laying down
successive layers of material
until the object is created. Each
of these can be seen as a thinly sliced cross-section of the object.
● It is the opposite of subtractive manufacturing which is cutting out or hollowing out a
piece of metal or plastic, for example, a milling machine.
● It enables one to produce complex shapes using less material than traditional
manufacturing methods.

Steps of 3-D printing

1. Creating a 3-D model using computer-aided design (CAD) software or scan an existing
object to create a digital file.
2. Slicing: it means slicing up a 3-d model into hundreds or thousands of layers and is done
with slicing software. Once the file is sliced it is ready for the 3-D printer.
3. Printing: The 3D printer reads the digital file and starts printing layer by layer, building up the
object until it's complete

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4. Finishing: After printing, the object may need to be cleaned, smoothed, or finished to achieve
the desired look and feel.

Previous Year Question

2019
Q1. In the context of wearable technology, which of the following tasks is/are accomplished by
wearable devices?
1. Location identification of a person
2. Sleep monitoring of a person
3. Assisting the hearing impaired person
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

2018
Q2: 3D printing" has applications in which of the following?
1. Preparation of confectionery items
2. Manufacture of bionic ears
3. Automotive industry
4. Reconstructive surgeries
5. Data processing technologies
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
(a) 1, 3 and 4 only
(b) 2, 3 and 5 only
(c) 1 and 4 only
(d) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5

Q3: When the alarm of your smartphone rings in the morning, you wake up and tap it to stop the
alarm which causes your geyser to be switched on automatically. The smart mirror in your
bathroom shows the day's weather and also indicates the level of water in your overhead tank.
After you take some groceries from your refrigerator for making breakfast, it recognises the
shortage of stock in it and places an order for the supply of fresh grocery items. When you step
out of your house and lock the door, all lights, fans, geysers and AC machines get switched off
automatically. On your way to the office, your car warns you about traffic congestion ahead and
suggests an alternative route, and if you are late for a meeting, it sends a message to your
office accordingly.
In the context of emerging communication technologies, which one of the following terms best
applies to the above scenario?
(a) Border Gateway Protocol
(b) Internet of Things
(c) Internet Protocol
(d) Virtual Private Network

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Answers
1(d) 2(d) 3(b)

Previous Year Mains Question

2013
Q. What is a digital signature ? What does its authentication mean? Give various salient built-in
features of a digital signature. (b) How does the 3D printing technology work? List out the
advantages and disadvantages of the technology

Mobile Technology and 5-G Network

Mobile technology

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The two basic technology to operate mobile phones/cell phones network are a global system for
mobile communication (GSM) and CDMA.

GSM is a digital cellular technology which works on frequency division multiple access whereby
in GSM bandwidth is broken into carrier frequencies and each carrier frequency carries the carrier
sequence.

CDMA is digital cellular technology that uses spread spectrum techniques. CDMA uses different
codes to carry telephone conversations within the given bandwidth, each user occupies the entire
frequency spectrum and multiple access is provided by allotting a distinct code to each telephone
conversation preventing interference from other telecom conversations.

Evolution of 5G
1G
● 1st generation of wireless mobile communication was based on analogue radio signals
introduced in the 1980s
● Analog systems were designed for wires. Data, roaming was not possible and the efficient
use of the frequency spectrum was also not possible.
● Analog systems implemented in North America were called Analog mobile phone systems
(AMPS).
● Analog systems implemented in Europe was called Total access communication system
(TACS).

2G
● Second generation wireless mobile communication used digital radio signals at a speed
up to 64KbPs.
● It supports both voice and data transmission or SMS.

2.5G
● It used GPRS (General Packet Radio Services).
● GPRS at a speed of about 114 kbps these signals are available across GSM-operated
mobile phones.
● GPRS enables wireless access to the internet, it ensures efficient use of limited bandwidth
particularly suited for sending and receiving small packets of data such as e-mail and web
browsing.

2.75 G
● 2.75G called Edge GPRS/ E-GPRS provide an enhanced data rate for GSM evolution also
known as Enhanced GPRS.
● Digital mobile phone technology which is superior to GPS as it can transmit three times
more data than GPRS and the speed of data transmission increases from 114 Kbps to
384 Kbps.

3G

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● 3G is a Digital wireless mobile communication with a speed of 1-2 Mbps.

● It enables digitized voice video calls and conferencing, high-speed mobile internet and
mobile television.
● It provides mobile broadband access to a large number of customers with high-speed
data.
● 3G cellular services known as UNITS (universal mobile telecom system) or IMT 2000
(international mobile telecommunication 2000) represent both the scheduled year for the
initial trial system and the frequency range of 2000 MHz.

3.5 G
● 3.5 G is high-speed downlink packet access.
● It is a superfast 3G network, first used by an American telephone and telegraph (At&t)
company at a speed of 3.6Mbps to 14.4 Mbps.

4G LTE
● 4th generation digital wireless mobile technology which is the stage for true mobile
broadband communication with a peak speed of 100 Mbps- 1Gbps. It enables 3-d virtual
reality which is the ability to feel as if we are present at an event even when we are not.
● People, places and products are able to interact as the cyber and real-world emerge.
● It is also known as MAGIC: Mobile multimedia anytime anywhere with global mobility
support integrated wireless and customized wireless services.
5G LTE
● 5th generation digital wireless mobile technology is a network capable of supporting
wireless world wide web broadband applications. It is an intelligent tech capable of
interconnecting the entire world without limits.

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● It can provide the ability to change a mobile phone into a handheld computer such that
high-speed broadband and internet connectivity can be provided to laptops and tablets by
connecting them to 5G network-enabled mobile phones.
● It allows users to transmit massive data files including high-definition digital movies

4G Technology 5G Technology

Data bandwidth of 4G lies between 2mbps to The data bandwidth of 5G is more than 1 Gbps
1 Gbps.

4G has higher latency as compared to 5G of 5G has lower latency. It is below 10

around 20-30 milliseconds. milliseconds, and in best cases around 1
millisecond.

4G technology uses lower frequencies 5G technology uses much higher radio

ranging from 700 MHz to 2500 MHz. frequencies of 28 GHz.

The speed of 4G is lesser with fewer data 5G transfers more data over the air at faster
transfers. speeds.

Application of 5G
5G refers to the fifth-generation wireless communication technology. It has a speed of up
to 10Gbps and uses optical fibre infrastructure. 5G comes with many advantages like faster data
speed, low latency, more reliability and a more uniform user experience.

● Industrial application:
○ 5G provides for the implementation of a sensor-embedded network that will allow
real-time delivery of information across fields such as manufacturing, consumer
durables and agriculture.
○ For example,
■ Logistics and shipping: Use of smart 5G technology can be made for
goods tracking, fleet management, centralized database management,
staff scheduling and real-time delivery tracking and reporting
■ Transportation: 5G can enable vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-
infrastructure communication, making driverless cars etc.
● Critical application: Various critical applications like telemedicine services and remote
control of critical infrastructure and vehicles can be transformed into a more reliable
application by the use of 5g.
● Job opportunity: Global deployments of 5G will continue over the next decade and it will
require skilled labour to design, install, and monitor these networks. Thus it provides for
the Indian demographic dividend to provide services for the 5G across the world.
● Agriculture: 5G technology can provide for smart farming in the future. By using smart
RFID sensors and GPS technology, farmers can track the location of livestock and

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manage them effectively. Also, smart sensors can be used for irrigation control, access
control, energy management etc.
● Social welfare:
○ 5G has the potential to allow citizens and communities to get socio-economic
benefits and comforts through a well-advanced, more data-intensive and digital
economy.
○ For example in health care: 5G can aid in performing advanced medical
procedures with a reliable wireless network connected globally. Smart medical
devices like wearables can continuously monitor patients’ conditions and activate
alerts during the situation of emergencies.
● Smart Cities:
○ 5G can help in the application of smart cities like traffic management, Instant
weather update, local area broadcasting, energy management, smart power grid,
smart lighting of streets, water resource management, crowd management,
emergency response etc in a more reliable and efficient manner.
○ Smart electricity grids for greatly reduced carbon emissions.
● 5G provides huge potential for India as well, as a Global Telecom Industry body, GSMA
said India is expected to have 920 million unique mobile subscribers by 2025, which will
include 88 million 5G connections
● Prevent Road Accidents: with the advancement of self-driving cars, 5G technology will
aid in building up the infrastructure with huge data connectivity and collection and thus
prevent road collisions.
● Mitigating Disasters: connected sensors can detect and warn of natural disasters early.
● Elevating Experiences
○ 5G sets the stage for more immersive entertainment and more engaging
education.
○ Greater realism in VR, Ar and extended reality with lighter devices.
○ More engaging methods of teaching through immersive content.
○ Immersive virtual meetings o boost remote team productivity.
○ It will aid in developing stable and reliable connectivity in crowded spaces.

Challenges of 5G technology:
● Critical infrastructure: Deployment of 5G will require a fundamental change to the core
architecture of the communication system. Since the major drawback of 5G is that it can’t
carry data over longer distances, thus the 5G technology needs to be augmented to
existing infrastructure.
● Non-viability: Indian telecom industry lacks adequate capital with them which is
responsible for the delay in the 5G spectrum allocation. The Telecom companies like Airtel
etc had said they cannot afford 5G spectrum at the current reserve price. As per GSMA,
the emergence of a 5G ecosystem in India depends on telecom operators’ ability to invest
in networks which require support on policy and regulatory fronts.
● Late adoption: Various Countries in the Asia-Pacific region, including India, Bangladesh,
and Indonesia are late in adopting 5G technology and hence they may get decreased
revenue from the service of 5G.

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● Digital divide: As per ITU's World Telecommunication indicator, only 43 per cent of the
population in India uses the internet. This gap is expected to widen due to 5G.
● Interference: Various reports have highlighted the rollout of 5G mobile service could
potentially interfere with aircraft navigation systems. For example, Air India cancelled eight
flights on US routes in January 2022.
● Possible health risk: 5G emits its own electromagnetic radiation like all other radio
waves and this can be harmful to humans and other organisms.
○ Tissue heating is the main mechanism of interaction between the human body and
EM radiations. The present radiofrequency exposure levels result in negligible
temperature rise in the human body, thus having no side effects on humans.
○ However, as the frequency increases, there is less penetration into the body
tissues and absorption of the energy becomes more confined to the surface of the
body (skin and eye).
○ If overall exposure remains below international guidelines, no consequences for
public health are anticipated.
● Greater speed is more rewarding for thieves to attempt data exfiltration over a 5G network.
● Automation magnifies pre-existing organisation flaws.

Virtual and Augmented Reality

Virtual Reality immerses people in experiences, often with a lot of expensive technology such
as headsets. It is a computer-generated simulation of an alternate world or reality and is primarily
used in 3D movies and in video games. The person who becomes part of this virtual world can
manipulate objects or perform a series of actions.

Augmented Reality usually starts with a real-life view of something( such as the camera of a
mobile phone) and projects or inserts images onto the screen or viewer. It is the real-time use of
information in the form of text, graphics, audio, or other virtual enhancements integrated with real-
world objects.

Extended Reality
ER is an umbrella term which covers various technologies that enhance senses, whether they
are providing additional information about the actual world or creating totally unreal, simulated
worlds for us to experience. ER includes Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) and
Mixed Reality (MR) technologies.

Mixed Reality (MR)

● Mixed Reality brings real-world and digital elements together.
● In mixed reality one can interact with and manipulate both physical and virtual items and
environments with the use of next-generation sensing and imaging technologies.
● Mixed Reality allows one to see and immerse in the world around even as you interact
with a virtual environment using one’s own hands all without ever removing your headset.

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Difference between Augmented and Virtual reality

Virtual Reality Augmented Reality

● VR is completely virtual ● AR uses a real-world setting

● VR users are controlled by the system ● AR users can control their presence in
the real world

● VR requires a headset device ● AR can be accessed with a

smartphone

● VR only enhances a fictional reality ● AR enhances both the virtual and real
world.

Application of Extended reality

● Defense

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○ XR can help in improving the situational awareness of the soldiers using AR

technology. This technology is named Tactical Augmented Reality (TAR).

Tactical Augmented Reality

It has an eyepiece that assists soldiers on the battlefield to precisely locate their positions in
addition to the location of other friends or enemy soldiers.
Impact of TAR
● TAR has the potential to replace night vision goggles, as this technology can help
soldiers in the dark.
● TAR will replace the handheld GPS which is used by soldiers to locate their positions.
● The eyepiece is wirelessly connected to a thermal site on the soldier’s rifle or carbine.

● Advertising
○ AR and VR paved the way for an immersive experience for consumers.
○ For example, Jaguar Land Rover put prospective car buyers in the virtual driver’s
seat of its latest models without visiting the dealership.
● Healthcare
○ ER technology has the potential to replace ultrasound scanners as it will help in
locating blood vessels very accurately that too in a shorter period.
● Pharmaceuticals’
○ The tools of Augmented Reality can help scientists to picture the structure of
complex molecules.
○ AR will help the developers of drugs to step inside the molecule instead of just
using static models which in turn will help in reducing errors and the years-long
drug development cycle.
● Logistics
○ It will benefit logistics industries at multiple levels of their operations such as
optimizing warehouse operations, transportation, Last-mile delivery and Enhanced
value-added service etc.

Previous Year Question

2022

Q1. Consider the following

1. Aarogya Setu
2. CoWIN
3. Digi Locker
4. DIKSHA
Which of the above are built on top of open-source digital platforms?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2, 3 and 4 only
(c) 1, 3 and 4 only
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

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2019
Q2. With reference to communication technologies, what is/are the difference/differences
between LTE (Long-Term Evolution) and VoLTE (Voice over Long-Term Evolution)?
1. LTE is commonly marketed as 3G and VoLTE is commonly marketed as advanced 3G.
2. 2. LTE is data-only technology and VoLTE is voice-only technology.
Select the correct answer using the code given below
(a) 1 Only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Q3. In the context of digital technologies for entertainment, consider the following statements:
1. In Augmented Reality (AR), a simulated environment is created and the physical world is
completely shut out.
2. In Virtual Reality (VR), images generated from a computer are projected onto real-life
objects or surroundings.
3. AR allows individuals to be present in the world and improves the experience using the
camera of a smartphone or PC.
4. VR closes the world, and transposes an individual, providing a complete immersion
experience.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 3 and 4
(c) 1, 2 and 3
(d) 4 only

2018
Q4: In which of the following areas can GPS technology be used?
1. Mobile phone operations
2. Banking operations
3. Controlling the power grids
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Q5: The identity platform ‘Aadhaar’ provides open “Application Programming Interfaces (APIs)”.
What does it imply?
1. It can be integrated into any electronic device.
2. Online authentication using iris is possible.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only

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(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answers
1(d) 2(d) 3(b) 4(d) 5(c)

Robotics

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Definition
Robotics is defined as the field of science and technology that deals with the design
manufacture and application of Robots and also the use of computers for manipulation and
processing. It is an interdisciplinary sector of science and engineering.
The term robotics was introduced by Issac Asimov while the term robot was introduced
by Karel Capek. The term is derived from the word “Robota” (Czech term)which means labour
or compulsory service.
A Robot is defined as an automatically operated machine that replaces human effort and
can perform a task like a human being though it may or may not resemble a human being.

Laws of Robotics
Isaac Asimov gave three laws of robotics which are as follows:
1. No harm Principle: Robots may not injure a human being or through inaction allow a
human to come to harm.
2. Obedient: A robot must obey orders given by humans except where such orders would
conflict with the first law.
3. Self-protection: A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does
not conflict with the first or second law.

Basic Classification of Robot

Robots are classified into two categories based on the type of job or work, they can perform in
comparison to humans.
● Work in which a robot can perform better than a human in terms of speed, accuracy,
reliability, productivity and endurance of the task for example Industrial robots.
● Work that a human can perform in a better manner than robots but robots are used
because it may be a dangerous, dirty task for example military robots and domestic robots.

Types of robots
● Industrial Robots
○ They are defined as automatically controlled reprogrammable, multipurpose and
multifunctional manipulators designed to move in 2 two or more axis.
● Domestic Robots
○ Robots are used for household chores for both indoor and outdoor functions, for
example, the highest level domestic robot is the Domobot which is automatically
connected to a Wifi home network/ smart environment.
● Humanoid Robots
○ These are the robots that resemble human beings in appearance with bipedal gait
or two-legged locomotion.
○ It is an autonomous robot with autonomous learning features that can learn/ gain
new capabilities without any outside assistance, it can avoid harmful situations to
people’s property and places which means there is safe interaction with the
environment.

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○ Asimo was the first humanoid robot which was introduced by the Honda motor
company in japan. It resembles a small astronaut wearing a backpack that can run
at a speed of 1km/hr.
○ Atlas is an
anthropomorphic
humanoid robot
developed by Boston
dynamic of USA and is
used in disaster
management.
○ Kirobo is the world’s
first talking humanoid
robot astronaut sent by
Japan to the International
Space Station (ISS) in
2013 with special
features like speech
recognition, natural language processing, information communication, facial
recognition etc.
○ In 2019, Russia sent its first humanoid robot to ISS named as Fedor.

BOT is a computer programme/ software application that can perform a repetitive task again
and again.

A chatbot is a virtual robot that stimulates a real robot and is in the form of a computer
programme that can talk like a human being and human language for example SIRI (Speech
Interpretation Recognition Interface) which is a digital assistance software in iPhone.

Evolution of Robotics
Advantages of Robots
● It addresses Dull, dirty and dangerous (DDD) challenges.
● Robots can perform work/tasks in a more efficient, flexible, precise and consistent manner
as compared to humans.
● They do not get tired, bored or fatigued.
● Robots are cheaper than humans and their cost is further decreasing.
● Robots come in various shapes and sizes depending on the task.
● Robots can work in any harsh and difficult environment as well such as space,
underwater, extreme heat or wind, mines, nuclear sites etc.

Component of Robots
Major parts of Robots include:

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● Controller
● Arm
● End Effector
● Drive/ Actuator
● Sensor
● Actuator

Controller
● Controller is the
brain of the
industrial robotics
arm. It allows the
parts to separate
together.
● It primarily runs a
piece of coded
information called a program.
● Program is imputed with Teach Pendant (nowadays using computers, laptops, and mobile
devices)
Arm
● Arm of a robot is called Manipulator and it positions the end effector.
● It can have multiple joints and each of these joints gives the robot an additional degree of
freedom

End-Effectors
● It functions as a hand.
● This part comes in direct contact with the material the robot is manipulating.
● Finger-like structure is called a Gripper, it can be of various types:
○ Impactive is in the form of claws/ jaws to physically grasp an object by direct
impact upon it.
○ Ingressive is in the form of pins/needles to penetrate the surface of an object.
○ Vacuum is to hold large electronic components.
Actuator
● Or Drive is the engine or motor.
● It performs the role like the muscle and joints of robots. Thus they are responsible for the
motion in the robot.
● They are of various types
○ Hydraulic: they are best suited for low-speed and high-load applications.
○ Pneumatic: they are used for low-speed and low-medium load applications.
○ Electric: they are used for high-speed and low-load applications.
○ Airmuscle: they are simple yet powerful devices to provide a pulling force to the
robot to pull an object of a certain rate towards itself. It consists of a rubber tube
covered in tough plastic plating.
Sensors

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● Sensors allow robots to receive feedback about the environment, thus aiding in Planning
and control which have to focus on self-collision detection path by gathering information
through robotic sensors.
● Robotic sensors are of two types:
○ Proprioceptive: These are meant for self-maintenance, internal balance and
control by measuring the speed, direction and orientation of the robot with the help
of the following:
■ Accelerometer to measure the change in speed by the robot.
■ Inclinometer tilt sensor to measure the angle of inclination needed by the
robot to manipulate an object.
■ Gyroscope stabilises on its own axis of rotation or attitude control which
means the orientation of the camera facing in the right direction to collect
the data.
■ Position Sensors are used to identify the latitude, longitude or altitude of
a robot.
○ Exteroceptive sensors
■ They provide the robot with information about the outside world to interact
with the environment.
■ Robots can also use the working principle of SONAR i.e. sound navigation
Radar.

Application of Robots
● Industrial application
○ Automobile:
■ Industrial robots due to their speed and increased productivity are widely
used in the automobile industry to perform tasks such as spray painting,
welding, material handling etc.
■ Manufacturing industry is passing through a new Industrial revolution
benefitting from the progress made in the field of robotics, sensors,
information and communication technology.
○ Electronics
■ Robots are used for the main production of printed circuit boxes where
these robots are used to place tiny electronic components on boxes.
○ Packaging
■ Industrial robots are widely used for packaging and palletizing
manufactured goods.
■ A robotic palletizer can quickly and efficiently stack these boxes in a pellet.
○ Transportation
■ Mobile robots such as automated guided vehicles along with scanning
lasers to guide their path are used to transport goods in large facilities such
as warehouses.
● Military application
○ Drones are widely used for surveillance and intelligence gathering from
inaccessible terrain of enemy territory and can be used for fire or target purposes.

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○ India has signed a contract with Israel to get armed drones from Israel’s aerospace
industry namely Heron TP.
○ Hundreds of robots such as Robot’s Packbot and Foster-Miller Talon (small military
robots developed for purposes ranging from reconnaissance to combat) have been
used by the military to defuse roadside bombs during Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
○ Daksh, a versatile robot developed by DRDO in the form of a remotely operated
vehicle that can safely handle explosives and hazardous material in public places.
● Application in Health and Medicine Sector
○ In the field of medical robotics has helped in robotic surgery by using a robotic
surgical system provided with a 3-d vision system.
○ Robotic surgery is a minimally invasive surgery that avoids open invasive surgery
● Space sector
○ Autonomous robotic spacecraft can be used in outer space to function in extremes
of temperature variation and radiation.
○ These are unmanned robotic spacecraft acting as orbiters, landers, rovers such
that both lander and rover land on an extraterrestrial body whereby the lander
remains fixed at the site of the landing and operates with its cameras.
○ Rover is a mobile robotic spacecraft that can move around extraterrestrial bodies
with greater flexibility to collect rock and soil samples.
● Application in Disaster management
○ Snake robots can be used to train people trapped in the debris of collapsed
buildings by sensing their heartbeat followed by the role of an atlas robot for rescue
and rehabilitation.
○ Robots can also be used for the safe handling and disposal of nuclear waste
preventing exposure to harmful radiation for human workers.
○ Example Fukushiva Diachi nuclear accident in japan used the robot pack bot fitted
with video cameras to enter the site of the nuclear accident providing live interior
images and temperature recordings.
● Societal application
○ Robots are used to provide personnel assistance to sick and elderly to perform the
day to day activities.
● Domestic application
○ Robots can be used for floor cleaning, vacuum cleaning etc. for example Roomba
vacuum cleaner robot
○ Actuators, grippers, and robotic sensors are used to develop prosthetics and
artificial implants enabling persons with a physical disabilities to lead a more
independent life.
○ Robots like bandicoot can also be used for cleaning manholes. Other examples
include HomoSEP- a septic tank cleaning robot, Endobot - a pipeline crawler (or
inspection robot), and iGlobus - an inline inspection robot developed by Chennai-
based startup Solinas.
● Environmental application
○ Robots can be used to clear oil spills/petroleum-contaminated water and to
degrade non-biodegradable pollutants such as nanorobots.

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■ For Example Bandicoot, was used by the Kerala government as a trial to

clear sewer holes.
○ Robots can be used for the exploration of mines, especially abandoned mines
which have accumulated methane gas due to lack of ventilation which in turn can
cause serious threats to the lives of workers.
■ Groundhog, an autonomous robot developed by the USA was used for
3-d mapping and exploration of mines.
○ EATR: Energetically Autonomous tactical robot
■ It was developed by DARPA (Defence advanced research project agency)
of the USA.
■ It is a versatile robot that can perform long-range and long-endurance
missions because it can transform biomass of the environment into its
energy source like consuming wood chips etc to produce bioenergy.

Ethical Issues and other challenges

● Security
○ As per the world economic forum the more powerful a technology becomes the
more it can be used for nefarious activity.
○ Thus cybersecurity will become even more important in the times of robotic
soldiers, AI systems, autonomous weapons etc.
● Humanity
○ Artificial intelligence is now evolving better at human interactions and relationships.
This will start the age where we will frequently interact with machines as if they are
humans
● Inequality
○ Economic system is largely based on compensation, often assessed using an
hourly wage.
○ By using robots for repetitive and other work a company can drastically cut down
on relying on the human workforce, and this means that revenues will go to fewer
people.
○ Thus the individuals who have ownership in AI-driven companies will make more
money and thus widening of income gap will be there.
● Unemployment
○ World economic forum released a report named future of Jobs report 2020 which
says:
■ The workforce is automating faster than expected, displacing 85 million
jobs in the next 5 years
■ Automation along with COVID-19 accused recession is creating a double
disruption scenario for workers.
■ The robotic revolution will create 97 million new jobs but with new roles.
■ In 2025 analytical thinking, creativity and flexibility will be among the most
sought-after skills.
■ However, remote work will be there, around 84 per cent of employers are
set to digitalise work processes.

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The latest development in robotics

● Sophia
○ Sophia is a human-robot who was granted Saudi citizenship.
○ It was developed by Hong Kong-based Hanson robotics and was its most
advanced and latest robot.
● Xenobots
○ They are the world’s first living machines developed by scientists in the USA
○ These are the robots built from the cells of the African clawed frog that can move
around on its own.
○ They were named xenobots after the aquatic species of frog called Xenopus
Laevis.
○ They have a unique feature of self-healing.
○ They can be used for delivering drugs to body parts, searching for difficult
compounds, radioactive contamination, gathering microplastics from oceans, and
travelling in arteries to scrape out plaque.

India and Robotics

● All India Council for Robotics and Automation
○ AICRA is a not-for-profit organization which was established in 2014.
○ Mandate:
■ It is responsible for setting up standards in the robotics & automation and
education industry.
■ It helps organizations and professionals to solve difficult technical
problems.
■ Enhancement of their leadership and personal career capabilities.
○ It is involved in various activities and has launched various programs to promote
and build a healthy ecosystem for robotics and automation in India.
● Tech Startup Program:
○ It was launched by the All India Council for Robotics and Automation (AICRA).
○ It will act as an incubation environment for startups and other early-stage adopters
who are working on Robotics and Robotics Process Automation (RPA) in India.

Robotics and Robotics Process Automation (RPA)

RPA is a technology which allows the streamlining of operations in enterprises. It allows them
to automate their tedious processes thereby enabling users to enhance their productivity
through higher value-adding tasks.

○
Tech Startup Program will provide administrative support, financial support and
technological support.
● Technoxian
○ Technoxian is an Edutech expo which is organized by AICRA.

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○ It aims at providing a global opportunity to participate in different competitions

related to innovation, robotics, automation, and many other fascinating
challenge-based engineering competitions.

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