IIT-B to turn Dharavi into Digital Hub with New Pilot Project

IIT Bombay introduced a unique mode of marketing to the leather shops in Dharavi. With the help of this model, close to 11 shops were connected through the ‘physical web’ created by a team at IIT-B in collaboration with Swansea University, UK. The project was taken up by the institute to find out the effectiveness of the new technology and how people react to it.

The connected shops are provided with the technology to send promotion notifications to consumers who pass by along the leather market between the Sion station and Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC). These stores are connected to the web through beacons that are placed in the shops.

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These beacons send signals up to a height of 30 feet and smartphone users who have their bluetooth and location on will get the promotion notifications of the products sold by these shops. Consumers will not need any external application to get this information. These beacons have the capability to send signals up to 60 feet. IIT-Bombay will soon join 19 more shops will be joined through the same medium.

The aim of the project is to bridge the gap between the availability of technology and access to it. The institute aims to convert Dharavi into a digital hub. The slum has been picked by the institute as the people in that locality are emergent users who need technological evolution.

After a study conducted on the area, the institute found out that the people were open to technology adaptation and adoption with respect to the circumstances. Self-sustained informal economy was another one of the reasons why Dharavi was picked as the area for the pilot project. The team is currently studying the reaction of shop owners to this new technology.

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Physical Web has been chosen by Google as a pilot project for the Internet of Things Technology Research Award. The team at IIT-Bombay will soon share a report with Google and is hopeful that they will receive the grant. This technology will officially be launched in 2019.