ENTC Team Wins the RISC-V based Design & Verification Challenge at DVCon
Team BitWeavers from the Department of Electronic and Telecommunication Engineering of the University of Moratuwa was able to become the winner of the global design contest “C-DAC’s VEGA microprocessor (RISC-V) based Design & Verification Challenge” organized by the DVCon India 2024 Design and Verification Conference. The team consists of Supun Dasantha Kuruppu, Anuki Pasqual, and Dakshina Tharindu from the Department of Electronic and Telecommunication Engineering.
This contest for university students aimed to encourage innovation in digital system design and verification. Over the span of 5 months, the teams were required to design, verify, and implement a custom AI accelerator to accelerate a vision transformer model for a malware detection application. The accelerator would then be interfaced with the VEGA AS1061 CPU indigenously developed by C-DAC (Center for Development of Advanced Computing, India) and implemented on a Genesys 2 FPGA board. The contest was divided into 3 stages, with 20 teams out of 120 being selected for Stage 2A and 9 teams being selected for Stage 2B.
Team BitWeavers comprising Anuki Pasqual, Dakshina Tharindu, and Supun Kuruppu was able to successfully implement and run the full system and achieve an overall 3x reduction in inference latency compared to the pure CPU execution, surpassing the performance of all other teams. They were the only team from Sri Lanka to reach the top 3 and were given the opportunity to attend the DVCon India 2024 conference held in Bangalore, India on the 18th and 19th of September 2024 and demonstrate their accelerator. They received praise from both the organizing committee and the audience for their impressive performance.
The Department of Electronic and Telecommunication Engineering has always been a pioneer in electronics innovation in Sri Lanka. The team attributed their success to the comprehensive digital system design pathway taught at the department, which gave them the theoretical and practical knowledge that was instrumental in successfully building the accelerator.
The team also thanked the DVCon India team for providing a massive learning experience through this contest, assisting them in the implementation process, and giving them the opportunity to connect with experts from the industry and academia through the conference.
In 2023, ENTC became the 1st runners up.
University of Moratuwa Enhances Innovation with Raspberry Pi 4 Model B Gifting
Moratuwa, Sri Lanka – March 14, 2024 – In a significant step towards fostering technological innovation and hands-on learning, the Department of Electronic and Telecommunication Engineering at the University of Moratuwa has gifted Raspberry Pi 4 Model B kits to all 115 students of the 2021 intake. This initiative is a part of the SPARK program, which aims to encourage students to engage in innovative projects and challenges.
The Raspberry Pi 4 Model B, renowned for its robust capabilities, offers students a versatile platform for a wide range of projects. Equipped with a quad-core Cortex-A72 (ARM v8) 64-bit SoC, LPDDR4-3200 SDRAM, and dual-display support at resolutions up to 4K via a pair of micro-HDMI ports, the Raspberry Pi 4 is a powerful tool for developing complex computing solutions. Its gigabit Ethernet and USB 3.0 connectivity also make it suitable for high-speed data transfer and network projects.
The head of the department, highlighted the significance of this initiative, stating, “The Raspberry Pi 4 Model B kits provide our students with the essential tools to explore, innovate, and create. These devices will not only assist them in their coursework but also inspire them to participate in the SPARK Challenge and other innovative activities.”
Innovative Projects and Real-World Applications
The Raspberry Pi has already been instrumental in several notable student projects at the university. One such project, sponsored by Dialog Axiata PLC, is the Virtual Cycling Project. Utilizing a VR headset, this project enables users to experience virtual cycling through Sri Lanka’s breathtaking mountainous routes. The Raspberry Pi served as the primary controller, showcasing its potential in virtual reality applications.
Another impressive project involved digital IC replication, where the Raspberry Pi generated patterns to train a neural network module, demonstrating its capability in advanced digital signal processing and machine learning applications.
There have been numerous such project using Pis.
The SPARK Challenge: Driving Innovation
The SPARK Challenge is a yearlong endeavor designed to encourage students to develop unique and novel products that address the adverse effects of climate change. The challenge emphasizes the creation of sustainable solutions and aims to foster the growth of new commerce and industry in Sri Lanka. Teams of five students will present their solutions to external specialists in a format reminiscent of “Shark Tank” or “Dragons’ Den.”
To support the students, the SPARK program and the department provide comprehensive training and resources, including:
– Modern Design Workshops: Eight facilitated workshops that help teams formulate and deliver strong, innovative solutions.
– Briefing Sessions on UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs): Guidance on developing sustainable products and services.
– Agile Methodology Training: Enabling rapid iteration of software and hardware solutions.
Dr. Ajith Pasqual expressed his optimism about the program, stating, “The SPARK Challenge is a platform for our students to not only demonstrate their technical skills but also to create impactful solutions that can drive sustainable development in Sri Lanka. We are excited to see the innovative ideas that will emerge from this initiative.” Nisitha Silva, Vice President of the Electronic Club that runs the SPARK program too spoke.
Fostering Future Innovators
By providing the Raspberry Pi 4 Model B kits, the University of Moratuwa is investing in the future of its students, equipping them with the tools needed to excel in the rapidly evolving tech landscape. This initiative aligns with the university’s commitment to fostering innovation, creativity, and practical problem-solving skills among its students.
The SPARK program and the gifting of Raspberry Pi kits symbolize a forward-thinking approach to education, where students are encouraged to push the boundaries of what is possible and contribute to the technological and industrial growth of Sri Lanka.
For more information on the SPARK program and the innovative projects at the University of Moratuwa, please visit [University of Moratuwa – Department of Electronic and Telecommunication Engineering.
Read MoreENVOYAGE 2023: A Confluence of Ideas and Innovation
Colombo, Sri Lanka – October 30, 2023
ENVOYAGE 2023, an industry forum and dinner organized by the Electronic Club of the Department of Electronic and Telecommunication Engineering (ENTC) at the University of Moratuwa, unfolded with resplendence and fervor at the prestigious Galadari Hotel on Lotus Road, Colombo 01.
Gathering a diverse cohort of academic luminaries, ENTC alumni, industry leaders, and students, the event served as a dynamic platform for dialogue, collaboration, and insight into the future of the electronic and telecommunication industries.
Participants engaged in lively discussions, envisioning the future of electronic and telecommunication engineering. Collaboration between academia and industry was emphasized, driving innovation, and addressing challenges. For students, ENVOYAGE 2023 offered insights from industry leaders, networking opportunities, and a chance to navigate the field confidently. The event balanced academia with entertainment, fostering camaraderie through interactive sessions and cultural performances. Attendees bonded, reflecting the vibrant spirit of the ENTC community. ENVOYAGE 2023’s success highlights the department’s dedication to excellence and its role in shaping Sri Lanka’s engineering landscape. Departing participants carry renewed inspiration, committed to advancing knowledge and technology in the industry.
ExMo Engineering Exhibition 2023
The Faculty of Engineering at the University of Moratuwa organized the ExMo engineering exhibition from 27th to 29th July 2023. The event was a grand success, with as many as 50,000 attendees including students from other universities, school children, parents, and technology enthusiasts.
All the departments of the faculty participated in the exhibition, showcasing their innovative projects and research. The Department of Electronic and Telecommunication Engineering was one of the major attractions at the event. The exhibits included final-year projects, Spark projects, Sri Lanka Robotics Challenge (SLRC) projects, biomedical engineering projects, and other innovative endeavors.
In addition to these exhibits, ENTC hosted boot camps related to machine learning (ML), Internet of Things (IoT), and Arduino. These boot camps provided participants with in-depth knowledge and practical skills in an entertaining manner.
Attendees were taken on guided tours of Analog, Digital, Telecom, SLT-Mobitel, UAV, and Biomedical laboratories. During these tours, laboratory equipment and associated projects were showcased.
The ExMo engineering exhibition was a platform for students to showcase their technical skills and creativity in designing and building innovative projects. It was also an opportunity for technology enthusiasts to learn about the latest trends in engineering and allied disciplines. The success of the event is a testament to the quality of education and research offered by the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Moratuwa.
ENTC ExMo video is here.
Read MoreDepartment Receives a Laboratory Equipment Upgrade with Four Tektronix TBS1052 Oscilloscope
The Department of Electronic and Telecommunication Engineering of the University of Moratuwa has received a laboratory equipment upgrade with four Tektronix TBS1052 Oscilloscopes. The oscilloscopes were acquired through funding from the SPARK project, which seeks to recognize individuals and groups who devise unique, innovative, socially, and environmentally responsible solutions that foster significant positive transformations in society, industry, and the broader environment. The TBS1052 Oscilloscope is a digital storage oscilloscope that provides affordable performance in a compact design. It comes with a 7-inch WVGA TFT color display, up to 2 GS/s sampling rate, bandwidth of 50 MHz, and dual channel frequency counters.
The Department of Electronic and Telecommunication Engineering has about 25 workstations each in both analog and digital electronics laboratories, enabling about 50 students to be accommodated simultaneously. Each workstation has a dual-tracking power supply, an analog multimeter, a digital multimeter, a signal generator, and a digital storage oscilloscope. The new Tektronix TBS1052 Oscilloscopes will replace old ones and support regular laboratory classes and SPARK projects.
The University of Moratuwa has always been at the forefront of innovation and research in electronics, telecommunications, biomedical engineering, and allied disciplines in engineering. The success of the Department of Electronic and Telecommunication Engineering is a testament to the quality of education and research offered by the university.
Picture source: https://www.tek.com/en/datasheet/digital-storage-oscilloscope-tbs1000c-series-datasheet
Read MoreDepartment of Electronic and Telecommunication Engineering of the University of Moratuwa Wins First Runners-up in RISC-V Processor Design & Verification Challenge 2023
The Department of Electronic and Telecommunication Engineering of the University of Moratuwa has added another feather to its cap by winning the **first runners-up** place in the RISC-V Processor Design & Verification Challenge held in Bangalore, India on September 18th and 19th, 2023¹.
The competition was organized by DVCon India and was aimed at promoting innovation and creativity in processor design and verification. The teams were required to design and verify a RISC-V processor that could meet the performance and power requirements of modern computing systems. The winning team from the Department of Electronic and Telecommunication Engineering, comprising Janindu Leelananda and Thishakya Bandara, demonstrated their technical prowess by developing a processor that could deliver high performance while consuming minimal power.
The University of Moratuwa has always been at the forefront of innovation and research in electronics, telecommunications, and allied disciplines in engineering. The success of the teams from the Department of Electronic and Telecommunication Engineering is a testament to the quality of education and research offered by the university².
Congratulations to Janindu Leelananda, Thishakya Bandara, and the entire team from the Department of Electronic and Telecommunication Engineering for their outstanding performance in the competition!
For more information about the contest, please visit [DVCon India’s website](https://dvcon-india.org/invite-for-global-design-contest/).
ENTC Open Day
The Department of Electronic and Telecommunication Engineering at the University of Moratuwa held an Open Day on January 17, 2023, to showcase the department’s facilities, projects, and laboratories to the new intake of students. The event was organized by the Electronic Club and saw a large number of students in attendance.
The Open Day began with a series of brief talks by the faculty members of the department, who provided an overview of the programs and opportunities available. The students were then given the opportunity to explore the department’s facilities and interact with faculty members and senior students.
The final year, third year, and second-year students actively participated in the event, organizing, demonstrating, and explaining various aspects of the department’s projects and facilities to the prospective students.
The Open Day showcased many projects, including final-year projects in computer vision, metaverse, augmented reality, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), machine learning, software-defined radio, mobile robotics, electronics, and processor design. In addition, the second-semester projects were also demonstrated.
The prospective students were taken on a tour of the department’s various laboratories, including the biomedical engineering laboratory, analog electronics laboratory, digital electronics laboratory, telecommunication laboratory, computer vision laboratory, unmanned aerial vehicles laboratory, and K. K. Y. W. Perera Mobile Communications laboratory, among many other facilities.
The Open Day was well-received by the students, who appreciated the opportunity to experience the department’s facilities and projects first-hand. Many of the prospective students expressed their interest in pursuing a career in electronic and telecommunication engineering, noting the exciting and diverse range of projects and opportunities available within the field.
Convocation Award Winners 2022
The general convocation of the University of Moratuwa was held on 20th and 21st December, 2022, where graduates were presented to the Chancellor, Vidyajothi Prof. K. K. Y. W. Perera.
There were 16 graduates who followed the Bachelor of Science Honors in Biomedical Engineering degree and 105 who followed the Bachelor of Science Honors in Electronic and Telecommunication Engineering degree. Fifty nine students out of 115 intake 2017 students obtained first class honors. Amaya Dharmasiri won the prestigious Gold Medal for the Most Outstanding Graduate of the University. Deepana Ishtaweera won the Gold Medal for the Best Academic Performance of the University and the Gold Medal for the Most Outstanding Graduate of the Faculty of Engineering. He also won the Electronic and Telecommunication Engineering Gold Medal. Vinith Kugathasan won the Biomedical Engineering gold medal.
The department congratulates the graduates and winners of medals.
Team CircuitBreakers of ENTC Wins the IEEE Region 10 Robotics Competition
The Department of Electronic and Telecommunication Engineering at the University of Moratuwa is proud to announce the success of Team CircuitBreakers at the IEEE Region 10 Robotics Competition. The competition, which was held on 17 and 18 December 2022 at the Faculty of Engineering at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand, focused on the theme of “Robotics for Healthcare.”
Team CircuitBreakers, which consists of Shalutha Rajapakshe, Dilanka Wickramasinghe, Sahan Gurusinghe, and Deepana Ishtaweera, was mentored by Mr. Bhanuka Silva and supervised by Dr. Peshala Jayasekara. The team developed a collaborative quadcopter and hexapod robot system for disaster response missions, in which the quadcopter surveys and maps out the disaster environment while detecting victims, and the ground hexapod robot autonomously navigates to deliver medical packs and teleconference with victims.
The project was self-funded, with additional support from CSIRO Data 61 in Australia. Team CircuitBreakers emerged as the winner of the competition, beating out other teams from across the region.
The main objective of the competition was to raise awareness among young IEEE members about the importance of technology in providing solutions to real-world problems and to encourage creativity and innovation. Team CircuitBreakers’ groundbreaking project exemplifies this goal, using cutting-edge robotics technology to address the critical issue of disaster response.
The Department of Electronic and Telecommunication Engineering at the University of Moratuwa is proud of Team CircuitBreakers’ achievement and looks forward to seeing their continued success in the field of robotics.
Ceremonial Opening of K. K. Y. W. Perera Mobile Communications Laboratory
The Department of Electronic and Telecommunication of the University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka, recently celebrated the opening of its new K. K. Y. W. Perera Mobile Communications Laboratory, which was established in collaboration with SLT-Mobitel and Huawei Technologies on 12 December 2022. The lab was named in honor of Vidyajothi Prof. K. K. Y. W. Perera, the founding head of the Department of Electronic and Telecommunication Engineering and the current chancellor of the university.
The ceremonial opening was attended by a number of university officials, including the Vice Chancellor, Prof. N. D. Gunawardena, the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Prof. D. P. Chandrasekara, and the Acting Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Prof. Asoka Perera. The event was also attended by representatives from SLT-Mobitel, including Mr. Rasantha Hettithanthrige, the Chief Technology Officer of Mobitel (Pvt.) Ltd., who took pioneered the establishment of the laboratory, and Mr. Raveendra Manivelwadu, as well as Mr. Rohan Fernando, Chairman of SLT-Mobitel, Mr. Lalith Mohan Seneviratne, Group Chief Executive Officer of SLT-Mobitel, Mr. Janaka Abeysinghe, Chief Executive Officer of Sri Lanka Telecom, Mr. Chandika Vitharana, Chief Executive Officer of Mobitel (Pvt.) Ltd., Mr. Saman Abeysekera, Chief Operating Officer of Sri Lanka Telecom, Mr. Prabhath Dahanayake, Chief Marketing Officer of Sri Lanka Telecom, Mr. Sudharshana Geeganage, Chief Financial Officer of Mobitel (Pvt.) Ltd., and Mr. Saman Perera, Group Chief Information Officer of SLT-Mobitel. Representatives from Huawei Sri Lanka also attended the event, including Mr. Tony Lee, Chief Technology Officer, Mr. Indika De Zoysa, Strategic Advisor, and Mr. Nadun Gunawardena. The ceremony was also attended by student representatives, including the President of the Electronic Club and four student network administrators.
The mobile communication laboratory will be an invaluable resource for teaching wireless communication and telecommunication core networks. As the demand for skilled professionals in these fields continues to grow, the laboratory will provide students with the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in a real-world environment. This will not only enhance their knowledge and skills, but also prepare them for successful careers in the telecommunications industry.
In addition to providing practical experience, the mobile communication laboratory will also allow students to keep pace with the latest developments in the field. With the rapid advancement of technology, it is essential for students to stay up-to-date on the latest techniques and methods used in the telecommunications industry. The laboratory will provide them with the opportunity to learn about and experiment with the latest technologies and innovations.
Overall, the establishment of the K. K. Y. W. Perera Mobile Communications Laboratory is a major milestone for the University of Moratuwa. It will provide students with the opportunity to gain valuable knowledge and experience, and prepare them for successful careers in the rapidly evolving telecommunications industry. The university community is excited to see the impact this facility will have on the education and training of its students. Special thanks go to Dr. Jayathu Samarawickrama for coordinating the establishment of the laboratory on behalf of the department.
