23/09/2026
A magnetic robotics kit designed to help children learn through play, an electric powertrain developed for sustainable mobility and agriculture, and a satellite-based system that identifies schools exposed to brick-kiln pollution were among the innovations that brought Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB) into the spotlight at the Bangladesh Innovation Fair 2026.
IUB showcased eight projects at the three-day national fair, held at Novo Theatre in Dhaka from September 12 to 14. Two of the university’s projects—PIXO, developed by FabLab IUB, and the Affordable 60V Electric Powertrain, developed at the Green Energy Research Center (GERC)—were selected among the Top 50 innovations at the event.
Organised by the Ministry of Science and Technology, the fair featured more than 1,000 innovations, participants from over 50 universities, more than 100 industry experts, and representatives from over 50 corporate organisations.
The Affordable 60V Electric Powertrain attracted particular attention during the fair, including a visit from Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. The project team briefed him on the technology and its potential applications in sustainable transportation and agriculture.
“Through our electric powertrain work, we are trying to show that Bangladesh does not always have to depend on imported technology; we can design, develop and adapt our own solutions for mobility, agriculture and industry,” said IUB EEE alumnus Md. Imtiaz Abedin, leader of the project.
Prof. Dr. Khosru Mohammad Salim, Director of GERC, said the project also demonstrates the value of hands-on research and student engagement.
“When students are genuinely excited about what they are building, they learn faster, experiment more boldly and contribute with greater commitment. That combination of research, passion and practical engineering is what makes a project successful,” he said.
At another part of the exhibition, PIXO presented a different approach to technology education. Developed by FabLab IUB, PIXO is an ecosystem of smart magnetic robotics blocks that connect without wires, enabling children to explore coding, electronics, engineering and robotics through hands-on activities.
“With Pixo, our vision is simple: we aren’t just designing robotics kits—we are building confidence, preparing the thinkers, makers, and innovators who will lead tomorrow’s robotics revolution,” said IUB CSE alumnus Yusa Islam, Co-founder of PIXO.
The remaining six IUB projects, presented at the university’s IUB360 Exhibitor Stall, demonstrated the breadth of technological and research-driven solutions being developed by students and researchers.
KilnWatch uses satellite imagery to map brick kilns around schools across Bangladesh, helping identify educational institutions located in areas exposed to clusters of brick kilns.
CryptoCube takes an interactive approach to cybersecurity education. Through games, story-based missions, puzzles and a touchscreen interface, students learn concepts such as encryption, password security and secure communication through play rather than memorisation.
“Through interactive games, story-based missions, puzzles, and a touchscreen interface, students learn concepts like encryption, password security, and secure communication by playing instead of memorizing theory,” said Md Abid Hasan Fuhad, leader of the CryptoCube project and a 10th-semester CSE student.
CogniLink is a wearable device that tracks finger movements and converts selected words or phrases into spoken audio, with potential applications for people experiencing speech or mobility-related challenges.
SwitchLoRa explores wireless voice communication by combining software-defined radio with LoRa technology.
GorbhoShongi uses a Bangla- and English-language application to support mental well-being during pregnancy and the postpartum period.
RefinAir focuses on indoor air quality, combining sensors, airflow simulations, satellite information and pollution mapping with automated air purification to monitor and manage indoor environments.
Chairman of the IUB Board of Trustees Didar A. Husain and Vice Chancellor Prof. M. Tamim visited the exhibition stalls and interacted with the participating teams. Senior faculty members also joined the young innovators at the fair to encourage and support their work.
Building on the momentum generated by the fair, IUB has also launched the Innovation to Impact Award, an initiative of the university’s Center of Innovation and Incubation— IUB 360, with the support of the Board of Trustees and senior leadership.
The award aims to identify, support and nurture promising student-led innovations and prototypes and help take them from early-stage development to the next level.
“Innovation is ultimately about creating meaningful change. I am grateful to the IUB Board of Trustees and Senior Leadership for their continued support for our drive to build a culture where ideas can be developed, tested and translated into impact,” said Dr. Joao Fialho, Strategic Advisor for Innovation at IUB.
Dr. Saadia Binte Alam, Associate Professor of CSE and Director of the Center of Innovation and Incubation—IUB 360, said the university wants to ensure that promising projects continue to develop beyond competitions and exhibitions.
“What we saw at the Bangladesh Innovation Fair 2026 is exactly the kind of work we want to take further. A good project should not end with a competition, exhibition or academic requirement,” she said.
Prof. M. Tamim, Vice Chancellor of IUB, said the university is working to make innovation an integral part of its academic and research culture.
“Innovation is something we are actively trying to build into the culture of IUB. We want our students and researchers to look at the problems around them, ask what they can do differently, and turn their ideas into solutions that have real impact. Seeing eight IUB projects at this fair, and two of them recognized among the Top 50, gives us further reason to keep investing in this direction,” he said.
Here are SAT-style Reading and Writing questions based on the passage. Bright Prep include central idea, inference, vocabulary in context, evidence, rhetorical purpose and synthesis questions.
1. Which choice best states the main idea of the passage?
A. IUB's participation in the Bangladesh Innovation Fair highlighted a range of student and research innovations and led the university to strengthen its support for innovation.
B. IUB's main goal at the Bangladesh Innovation Fair was to promote its electric powertrain project to government officials.
C. The Bangladesh Innovation Fair primarily focused on robotics and sustainable transportation technologies developed by universities.
D. IUB plans to replace its existing academic programs with innovation-focused programs.
Answer: A
2. According to the passage, what distinction did PIXO and the Affordable 60V Electric Powertrain receive?
A. They were selected for international competition.
B. They were demonstrated to the Prime Minister.
C. They were selected among the Top 50 innovations at the fair.
D. They received the two highest awards at the fair.
Answer: C
3. Which choice best describes the purpose of the second paragraph?
A. To explain how the Bangladesh Innovation Fair was organized
B. To introduce IUB's participation and identify two of its projects that received special recognition
C. To compare IUB's projects with those of other universities
D. To explain why IUB established its Innovation to Impact Award
Answer: B
4. As used in the passage, what does “breadth” most nearly mean?
“...demonstrated the breadth of technological and research-driven solutions being developed by students and researchers.”
A. Complexity
B. Range
C. Difficulty
D. Accuracy
Answer: B
5. What can reasonably be inferred about the Affordable 60V Electric Powertrain?
A. Its developers intend it to have applications beyond personal transportation.
B. It was designed exclusively for agricultural machinery.
C. It depends entirely on imported components.
D. It has already replaced conventional powertrains throughout Bangladesh.
Answer: A
6. Which quotation best supports the answer to Question 5?
A. “The project team briefed him on the technology...”
B. “...its potential applications in sustainable transportation and agriculture.”
C. “The project also demonstrates the value of hands-on research...”
D. “When students are genuinely excited about what they are building...”
Answer: B
7. What does Prof. Dr. Khosru Mohammad Salim's statement suggest about the relationship between student enthusiasm and research?
A. Student enthusiasm can encourage experimentation and deeper engagement with research.
B. Students should focus on research only after completing their academic requirements.
C. Successful research depends primarily on financial investment rather than student involvement.
D. Practical engineering is less important than theoretical knowledge.
Answer: A
8. As used in the passage, what does “ecosystem” most nearly mean?
“PIXO is an ecosystem of smart magnetic robotics blocks...”
A. A natural environment
B. A collection of interconnected components
C. A biological system
D. A large physical laboratory
Answer: B
9. Why does the passage describe PIXO as allowing children to explore coding, electronics, engineering, and robotics “through hands-on activities”?
A. To emphasize PIXO's educational approach
B. To show that PIXO is primarily intended for professional engineers
C. To explain why PIXO was not selected among the Top 50 innovations
D. To demonstrate that children do not need formal education in technology
Answer: A
10. Which choice best describes the function of the paragraph beginning “The remaining six IUB projects...” ?
A. It introduces the six projects and emphasizes the diversity of IUB's technological research.
B. It explains why the six projects failed to receive recognition.
C. It compares the six projects with PIXO and the electric powertrain.
D. It identifies the six projects that were selected among the Top 50.
Answer: A
11. Which of the following projects is specifically designed to help identify schools exposed to brick-kiln pollution?
A. CryptoCube
B. CogniLink
C. KilnWatch
D. RefinAir
Answer: C
12. Which choice best describes the primary purpose of CryptoCube?
A. To provide automated indoor air purification
B. To teach cybersecurity concepts through interactive activities
C. To convert finger movements into spoken language
D. To map brick kilns using satellite imagery
Answer: B
13. What can reasonably be inferred about the six projects displayed at the IUB360 Exhibitor Stall?
A. They addressed a variety of technological, environmental, educational, and social challenges.
B. They were all designed specifically for children.
C. They were all based on satellite technology.
D. They had all already been commercialized.
Answer: A
14. Which choice best explains why the passage includes the descriptions of KilnWatch, CryptoCube, CogniLink, SwitchLoRa, GorbhoShongi, and RefinAir?
A. To demonstrate the range of problems that IUB students and researchers are attempting to address
B. To prove that these projects were more successful than PIXO
C. To explain why the Bangladesh Innovation Fair was organized
D. To show that all IUB innovations use artificial intelligence
Answer: A
Rhetorical Purpose
15. The quotation from Yusa Islam primarily serves to:
A. explain the technical construction of PIXO in detail
B. emphasize the broader educational and developmental goals behind PIXO
C. compare PIXO with the Affordable 60V Electric Powertrain
D. argue that robotics should replace traditional classroom instruction
Answer: B
16. Why does the passage mention that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman visited the electric powertrain project?
A. To establish that the project attracted attention from a prominent government figure
B. To indicate that the project had already received government funding
C. To explain why the project was selected as the only Top 50 innovation
D. To demonstrate that the Prime Minister designed part of the technology
Answer: A
17. As used in the passage, what does “nurture” most nearly mean?
“The award aims to identify, support and nurture promising student-led innovations and prototypes...”
A. Criticize
B. Develop
C. Replace
D. Advertise
Answer: B
18. Which choice best describes the purpose of the Innovation to Impact Award?
A. To recognize only innovations that have already become commercial products
B. To help promising student innovations progress beyond their early stages of development
C. To replace the Bangladesh Innovation Fair as the country's main technology event
D. To provide scholarships exclusively to CSE students
Answer: B
19. Which statement is directly supported by the passage?
A. IUB presented eight projects at the Bangladesh Innovation Fair.
B. All eight IUB projects were selected among the Top 50 innovations.
C. IUB won the overall championship at the fair.
D. More than 100 IUB projects were displayed at the event.
Answer: A
20. Which choice best describes the overall tone of the passage?
A. Celebratory and informative
B. Critical and skeptical
C. Argumentative and confrontational
D. Humorous and informal
Answer: A
SAT Evidence-Based Question
21. Which quotation from the passage best supports the answer to Question 20?
A. “The fair featured more than 1,000 innovations...”
B. “Building on the momentum generated by the fair, IUB has also launched the Innovation to Impact Award...”
C. “SwitchLoRa explores wireless voice communication...”
D. “KilnWatch uses satellite imagery to map brick kilns...”
Answer: B
22. What is the primary purpose of the final quotation from Prof. M. Tamim?
A. To explain the technical design of IUB's eight projects
B. To connect the fair's results with IUB's broader goal of developing a culture of innovation
C. To announce that IUB will participate in fewer competitions in the future
D. To compare IUB with other universities at the fair
Answer: B
23. Which choice best summarizes the relationship between the Bangladesh Innovation Fair and IUB's Innovation to Impact Award?
A. The fair demonstrated existing student innovation, while the award is intended to help promising projects continue developing afterward.
B. The award was created to replace the fair because the fair was unsuccessful.
C. The fair focused on commercial products, while the award focuses exclusively on academic research.
D. The award was established before the fair to select which projects would participate.
Answer: A
24. Which choice best captures the central idea of the final three paragraphs?
A. IUB wants to move promising innovations beyond exhibitions and competitions and integrate innovation into its academic and research culture.
B. IUB plans to focus its future research exclusively on robotics.
C. IUB believes competitions are more valuable than academic research.
D. IUB intends to commercialize every project presented at the fair.
Answer: A
25. If the passage were followed by another paragraph, which topic would most logically come next?
A. The history of Novo Theatre in Dhaka
B. Specific plans for developing or commercializing some of the IUB projects through the new Innovation to Impact Award
C. A detailed history of Bangladesh's agricultural sector
D. The personal educational backgrounds of the fair's visitors
Answer: B
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