Bangladesh Innovation Fair Showcases Homegrown Technologies

A wide range of homegrown technologies is on display at the Bangladesh Innovation Fair 2026 at Novo Theatre in Bijoy Sarani, Dhaka. The exhibits cover solar-powered mobility, electric vehicles, sustainable textiles, artificial intelligence, smart agriculture, health technology, carbon management and digital prison services.

The three-day fair began on September 12, Saturday, under the “Innovate to Market” theme. The Ministry of Science and Technology is organizing the event. Government and private research organisations, 73 public and private universities, independent researchers, students, startups, SMEs and investors are taking part.

According to the information provided for this report, more than 1,000 innovation projects and ideas were submitted. A total of 671 initiatives were brought to the fair, with about 70 percent coming from universities. Researchers, entrepreneurs and public-private institutions are also presenting their work.

Published organiser-related information, however, says 671 projects were submitted and 50 were selected for exhibition.

UGV’s solar-powered ‘Sankar’

One of the major attractions is a solar-powered vehicle called ‘Sankar’, developed by the University of Global Village (UGV) in Barishal.

The three-seat, four-wheel electric vehicle was developed jointly by the university’s Mechanical and EEE departments.

It has a 400-watt solar panel on the roof and another 200-watt panel at the rear. The developers plan to modify the model in the future for small families.

UGV Mechanical Department teacher Md. Sagar Sharif said excess electricity generated while the vehicle is moving or parked can be stored in the battery. The stored power can keep the vehicle running for four to five hours when sunlight is unavailable.

The system could reduce dependence on grid electricity, he said.

The current prototype cost about Tk 170,000 to build. The developers aim to reduce the cost through commercial production.

IUB develops low-cost electric bike

Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB) is showcasing a low-cost electric two-wheeler developed by researchers from its Electrical and Electronic Engineering Department.

The researchers claim the bike can travel about 80 kilometres after only 30 minutes of fast charging. The electricity cost for that distance is estimated at around Tk 25.

The project uses old 440-volt induction motors collected at low cost from the Chattogram shipbreaking industry and Dhaka’s Dholaikhal. The researchers modified the motors and converted them to 60 volts.

They also used locally sourced copper coils costing Tk 7,000–8,000. The motor was built for less than Tk 15,000.

EEE researcher Imtiaz Abedin said the team also developed the bike’s controller. If commercially produced, the bike could be priced between Tk 80,000 and Tk 85,000.

DUET turns kans grass into yarn

Dhaka University of Engineering and Technology (DUET) is showcasing two textile engineering projects and one energy engineering project.

One project explores the use of kans grass fibre as a partial substitute for cotton in yarn production.

The research was conducted by PhD researcher Yasin Arafat under the supervision of Professor Dr Shahjalal Khandaker of the Textile Engineering Department.

The study found that yarn containing up to 35 percent kans fibre is suitable for fabric production. Even a 40 percent kans blend produced commercially acceptable yarn.

The researchers identified a blend of 27.7 percent kans fibre and 72.3 percent cotton as the most balanced ratio.

The process can reduce yarn production costs by about 11.7 percent. The study estimates that the cost per kilogram could fall from about $2.98 to $2.63.

NSTU showcases AI and climate technologies

Noakhali Science and Technology University (NSTU) is exhibiting six advanced research projects. They cover climate-resilient crop selection, AI-based precision aquaculture, nutrition from seaweed and indigenous fish, banknote recognition for visually impaired people, conversion of greenhouse gases into chemical energy and natural green tea production.

The AquaSmart project focuses on technology-driven fish farming. AquaNutri explores food products using seaweed and indigenous fish.

Vision-Assist, led by CSTE Professor Dr Nazia Majadi, uses artificial intelligence to identify paper currency for visually impaired users. Another project studies catalytic conversion of greenhouse gases into chemical energy.

Perovskite solar cells and carbon technology

Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur (BRUR) is exhibiting four research prototypes: silicon-based perovskite solar cells, Agritrace BD, Carbon Setu and Deshguard AI.

The projects cover advanced solar-cell materials, agricultural tracking, carbon management and AI-based technological solutions.

Communication without conventional internet

Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University is showcasing a smartphone-assisted distributed-node multi-hop offline communication network.

The project demonstrates how smartphones and distributed nodes can establish communication without conventional internet connectivity. This could have practical value in disasters and areas with weak communication infrastructure.

The university is also exhibiting Drive Guard, an intelligent driver-assistance system designed to improve road safety.

Other projects include NutriCare Software for dietary management and healthcare, vegetable-mixed green bread, research on the antidiabetic potential of figs, fig-based chewable tablets and functional cookies, and advanced sustainable materials made from jute fibre. A machine-learning project also explores attention and mental-health analysis among Bangladeshi students.

AI-powered digital prison services

The Department of Prisons is showcasing digital prison services at the fair.

The exhibits include video calling for inmates, biometric attendance, AI-based verification of relatives and an RFID-enabled cashless canteen system.

The video-calling service is currently being piloted at Munshiganj District Jail. Under the system, eligible inmates can speak to approved relatives through video calls for 10 minutes once a week.

The AI system can disconnect a call if an unregistered person appears in front of the camera. The system also records video conversations.

Through the KarapAI app, relatives can deposit money into an inmate’s account and submit information required for video calls from home.

The cashless prison system allows relatives to send money to an inmate’s Prisoners Cash account through mobile financial services. RFID-enabled wristbands can help identify inmates, manage ward-level counting and support cashless canteen transactions.

Robots, smart wheelchairs and medical technology

The fair’s official platform also lists a series of standout innovations. These include an autonomous industrial modular firefighting robot, a smart wheelchair, a digital carbon infrastructure platform, a smart-textile medical monitoring vest, a jute-fibre printed circuit board, a brain-signal-based assistive headband and a modular robotics kit with a bilingual AI companion.

Other highlighted innovations include an autonomous AI system for detecting road damage in Bangladesh, an IoT smart switch for homes and small businesses, a lower-cost cataract surgery technique, an IoT-enabled smart nebulizer for treatment-adherence monitoring and advanced materials for solar cells.

The organisers have announced Tk 100,000 in seed money for each of the top 10 innovators and Tk 10,000 for participating innovators.

Bangladesh Agricultural University is also exhibiting 36 selected research projects. The projects cover agricultural products, animal health, livestock production, fisheries and agricultural technologies, with the goal of taking research-based technologies to the field.

The Bangladesh Innovation Fair therefore goes beyond a conventional technology exhibition. It is designed to connect laboratory research with industry, investment and markets and to move promising innovations toward real-world use and commercialisation.
//DBTech/NAP/IH/MIST//