SENSE Lab

SENSE Lab (Smart Edge Networked Systems & Environments) at IIIT Surat is dedicated to building intelligent, secure, and scalable systems for the next era of connected environments. Our work spans edge AI, IoT systems, mobile and wearable sensing, cyber-physical infrastructure, and smart city technologies. We focus on both theoretical foundations and practical implementations - developing novel protocols, embedded platforms, and machine learning algorithms to power real-time applications in environmental monitoring, public safety, industrial automation, and human-centered computing. SENSE Lab actively collaborates with academia, industry, and government to drive impact-oriented innovation.

The mission of SENSE Lab is to advance the frontier of intelligent and networked systems by designing secure, sustainable, and scalable sensing infrastructures. We develop cutting-edge research in edge AI, IoT, mobile and wearable sensing, cyber-physical security, and environmental intelligence to address critical societal and industrial challenges. Through interdisciplinary collaboration, system prototyping, and real-world deployments, SENSE Lab aims to empower smart environments - from cities and homes to factories and vehicles - with next-generation sensing and decision-making capabilities.

SecQR Scan is a secure scanning framework developed by Ojaswa Varshney and Kaustubh Dhondge at IIIT Surat to protect users from emerging mobile threats such as "Quishing" (QR phishing), QR-jacking, and malware distribution. The system employs a multi-layered defense on Android, utilizing on-device scanning via CameraX and Google ML Kit, real-time threat intelligence checks through APIs like VirusTotal and PhishTank, and an AI-powered risk classifier using TensorFlow Lite. To empower users, the framework provides intuitive "traffic-light" risk indicators and a sandboxed in-app WebView that prevents drive-by downloads or unauthorized script execution, ensuring a safe and informed scanning experience.

Published in IEEE Xplore at the 18th COMSNETS 2026.

SpikeSense is an unobtrusive IoT accessory developed by researchers at SENSE Lab, IIIT Surat, to detect beverage spiking in real-time using contactless optical sensing. The system identifies contamination by comparing live optical data to a pre-established drink baseline and triggers multimodal alerts on both the device and a companion Android app. Validated through successful tests with water and tea, SpikeSense offers a low-cost, energy-efficient solution for enhancing personal safety in social settings.

Published in IEEE Xplore at the 12th IEEE CONECCT 2026.

AlertMate is a low-cost, wearable IoT locket designed for real-time fall detection using the Arduino Nano 33 BLE Sense Rev2 and its integrated BMI270 IMU sensor. The system utilizes an adaptive-threshold method that combines free-fall and impact detection, employing an Exponential Moving Average (EMA) to filter signal noise and orientation analysis to minimize false positives. Its three-layer architecture - comprising a wearable sensing layer, a mobile application layer connected via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), and a Firebase cloud monitoring layer - enables real-time GPS location tracking and multi-channel notifications to caregivers. Experimental evaluations demonstrate high reliability, achieving a 95.24% accuracy rating in detecting valid fall events.

Published in IEEE Xplore at the 12th IEEE CONECCT 2026.

The Solar Parasol is an automated, solar-integrated system designed by researchers at IIIT Surat to provide outdoor shading while simultaneously harvesting renewable energy. It features an origami-inspired canopy equipped with flexible solar panels that can transition between a compact folded state and an expanded unfolded state. Utilizing a sensing module to monitor environmental conditions like sunlight, rain, and wind, the system automatically deploys or retracts via a motorized rack-and-pinion assembly. This innovation, protected by two India Design Patents, serves as a space-efficient solution for smart city infrastructure, commercial hospitality, and residential environments.

Patents: 

• Kandarp Vaidya, Nishad Deshpande, Kaustubh Dhondge, "Solar Parasol (Completely Closed Configuration)," India Design Patent, Application Number 496349-001, Accepted and Published, Journal No 23/2026, and Journal Date 05/06/2026, 2026.

• Kandarp Vaidya, Nishad Deshpande, Kaustubh Dhondge, "Solar Parasol (Completely Open Configuration)," India Design Patent, Application Number 496338-001, Accepted and Published, Journal No 24/2026, and Journal Date 12/06/2026, 2026.