Patenting A Future Career
Kishore Saravana always dreamed of studying for an M.B.A. in America. He achieved that goal and is on to his next one after filing in the summer of 2023 for a German patent for a robotics project.
From being the head of his athletics teams while growing up to serving as president of the New York City campus’ Graduate Student Association (GSA), Saravana is a natural taskmaster.
Fittingly, the School of Management student is studying for his Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) with an operations and supply chain management concentration.
“I always dreamed of studying for an M.B.A. in America,” says Saravana, who earned his bachelor’s degree in information technology and engineering from Jain University in India. “Studying on New York Tech’s New York City campus has given me so many opportunities to expand my skills, access different resources, and take advantage of all the city has to offer.”
In 2022, Saravana worked hands-on with supermarkets as he participated in the School of Management’s Corporate Challenge—an annual project that connects student-led teams with company leadership so they may learn how to resolve real-world business challenges.
Saravana worked alongside fellow students Harika Bhaviri, Mohnish Ramkhalawon, and Parita Satani in collaboration with the National Supermarket Association to address New York City-area supermarkets’ decline in sales due to supply chain issues. Perfectly aligned with his M.B.A. degree concentration, Saravana and his team documented analytic data like supermarkets’ geographical locations and billing logistics systems. After presenting their insights to the Association’s business board members, Saravana’s team walked away with a 2022 Corporate Challenge first-place win.
“I love studying management and working on technical projects,” he says. Combining these two passions with expertise gleaned from his undergraduate years, Saravana has been working on a unique development outside of his studies. “This summer, I decided to continue working on a previous undergraduate project of mine—a Raspberry Pi-powered robotic arm with real-time color recognition capabilities.”
Saravana’s robotic arm is outfitted with a high-resolution camera and uses Raspberry Pi, a credit-card-sized computer chip, to enable precise color identification in real time, which he hopes will reduce human workload and enhance automation efficiency in places like package-sorting warehouses and other sorting and distribution centers.
“My pursuit of an M.B.A. has enabled me to bridge the gap between technology and business, giving me a unique perspective regarding my work in technology,” says Saravana, who feels confident he can take on necessary market analysis and project management responsibilities for his robotic arm project.
In an effort to have his tech creation considered for commercial use, Saravana has filed a patent with the German Patent and Trade Mark Office (DMPA).
“Germany is known for its rigor in evaluating patent applications, which would allow my patent to hold weight internationally if approved,” explains Saravana of why he chose to file with DMPA. “Protecting my robotic technology under a country like Germany, a leader in the robotics industry, makes for a more meaningful patent. I can also extend my patent under other countries within the European Union.”
Officially titled Raspberry Pi-based Robotic Arm Control System with Color Recognition, the patent is currently between the publication and opposition periods—the last two steps in the patent process. If the patent is published, Saravana’s robotic arm will be a candidate for granted patent protection if it makes it through the nine-month-long opposition period, which permits any person to raise issues against the granting of a patent.
“Keep documentation records of your inventions, including sketches, prototypes, and notes,” Saravana advises future patent filers. “Patience is key!”
After he receives his M.B.A., Saravana hopes to spend a few years pursuing project management work within the automotive or aerospace industries. Then, he plans to go back to school for his Ph.D. in healthcare management.
