From milk theft in rural Indian villages to camera-based vending machines, the world of hardware research and development is full of unglamorous, real-world problems that rarely make headlines — yet quietly shape how modern products come to market. Rishikesh Kumat, CEO of Shalaka Connected Devices, has spent his career solving exactly these kinds of problems.

In this episode of the Kianistan Podcast, host Tafhim Kiani speaks with Kumat about running an extended research and development house for electronics manufacturers, the growing hype around artificial intelligence in hardware, and the family story behind rebuilding his company after significant personal loss.

Kumat shares candid insights into how hardware innovation actually happens behind the scenes, the ethical dilemmas involved in product design, and where he sees genuine technological breakthroughs emerging amid a landscape often dominated by marketing buzzwords.

It is a wide-ranging conversation about entrepreneurship, innovation, and resilience, offering a rare look inside the world of applied electronics engineering.

Key Topics Discussed

Running an Extended R&D Team

Kumat describes how Shalaka Connected Devices functions as an outsourced research and development partner for companies ranging from startups to established industrial clients.

• How companies approach Shalaka with an idea, an existing product, or an operational problem
• The process of technical and financial analysis before starting a project
• Balancing research-oriented projects with fixed-scope product development
• Why Kumat sees his company as a development partner rather than a vendor

Solving Real-World Industrial Problems

Kumat shares a memorable example of designing a precision pressure sensor to prevent milk theft in rural Indian supply chains, illustrating the practical, often unglamorous nature of hardware R&D.

• The problem of milk theft in village collection and cold storage systems
• Why standard weight sensors were insufficient to detect small-volume theft
• Designing a custom pressure sensor with the needed precision
• How the resulting solution became a new revenue stream for the client

The Ethics of Product Design and IP

The conversation explores the ethical tensions Kumat navigates when clients request products that closely resemble existing patented designs.

• The tension between engineering ethics and business pragmatism
• How indemnity agreements help manage legal risk
• Instances where Kumat has declined projects on ethical grounds
• Navigating requests to design around existing intellectual property

Separating AI Hype From Reality

Kumat offers a grounded, skeptical take on the current wave of AI branding in hardware products, distinguishing genuine innovation from marketing trends.

• Why many so-called AI-enabled devices are simply running standard cloud algorithms
• Comparisons to earlier hype cycles around IoT and cloud computing
• How his team is incorporating prompt engineering into their own operations
• Where he sees genuine near-term potential for AI in hardware design

Emerging Technology: Batteries, Sensors, and Beyond

The discussion turns to the hardware innovations Kumat finds most exciting, from miniaturized sensors to advances in battery chemistry and energy harvesting.

• The dramatic miniaturization and cost reduction of modern sensors
• Advances in battery chemistry and the growing importance of battery recycling
• Energy-harvesting devices using super capacitors instead of traditional batteries
• Real-world applications such as bridge vibration sensors and connected vehicles

Rebuilding a Family Business

Kumat shares the personal story of restructuring his family’s company after the loss of both of his parents, who had built and run the business before him.

• Taking over the company after it nearly closed and following personal loss
• Balancing operations and technical leadership as responsibilities shifted
• Building a new team and partnership to sustain the business
• Lessons learned about resilience in entrepreneurship

Major Takeaways

• Hardware R&D often involves solving unglamorous, highly specific industrial problems invisible to end consumers.
• Ethical considerations around intellectual property remain a persistent tension in contract product design.
• Much of the current AI branding in consumer hardware reflects marketing trends rather than genuine on-device innovation.
• Advances in sensor miniaturization and energy harvesting are quietly enabling a new generation of connected devices.
• Battery recycling is an increasingly urgent and underdeveloped opportunity as electric vehicle adoption grows.
• Rebuilding a family business after personal loss requires resilience, adaptability, and a willingness to take on new roles.

About Rishikesh Kumat

Rishikesh Kumat is the CEO of Shalaka Connected Devices, a research and development services company based in Pune, India, that helps enterprises, startups, and early-stage companies bring electronics products from concept to production. He also runs IoT Adda, a technology-focused platform covering developments in electronics and semiconductor technology.

Kumat took over leadership of Shalaka after a period of personal and professional upheaval, rebuilding the company his parents originally founded into a respected extended R&D partner for clients across multiple industries.

• CEO of Shalaka Connected Devices, an electronics R&D services company
• Founder of IoT Adda, a technology news and education platform
• Electronics engineer specializing in product design and development
• Based in Pune, India

About Kianistan Podcast

The Kianistan Podcast is a geopolitics-focused interview show hosted by Tafhim Kiani, though the show occasionally features conversations with entrepreneurs, innovators, and technologists whose work offers insight into the broader forces shaping the modern global economy.

This conversation with Rishikesh Kumat reflects Kianistan’s interest in exploring how technology, trade, and innovation intersect with the wider world, complementing its core focus on international affairs with perspectives from adjacent fields that shape how nations and industries evolve.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Shalaka Connected Devices do?

Shalaka Connected Devices is a research and development services company that helps businesses design, engineer, and bring electronics products to production, functioning as an extended R&D team for its clients.

What is IoT Adda?

IoT Adda is a technology news and education platform founded by Kumat that covers developments in electronics, semiconductors, and connected device technology.

Is most consumer AI hardware genuinely AI-powered?

According to Kumat, much of what is marketed as AI-enabled hardware actually relies on cloud-based software algorithms rather than true on-device artificial intelligence, reflecting a broader industry trend of branding products around buzzwords.

What kind of problem did Shalaka solve for the milk industry?

Shalaka designed a highly precise pressure sensor to detect small-volume milk theft from village collection and cold storage units, a problem standard weight sensors could not reliably solve.

Conclusion

Rishikesh Kumat’s conversation on the Kianistan Podcast offers a rare, grounded look at the practical realities of hardware innovation, far removed from the marketing hype that often surrounds terms like AI and IoT.

His story of rebuilding a family business after personal loss, paired with his hands-on insights into product design and emerging technology, makes for a compelling and unexpectedly human conversation about entrepreneurship.

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