Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 09:54am on 28 Sep 2025,Sunday Science
Indian researchers Vikash Kumar and Sarthak Mittal won the 2025 Ig Nobel Prize in engineering design for studying how smelly shoes affect shoe rack usage. Their study with 149 first-year Shiv Nadar University students found shoe odor is a common problem in India, worsened by heat, humidity, and poor ventilation. The research originated from Mittal's observations at youth hostels where guests left shoes outside rooms as courtesy. Kumar, 42, assistant professor at Shiv Nadar University, taught Mittal during undergraduate years. They developed a prototype shoe rack with UVC tube light to kill odor-causing bacteria. The Ig Nobel celebrates quirky but legitimate scientific research that makes people laugh then think. (PC: BBC & India Today)
