|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
THEY never expected the accolades and back-thumping when they set out to give shape to their innovative concepts. But that's what Shambhavi Joshi, Chinmay Marathe, SidharthWani and Chinmay Jadhav got once they were through with their project — a pair of sandals which not just protects a woman but also immobilises the attacker. The trigger for the invention came after the horrific gangrape of a Delhi girl in a moving bus on December 16, last year. The four children from Thane (Maharashtra) aged between 12 and 14, decided to do their bit for the safety of women. Once they had finalised their idea, they took it to Proshotam Pachpande, an electronic engineer who teaches Robotics Inventions at Children's Tech Centre in Thane. He guided them to make Robotic Sandals. Sandals to the rescue "They are normal-looking sandals," says Siddharth, "but they pack a punch during an emergency." The super sandals, when activated, do four vital things. They raise a loud alarm, record the conversation, send out distress calls from the woman's mobile phone to chosen numbers and also generate a high-voltage current that temporarily stuns the attacker. "All that a woman has to do is to tap her foot twice and the sensors in the sandals will get activated," explains Shambhavi and adds. "We have installed a radio frequency transmitter in the sandals to record all the conversation. A Bluetooth connects to the mobile phone to send out messages to preset numbers, including the cops, and a high-voltage battery operates the alarm and generates the electric current. A woman will feel very safe when she's wearing these sandals." Woman's safety has also
been a concern with Manu Chopra who has just completed his Class XII
from Delhi's G.D. Goenka School and is off to Stanford University for
his graduation. "After the Delhi gang rape, I started worrying
about the safety of my younger sister and wanted to do something about
it," says Manu.
'Shocking' wrist watch It was around that time that he participated in Ignite, a country-wide science competition organised by the National Innovation Foundation, (NIF) Ahmedabad, where students are asked to pen their innovative ideas. The selected ideas are turned into reality and the product is patented in the student's name. Manu's winning idea was a wrist watch that could stun a molester with an electric shock. A prototype has been made of his model and it will be available cheaply in the market in the course of time. Says Dr Anil Gupta, Professor at IIM Ahmedabad, and also vice president of NIF, "The motivation for such innovations is the societal concerns of young people. When law and order breaks down it affects everyone, including children. Manu's idea is proof of that. There were plenty of such ideas from all over the country this year, showcasing that the safety of women is uppermost in these impressionable minds." The National Innovation Foundation has changed dreams into reality for a number of bright young minds through its annual national competition called Ignite which is open to students up to Class Xll and aims to harness the creative and innovative spirit of school children up to Class Xll. Students can submit their creative ideas and innovations which can benefit society. If selected, these ideas take the shape of prototypes. Colour-coded medicines One of the students whose concept was picked up by the NIF is 16-year-old Shweta Sharma, studying in the Police DAV Public School in Jalandhar. Her innovative idea too came from her immediate surroundings. As a part of her school project, Shweta was asked to familiarise herself with over-the-counter medicines for elementary ailments. While searching her mother's medicine box, she discovered tablets long past the expiry date. "Those outdated pills got me thinking. People who can read can figure out which medicines are outdated but what about those who can't read? A lot of illiterate people get fooled into buying expired stuff," says Shweta. An idea emerged in her mind. How about colour coding medicines so that everyone knows whether they are old or not? Shweta's school sent the idea to the NIF which has now begun turning it into a reality. She hopes medicines can be sold colour-coded and illiterate people can avoid any side-effects. Voice-operated wheelchair Health was also on the mind of 19-year-old Susant Patnaik, who has 10 innovations to his name, the most notable one is a voice-operated wheelchair for the physically challenged. This winning idea of Ignite 2009 earned him the Young Innovator Award from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam and found a glowing mention in Massachusetts Institute of Technology's MIT Technology Review. Other innovations by Sushant include a low-cost, anti-theft mechanism for cars and he is now working on what he calls 'Super Sense Technology'. It is a wearable computer which when attached to the wrist can operate any computer by hand movements, without a keyboard or a mouse. The young innovator, who has now moved from Orissa to Madhya Pradesh to pursue engineering, says his biggest support have been his parents and his idol is Dr Kalam. Noiseless horns For 19-year-old Manibhushan Prashad, it was the issue of noise pollution. Troubled with the noise of horns on his way to school in Dhanbad, he thought of inventing a noiseless horn. His idea found instant favour with the NIF, which is now in the process of patenting the innovation. "I had done a model of my invention using a toy car and I approached the NIF through my school," says the ecstatic Manibhushan who has passed out of school now and is all set to do his English Honours from Delhi University. His concept involves cars being fitted with a receiver and a transmitter. When a driver blows the horn, the signal is picked up by the car at which it is aimed and people on the road don't hear it. Drivers of change What motivates young innovators like Manibhushan, Sushant, Shweta, Shambhavi and others? It is a combination of factors, says child psychologist Dr Abha Vyas. "It is a concern for their immediate surroundings and desire to make a change. They believe they have the skills to improve other people's lives. It is passion and purpose, the two forces that drive young innovators." Aditya Joshi a 13-year-old a Class VIII student of Pune is a case in point. On way to school, he would see rag-pickers pick discarded stuff from the street with bare hands. "That set me thinking. What could they do to protect their hands from sharp objects and filth? Could a spray be invented that hardens when it comes in contact with the skin and acts like a thick pair of gloves and can be easily rubbed off?" Though the 'spray' gloves have been patented in his name, it may be sometime before his idea sees the light of day. But his bright thinking has brought another problem at hand. "Now my parents and teachers expect the world from me. They want me to use my talent and become an all-round topper!"
|
|||||
|
|
|||||
