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NIF Awards Innovative Students |
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The National Innovation Foundation has always made a special attempt to recognize and promote the creativity of children, by offering them various incentives. Outstanding innovations by students have been awarded in each of the Annual Award Function for Grassroots Innovations and Traditional Knowledge.
For Shwetha B, innovation is a habit. She is always looking for more innovative ways to solve a problem. She won an award in the First Annual NIF awards for her device to supply nitrogen with the help of underground apparatus for seed germination. In the second annual awards, she again won a prize for her letter box alarm, a simple device by which it is possible to come to know when a letter is dropped into the letter box. Pradeep Kumar Mandal, who came up with an idea for an innovative egg boiler was the other student awardee in the first year.
Dharmendra Patidar was awarded during the second annual awards, for his battery operated seed sprayer. Patidar himself hails from a rural area. While helping out in the farm, he found that hand broadcasting of seeds and manure resulted in wastage. After visiting a science fair, he was able to come up with the idea of a battery operated seed sprayer. Sunil Kumar, Pankaj Sharma and Pooja Sharma were also awarded in the second competition for their idea for a shoe design, which taps the energy produced at every step while walking. At the base of the shoes a device which can run a small dynamo may be fitted. Energy generated while walking can be transformed into electric energy, which can be stored in a battery.
In the third competition, students made a splash and walked away with as many as six awards. Remya Jose captured the imagination of many with her washing-cum-exercise machine. This devise uses a foot-operated pedal to wash upto 3 kg of clothes at a time. It uses no electricity, and serves the additional purpose of being an exercise machine also.
Sanket Chitagopar and Prashant Harshangi developed highly effective and easy to use electronic stick for the visually challenged. They were motivated to do so, when they saw a blind man fall into a puddle after the rainy season. An FM transmitter and receiver are used to make the system wireless and multiplexers have been incorporated to sense obstacles in different directions simultaneously. Moisture sensing electrodes to detect stagnant water, micro-switchers to detect man holes and an anti-theft alarm are additional features of this stick. Another innovative walking stick has been developed by Gopal Suresh Patil. This stick has a light which can be switched on at night. This makes it easier for elderly people who use it to walk at night.
Trilokya Bora and Champak Bora have developed a technique of transmitting audio signals within the house, using the neutral and earth line of the general electric system. They were also awarded in the third competition.
Leena Talukdar and Sushanta Mahanta were also awarded in the third competiton for their herbal mosquito repellant. The two students decided to investigate the plants which were used as part of Jag, a traditional bonfire of Assam. They ascertained the insect repelling properties of some of the plants and developed a hebal mosquito repellant based on it.
Kalpita Patil has designed a model for the use of magnets as a shock absorber. The model comprises two magnets and a plastic pipe. One magnet is attached at the bottom of the plastic pipe and is the base magnet. The other magnet is free, with a float and has the similar pole placed towards the base magnet. The similarity of poles creates repulsion and a certain distance is maintained. As per load condition, the floating magnet moves and closes the gap until the magnetic repulsion is strong enough to create the damping action.
The number of student entries has also been increasing every year. In the fourth round, NIF has received 123 student entries, of which 45 have been accepted and 44 have been kept in the exploratory category and the rest have been rejected. In the fifth competition, 81 entries have already been received. NIF has also collaborated with the CBSE Board during the fifth competition for organizing contests in the different CBSE schools in the country. We plan to have such contests in all schools, as part of our future annual competitions.
Clockwise from left
1. Pradeep Kumar Mandal. 2. Gopal Suresh Patil and the innovative walking stick for elderly. 3. Kalpita Patil and the magnetic shock absorber. 4. Sunil Kumar, Pankaj Sharma and Puja Sharma and the sketch for generating electricity from shoes. 5. Vyasji Mishra and the innovative stove. 6. Remya Jose and the innovative walking-cum-exercise machine. 7.Dharmendra Patidar and the Battery Operated seed sprayer. 8. Sanket Chitagopar and Prashant Harshangi with the innovative stick for the visually impaired. 9. Trilokya and Champak Bora and their devise for transmitting signals. 10. Shwetha B Selvi and this sketch for Post Box Alarm. 11. Sushanta Mahanta and Leena Talukdar and the herbal mosquito repellant |
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| Volume No. |
Honey Bee, 16(3):14-15, 2005 |
