Student innovations use simple tech to solve everyday problems….Srividya Iyer
BANGALORE: Innovation gurus like Anil Gupta often say that Indian society is going through a transformation where traditional inertia is giving way and innovations are being recognised slowly and slowly as instruments of change. Somebody must have heard him right at the incubation centres across the country’s numerous colleges where students are creating innovations to solve everyday, grassroots problems.
INNOVATION 1
19-year-old KA Guhan, a student of Periyar Maniammai University at Thanjavur, was determined to devise a solution that can detect heart failure. And within less than a year his product was ready for trials. Along with two of his classmates, Nitesh Kumar Dangi and Prabhakaran, Guhan developed a small rectangular bluetooth chip – five centimetre in length and two centimetre in breadth- that has to be laparoscopically placed over any artery. When one suffers the first cardiac arrest, which is usually silent, the heart muscles struggle to pump blood and arteries feel the strain. This strain is communicated through the chip to a mobile phone.
“We wanted to design something relevant, something for the society . But a business idea,” said Guhan who attributes his achievement to the dean of his college. Soon after the chip was developed, Guhan realised that for the device to communicate with a phone, the bluetooth needs to be switched on always. So, the team put together a low-cost phone where the bluetooth is always activated in a power saving mode. And now, they are in the process of developing a software which can do this on any handset. The device, that costs Rs 15,000, has bio-compatibility coding so that it can remain inside our body. Guhan is confident that his product has its place in the market. “I am sure it will be a success. There are heavier devices in the market that cost much more,” he said. The trio is looking at a go-to-market strategy through doctors and government organisations.
INNOVATION 2
In Mumbai, dental college student Samir Jain has devised a low-cost machine that can perform root canal treatment effectively. This 21-year-old student of MGV Dental College in Nashik felt that during root canal treatments, the portals are not filled properly which allows micro-organisms to grow again and cause infection. “The problem was very clear. I sat wondering why hasn’t anyone addressed it yet,” says Jain who started researching to find out a solution. He realised that most machines just flow in the gutta percha – a thin, tapered , rubbery material which is essentially a sealing agent that has to be filled in the part which is diseased.
Jain had to improvise on the existing machine to ensure that the gap is filled fully leaving no room for bacterial regrowth . He thought that adding sonic vibrations during the filling up process would do the trick. And his hypotheses proved right. “During my lab study, statistics showed that my method was 57% more efficient that the conventional treatment,” said Jain who then took help of a local electrician to put together the machine. What Magik, the brandname Jain gave to his machine, does is to heat up the gutta percha to 70 degrees so it flows smoothly and the vibrations allow it to form a proper layer leaving no air spaces. It costs a measly Rs 1,000 against other machines in the market which are priced anywhere between Rs 1 lakh an d Rs 2 lakh.
INNOVATION 3
J Rakesh, who grew up near the Ordnance factory in Tiruchirapalli, saw that old people found it difficult to ride their bicycles over the steep terrains of the neighbourhood. This goaded Rakesh and his classmate Rajesh to design a bicycle that can be driven without having to paddle continuously . This is done by placing two compressors in the rear wheel of the cycle which controls the air flow. This air flow passes through a cylinder which converts the pressure into rotatory motion. One only needs to then manoeuvre the handle for direction. The cycle which now costs approximately Rs 8,000 is expected to be cheaper once it can be mass produced. ” Not many people can afford an motorcycle in the small towns and use bicycles to commute . We wanted to design something for them,” said Rakesh, a student of Mookambigai College of Engineering in this southern Tamil Nadu town.
POTENTIAL
Experts feel that the environment for ideas to bloom exists now. “Creativity is chaotic by nature. We should not have a managerial view about creativity. We just need to provide the environment for it. Market is a natural leveller,” said Professor S Sadagopan, founder director of International Institute of Information Technology in Bangalore. There is interest among the investor community to identify and promote such projects, mostly being developed at college and institution backyards . “Most students, who are in the incubation centres of popular colleges, have been approached by venture capitalists. Students have become aware of new technologies and are constantly innovating ,” said Shradha Sharma, founder of Yourstory.in, a website that tracks
start ups in the country.
start ups in the country.