Top 8: Awesome innovations by Indian teens

Recently school children from across India flew down to Manipal University in Udupi, Karnataka to display their innovative solutions to day-to-day problems.

Teenovators 2015 is an initiative by Manipal University in association with INK had school kids from classes 9 to 12 showcasing interesting innovations like robots that can clone human efforts, micro-controlled farming techniques and piezoelectric powered trains.

Over 400 schools from nine cities across India took part in the contest, and eight schools -- from Bangalore, Kolkata, Udupi, Chennai, Chandigarh, Delhi, Hyderabad and Pune -- reached the finals.

A panel of five judges analysed each of the products for novelty of project idea; solution recommended; scale of impact; replicability, and students' involvement and understanding.

Air Force School, Bangalore was declared winners of Teenovators 2015 for their project Cloneators.

They won Rs 5 lakh as prize money, while the second prize (Rs 3 lakh)  was bagged by Garden High International School, Kolkata  for ‘ Harvesting Peizoelectricity to Partially Light Up Train Compartments.’

The third prize, worth Rs 1 lakh, went to Bhartiya Jain Sangathan College, Pune for their project ‘Electromagnetic Effect on Plant Growth.’

Consolation prizes of Rs 50,000 each went to St Columba's School, Delhi and Iqbalia International School, Hyderabad.

Presenting the eight teams and their innovative projects: 

1. Innovation: Clone Robots

Team: Udhith Raju K M, Priyesh Tiwari, Ashish S and P Kiran Kumar 

Air Force School, Hebbal, Bengalaru

'Cloneator' is based on the principle of one robot cloning another control robot.

By mimicking the actions of the Master robot, a Slave robot could be used for performing hazardous tasks.

The young students presented various applications of their innovative concept including robotic prosthetics as well as in the defence forces.

2. Innovation: Piezoelectric power generation in trains

Team: Tanisha Sarkar, Ishaan Chatterjee, Suchismita Paul, Arani Acharya and Shaunak Saha

Garden High International School, Kolkata

The team displayed how to generate sufficient power to light up train compartments and reduce the Rs 75 billion spent on electricity by the Indian Railways.

The piezoelectric materials fixed in the shock absorbers and coupling dampers of a train can  convert electric signals thus produced by running trains.

This also reduces the carbon footprint, maximises use of energy resources as well as drastically reducing the budget of the Indian Railways.

3. Innovation: Electromagnetically charged seeds

Team: Vishnu Yadhav, Onkar Gaikwad, Dhanashree Pawar, Priyanka Kolte, Anjali Wagaskar and Priyanka Shah.

Bharatiya Jain Sanghatan Junior College, Pune

Electromagnetically charged seeds can dramatically increase farm output.

"By using these magnetised seeds, farmers can grow more and increase their crop yield. They will save a lot of money. The government should pick it up so that farmers don't suffer losses and there is a reduction in farmers' suicide," said a team member. 

4. Innovation: Addressing Iron Deficiency amongst Women in India

Team: Mohammed Hisham Ullah Khan, Shifa Ismail, V Sri Charan, Asfia Yameen and Mohammed Huzefa Moinuddin

Iqbalia International, Hyderabad

This team addressed anaemia, which is a silent killer among women in India, with a simple solution, which fortifies drinking/cooking water with Ferritin.

It is a simple process of heating elemental iron till it is red hot and dousing it in water used for cooking/ drinking.

The ferrous and ferric ions released in water are absorbed by the body to cure anaemia.

5. Innovation: Micro-controlled Farming Solution.

Team: Pratulya Rajan, Aditya Singh, Mayank Singhal, Sneheil Saxena and Adeel Shams

St Columba’s School , Delhi

The team came up with micro-controlled farming solution.

The solar-operated device consists of a microcontroller which senses the soil, environmental temperature, intensity of sunlight, soil humidity, pH sensor and activates a water controller.

6. Innovation: Desalination of Sea Water

Team: Ishan, Anjali Bhalla, Abhishek Malhotra, Akash Garg and Srishti Sudan

St Soldier’s School, Panchkula

This team suggested a low cost solar still using which sea / brackish water can be desalinated to produce fresh water, fit for human consumption or irrigation.

Filled with small quantity of brine at the bottom of the still When seawater is filled in the still and exposed to sunlight, brine produces water vapour, which is allowed to condense in a collector basin.

 

7. Innovation: Suraksha Kawach

Team: C Vijayakrishna Achary, Rakshith R Mallya, Shravya Shetty, Narayana V Sabhahit, Harshitha Phatak

MGM PU College, Udupi

This team focussed on safety of women. Existing solutions are predominantly smart phone based and require a cellular network / GPS   for being effective.

This team has come up with a Suraksha Kavach which can be worn on the wrist like a watch and could raise an alarm at the press of a button.

It has a GSM, GPS and a camera embedded in it and is a low cost device.

8. Innovation: Plastic Concrete

Team: S Varsha Sri, Syed Junaid, S Jaikarthick, S Deepthi and G Viswapriya

Velammal Vidyashram, Chennai

This team wants to use 'plastic concrete' for make-shift house construction.

Such blocks are light and can be assembled quickly to construct houses. They would also help reduce plastic waste pollution.

The method involves using recycled ground plastics, cement and sand in an iron grid and moulded together.

The design allows quick assembly using  nuts and bolts.

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