Smart innovations by IIT students now at a shop near you

Does the often time-consuming line up at pathological labs to collect your medical test reports disturb you? Are you looking for environment friendly options to lead your life? Do you believe in the power of technology to offer you clean governance?

Students at IIT Delhi attempt to find solutions to a lot of such problems with a list of innovations that are aimed to delight science lovers, enthusiasts, novices as well as experts. A range of such solutions was displayed at "Open House 2014", the annual event of the premier institute here recently.

On show was a 'Hemometer' that can instantly estimate hemoglobin count; a bio gas technology that promises to replace CNG (Compressed Natural Gas), petrol and diesel as engine fuels; a cholesterol analysis kit at a price half the market rate; a waterless urinal project and the use of technology for transparent governance.

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"The buzzword this time is innovation and design. We have tie-ups with many brands and market players who are selling our innovation produced by students and faculty," Professor Suneet Tuli, Dean, Research and Development, IIT Delhi says.

A case in point may be, the 'Early clean coated fabric', a fabric that can be cleaned with more ease and speed than the other cloth materials. The fabric also possesses light weight flame retardant elements, that has the property of extinguishing fire on its own.

The product designed by a team led by Professor Manjit Jassal, is already available in the market and is being sold under the label of 'SRF Ltd Chennai'.

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"The objective behind the design was to create a fabric that is an improvement on what is already available in the market. We were able to reduce the content of toxic chemicals to a considerable extent in our fabrics. These are PVC coated polyester fabrics that are light weight compared to the heavy garments available in the market," says Manjit.

'TrueHb Hemometer', a device that helps in accurate hemoglobin estimation, seems to take forward the adage that technology adds comfort to life.

Not only is the device important in diagnosing anaemia, Professor Veena Koul, points out that it also "bats the problem of blood smudging and the inability of testing in varied temperatures".

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"The device can be a potent tool in anaemia screening. It has been tested at AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences) on 200 samples and across a temperature scale of 5 to 45 degree Celsius. You can also save one-fourth of the money being paid at the labs if you use this device," says Veena. The device is priced at Rs 7,000 tentatively.

Professor Anurag S Rathore offers a 'Lipoprotein kit' that can check the cholesterol level of the body at the cost of a hamburger. The usual check that might cost you around Rs 500-800, is priced at Rs 120 by the innovators at IIT.

"An average person goes from healthy at 26 to obese at 38. The root cause for most heart related ailments is the suboptimal body cholesterol ratio, driven by our lifestyle. We expect our innovation could significantly improve affordability of cholesterol testing and aid in early diagnosis," says Rathore about the device.

Next in line is 'Zerodor', a waterless urinal that aims to minimise the use of water in sanitation.

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"We are professing a non-water based sanitation system that does not involve any chemicals or recurring costs to maintain. It is a completely touch-free, power-free and zero maintenance product. In a water starved society like ours, we can save around 40-50,000 litres of water annually with such experimentations," says maker Professor V M Chariar. The product is out with the label of 'eKAM eco solution'.

Bio gas technology for green vehicular fuel that promises to replace the polluting petrol, diesel and CNG as an alternative with no engine modification; use of DVDs, IVR (Interactive Voice Response Systems) and community radio stations in bringing forth a transparent and accountable government are some of the other interesting innovations, in store this time.