Kochi: The Manorama-IBS Yuva Mastermind has turned out to be an impressive showcase of innovation. As the event entered the final day on Sunday, 59 projects were on show, some of them with high business, industrial, and economic potential and worth.
IT firm IBS is the main sponsor of the event and Amal Jyothi College of Engineering is providing technical support. The Kerala Development and Innovation Strategic Council is also partnering with the event.
The concepts and solutions presented include those which could simplify your household chores to ones that may deal with larger issues for society. Here is a quick tour of some of the innovations:
Shoes for navigation
A specially designed haptic shoes which can be of use to the visually challenged is on show. The shoe has frontal sensors which alert the person if there are obstacles.
This apart, there are gloves which could convert sign language to speech; all-terrain wheel chair; walkers which can enable the user to go up stairs; wheelchairs that can be controlled by the tongue for the incapacitated; a napkin change alert device; and an insta-wok gadget which could extricate food which chokes in the foodpipe. The catch is that all these could make life easier for thousands of people who suffer from various health issues.
Smart mop
This is a mop which could catch you a snake, literally. This has been developed in the wake of the devastating floods which saw many houses being invaded by venomous reptiles. The gadget has a thermographic camera which can detect the presence of snakes and other reptiles.
Bladeless wipers; a salinewater cleanser; a bio-toilet which can purify and recycle water; a filter made of guava leaves are among the other innovations on display.
'Untrained innovators'
Some of the most astonishing innovations have come from people with little or no technical or skill training. Most of them have little formal education. They mostly came up with their designs based on either their needs or to help someone in need. To state a case, Suresh who has presented an areca-plucking device has had only primary education. He is now trying to make a modern coconut-plucking device.
Fruit capper
Shaji K Varghese and Jisho P George have developed a 'fruit capper.' Going by the popularity of their stall, this is going to be the in thing in preserving farm produce for small farmers.
Tread on it
John Abraham, a teacher at the Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, has a unique device - one which could give treadmills a run. It can help one get some exercise while milking the cows.
Rubber presser
Mohammed Ismail, a rubber tapper, has a simple pressing device which could help make rubber sheets effortlessly.
One for apiculture
For honey to be as sweet as it is, it should be treated at 55 degrees Celsius. This is called water bath. But the bee rearers in Kerala do not have such a mechanism. Here is one water bath device with its installed sensors for temperature control from Joseph Peechanadu.
