Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Smart shoes for the visually challenged, a robot to protect soldiers, a farm-fire detector, and a system to prevent underside road accidents, the 12th Bhopal Vigyan Mela here has on display working models, all designed by students, solving such practical, day-to-day problems.
At the fair running on the premises of the Barkatullah University, Free Press talked with the young innovators to learn more about the solutions they found and what inspired them.
Smart shoes to navigate
An Electronic Travelling Aid (ETA) kit, fixed to the shoe, helps the visually challenged find obstacle-free paths. Its ultrasonic sensor estimates the distance to an obstacle and alerts the user. It also has GPS to help the visually impaired navigate.
Mustafa, one of the four students from IES University’s Pharmacy Department who have designed the shoes, said that a reel on the problems faced by the visually challenged in finding their way on streets inspired them to develop the model. “It will make the visually challenged ‘atmanirbhar’,” he said.
Yoddha for soldiers
Designed by four second-year mechanical engineering students from SISTEC, Yoddha is a battery-operated, remote-controlled mobile robot constructed with a durable frame.
Its unique, oval-shaped wheels enable it to navigate smoothly over small hills and through muddy terrain. The four-wheeled robot is compact in size, powered by a high-torque gearbox.It is fitted with a camera and loaded with ammunition.
“The primary objective is to protect the lives of soldiers during armed conflicts. It will help them know and see what lies ahead before making a move,” said one of the student-designers, Nayan Gurjar.
Fire Shield
Fire Shield is an innovative IoT-based system designed by four students from the Oriental College of Technology’s Electronics and Communication Department to protect farms from fire.
It sends real-time alerts to the farm owner’s mobile device for quick response. After two minutes, it also sends an alert to the fire brigade. Diksha Kushwaha, a member of the designer team, said that she was inspired by an incident in her village in Vidisha when a firecracker burst during a wedding procession, causing a fire in a field, which reduced the standing crops to ash.
Suraksha Kavach
It is a shield meant to minimise the impact of what are called underside accidents — when small vehicles collide with the rear underside of a running or parked truck.
It is a metal frame, loaded with a flexible round spring and fixed on the rear end of the truck. India has one of the highest rates of road accidents globally.
Abhilash Prajapati, one of the three third-year students from SISTEC, Gandhi Nagar, who designed the Kavach, said that around 1.5 lakh lives are lost in road accidents in India every year, adding that “Our model may help reduce fatalities.”
