Water purifier, spraying machine among innovations by children
A wearable device to track 3D movement of the limb of a patient suffering from Parkinson’s disease, roots of Typha plant used to purify water, a low-cost cycle-operated spraying machine that can be used in ploughing as well — are among the products that won the Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Ignited Mind Children Creativity and Innovation Awards 2020.
Among around 9,000 entries from 22 states and Union Territories across the country, nine awards and six appreciations were selected. The awards were given away by Dr RA Mashelkar, former Director General of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) at a virtual event held on Thursday.
“We received entries from even dropout children, indicating that awards are not restricted to students from any particular background and their creativity is not limited by any constraints. Also, children from non-metro cities bagged the most awards…,” stated Prof Anil K Gupta, founder Honey Bee Network and visiting faculty of the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA).
The six appreciation awards included a solar-powered and battery operated rickshaw with a roof to protect from sun and rain to sweep streets, litmus paper to detect the extent of artificial sweetness in fruits and vegetables and a mechanical sieve to clean grains, which was ideated by Bodhisatva Ganesh Khanderao of Yavatmal, Maharashtra.
Prof Gupta added, “The students did not restrict themselves to submitting their ideas to solve the current problems but also gave solutions to deal with future problems and unforeseen issues such as Covid-19. It is evident that given an opportunity, children can make a positive difference in our society.”
The awards jointly organised by Honey Bee Network, SRISTI, and GIAN, were organised in memory of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam. The competition was for students up to Class 12 or children up to 18 years of age.