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| Sponsored by Rochester institute of technology Total grant : INR 150,000 | |
URINAL FLUSHER
Arun kumar (the fourth year B.E. Mechanical Engineering student of National Engineering College, Kovilpetti ) and his team built a urinal flusher of their own, using a low-cost mechanism. Using four MS steel rods, water-resistant plywood, a washing machine valve and a cycle stand spring, they created a platform with a mechanical lever to be placed in front of the urinal. When someone stepped on the platform, it would trigger the flush, which would stop the moment someone stepped off. It cost just Rs. 350.
INR 50,000 Grant
Solar distillation of water
Third-year Mechanical Engineering student Anand Kumar and his team mates have developed solar water purifier systems that will not waste water the way reverse osmosis does. Solar concentrators make use of the condensation and evaporation phenomenon to distil 21 litres of water in 8 hours, using a Rs. 1,300-model. They hope to introduce the system in the area around Vellore itself, which has access to poor quality water.
INR 50,000 Grant
Storage of food
A VIT team led by final-year ECE student Shreya Kumar came up with the idea of a low-cost underground food storage cellar with humidifiers. In most Indian farming communities, produce rots if it is not sold immediately since cold storage systems are beyond the budget of most farmers. The team developed a technique to store food in an 8 x 8 feet pit with a layered structure of brick, gravel and foam for insulation. Vent pipes to the surface would help maintain the temperature. Any necessary cooling would be done by solar-generated power. In a year’s time, the team expects to install the Rs. 18,500-system in at least one Rajasthani village.
INR 25,000 Grant
Mushroom production
Team led by Ritupriya Yamajula is concentrating on Rajasthan, with a plan to encourage the cultivation, marketing and sale of mushrooms that grow rampantly in the Chhatragarh region. The high profits for minimal labour and investment that can be generated from the monsoon-season mushrooms could transform the region’s social and economic condition.
INR 25,000 Grant
VIT UNIVERSITY, Vellore - 632 014, Tamil Nadu, India