During the early 1990s, when Chennai’s M.C. Jayasingh was informed by a doctor that his cancer-stricken daughter’s leg had to be amputated, he was heartbroken. But Mr. Jayasingh did not lose hope. This Class X-pass man came up with a novel solution.
“I decided to use an artificial bone in place of the real one. The doctor also agreed and we came up with limb-salvage surgery. In fact, several clinical trials were conducted to demonstrate the quality and efficacy of using custom-made prosthesis,” said Mr. Jayasingh, who is now the proprietor of a company dealing with joints of elbow, shoulder, hip and knee.
He was one of the participants at the National Fair finale of the “India Innovation Initiative (i3)” in the Capital on Thursday.
At its stall, Indian Institute Technology-Kharagpur demonstrated the integrated motorised muri (puffed rice) making machine. It has been developed by students and faculty to solve the problems of hardening of rice. “It allows the production of 40 kg muri per hour. About 25 kg of fuel (bio-mass) is sufficient for making 100 kg of puffed rice. We are supporting 48 NGOs and have donated these machines to some of them to be used in rural areas.”
A jute-making machine produced by IIT-Kharagpur to reduce physical drudgery was also on display. “It is being popularised in Maoist-prone areas of West Bengal so that people can have livelihood opportunities,” said IIT Professor Dr. P. Bharoria
Internet-enabled electoral switches, invented for the middle class, and brainchild of iRam Technologies co-founder Syam Madanapalli were also on display. An alumnus of NIT Warangal, Andhra Pradesh, Mr. Madanapalli said the switches enable users to get notification on their mobiles when switches of their refrigerators or other electrical products at home are not working. “They are useful as security tools as the switches monitor door locks.”
He said his invention was being used by the Department of Information Technology and also by a United States-based company.
Agilent Technologies head Anuj Sharma said the awards have been instituted to give winners a wider market. Sunder Muruganandhan (Coimbatore) won the first prize; Janikiraman Ramachandran (Bangalore) was honoured with the second prize while the third prize went to Kushal Nahata (Delhi).
