A helmet-mounted electronic device that could possibly avert accidents such as the electrocution of three technicians at Nadathara, Thrissur, on Tuesday is among the 17 exhibits at the ninth edition of TechTop 2014, a national innovation contest that begins here on Friday.
Developed by a team of students from the Rajagiri School of Engineering and Technology, Kochi, the device is designed to protect technicians from electrocution while working on power lines. The low cost, solar-powered device is capable of detecting the electric field coming from high voltage or low voltage power lines and is small enough to be installed on a safety helmet.
While students from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, will present an affordable refreshable Braille display based on shape memory alloy, a team from the Mar Baselios College of Engineering and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram, will exhibit a smart wearable device with remote health monitoring, panic alarm, GPS tracking and communication facilities for vulnerable people.
Students from the Central Institute of Plastics Engineering and Technology, Guindy, have come up with a piezoelectric fabric for energy harvesting. The winning team will walk away with a cash prize of Rs.1,00,000 sponsored by Degree Controls. The theme for TechTop 2014 is ‘Improving the lives of the rural population by application of technology.’ It will be open for school and college students on July 25 and for the general public on July 26.
