A differently abled friend’s struggle to enter the classroom made Mohamad Siyad and Mohamad Faisal, Class XII students of Government Boys Senior Secondary School at Manjeri in Malappuram, think about designing an easy-access wheelchair.
The fruit of their labour, a cost-effective solution to wheelchair-bound people called ‘Wheelchair Assist’, was on display along with several such innovative implements made by youths at the Maker Fest held as part of the Kochi Design Week.
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“The idea was to make wheelchair-bound people independent and safe,” Siyad said. The wheelchair they developed has a special sensor to alert immediate family members in case of an accident or emergency. It comes with a GPS setting, making it easier to track through an app. “There are automatic wheelchairs available in the market but they are very expensive,” he added.
Veda Venugopal, Mohamad Rehan and Navneet Sajan, students of Vidyodaya School in Kochi, showcased a Smart Flood Detector that can provide real-time water-level data inn rivers and dams through an app. “The instrument detects real-time water levels in reservoirs and rivers and alerts the authorities through SMS for urgent action,” the students said.
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Abhinandan Prakash, Class VIII of Palghat Lions School, Koppam, Palakkad, developed a solution to ensure that people throw plastic waste in the bin itself. His ‘Smart Bin’ not only processes plastic waste but also calculates incentives to the user. The Maker Fest saw as many as 100 innovators exhibiting their products — 20 of them school students — shortlisted through an application process.