Students' inventions steal show at science fair

Ever imagined you could bring in your drying clothes from the terrace without having to rush out in the rain? The ‘automatic cloth puller’ invented by a Ramesh, a student from Kerala, does just that.

A model of this gadget is on display at the Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum, where the Southern India Science Fair-2016 was inaugurated on Tuesday.

Based on a simple lever system, the automatic cloth puller has a tray which sets the system working when about five water droplets fall on it. The tray then prompts the lever to pull the rope to the desired place.

“This is fully automatic. It will also stop on its own after reaching a certain point,” explained Ramesh, a student of a government school. Viswan, Ramesh’s teacher who had accompanied him, said the model could also be used in rubber growing areas of south Kerala where rubber sheets could be pulled in once it begins to rain.

A similar automated model was an unmanned fire engine designed by Bhargavi P, a student of a government high school, Tanakal, in Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh.

“In the recent fire in Mumbai, a lot of damage was reported. Many firemen lost their lives. This prompted me to think of a fire dousing equipment that would minimize risk for firemen,” she said. Working on a remote control, the vehicle can go close to the scene of fire and sprinkle water. Made of fire-resistant material, this would also have a camera which could help the operator see the area from a remote location.

Models on irrigation, medicinal plants and its uses, terrace gardening, fishing and use of solar energy for everyday activities are among the 175 on display at the fair, in which over 600 students from Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry are participating.

‘Creative vs destructive’
Governor Vajubhai Vala, who Inaugurated the fair said small changes could make a great impact. “An atom that can be used to cure cancer can also be used to make an atom bomb. It depends on whether your mind is creative or destructive,” he added.