THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: From a smart learning toy to a fighter aircraft, with moving wings, students with fine engineering skills showcased their talents in the finale of Ingenium 2017, the national engineering talent search competition conducted by the Technopark-based QuEST Global. 10 teams, out of 8000, showcased their projects at the Taj Vivanta. From the state itself, more than 600 took part.
The winner took a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh and an opportunity to visit the avionics facility of Airbus in Germany.
Here are some examples: Hope
It is an embedded device that enables communication using breath for patients suffering from paralysis. This has been made by the students of the Sahrdaya College of Engineering and Technology and can be used for mobile texting and controlling wheel chairs. The product costs only Rs 1000. “We are planning to develop it into a commercial product. I am sure there are many patients who will find it useful.” said team member Prince Sibi. The other members included Gokul, Shaun JF, and Prince Francis.
Mobescope
Students of the Sri Sairam Engineering College, Tamil Nadu, have developed a mobile microscope. When this is placed under a mobile camera it can give diagnostic results. The software will tell if the blood sample has a malarial parasite or not. The portable device makes it possible for easy detection of malaria at home.
Hi-Tech bionic prosthetic legs
This is a prosthetic leg developed by the students of the Vellore Institute of Technology. It can read the signals of the brain and function almost like a normal leg. The team is in talks with the Jaipur Foot people to get the proper design.
Smart Parking and Surveillance
The technology developed by the MS Ramaiah Institute of Technology, Bangalore can detect if parking space is available on a particular road. Considering that 30 percent of the traffic jams are due to people having trouble finding parking space this innovation will be very useful.
Fighter aircraft with a yawning wing
The final-year engineering students of avionics at Park College of Engineering and Technology, Tamil Nadu, have developed a prototype of a fighter aircraft that can move its wings to manoeuvre it in the air. The yawing (manoeuvrability) is possible without the use of a rudder.
Some of the other discoveries include the QBCD, a device developed by the Manipal Institute of Technology, Karnataka. It helps a child to improve motor-skills, hand-eye coordination and memory. A prosthetic hand developed by the MVJ College of Engineering, Karnataka can read the brain signals and perform some of the functions of a normal hand. The students of the Saintgits College of Engineering developed a mechanism to generate electricity using speed breakers. As for the students of Chandigarh university, they came up with a hybrid bike, which runs on battery as well as petrol.
First Prize
Electricity Generation Using Speed Breakers: Developed by Jobby George and Jose Tom. Instead of the regular speed breakers on the roads, the student team proposes the use of speed breakers that consists of return spring enclosed within the frictionless sheet. When the vehicle passes by this speed breaker, the energy produced by the vehicles can be converted into electricity that can be stored in the battery and can be converted into AC current using the inverter.
Second Prize
Compressed air vehicle: Sri Eshwar College of Engineering, Coimbatore. Developed a vehicle that can move with the help of compressed air.
Third Prize
Hi-Tech bionic prosthetic legs: Prosthetic leg developed by engineering students of Vellore Institute of Technology.