ERNAKULAM: The family of five, including his two older sisters and a younger brother, found themselves at the deep end after his father passed away last year. They had a mortgage loan to repay, with bank foreclosure staring them in the face. And he saw his mother, a homemaker, struggling. So Libin Martin, a Class X student of St Thomas HSS, Malayattoor, decided to tap into his technical aptitude to help out. He made low-cost incubators and sold them to raise money.
“Electronics has been my passion. So I thought of making something that I was comfortable with. My cousin is an electrical engineer and he showed me how to make an incubator,” Libin said.He first tried making one using a thermocol box for his mother Chippy. “The incubator was a success. I then made one for my teacher, who posted about it on social media,” he said.
The post created a ripple and he soon began receiving orders. Libin started making incubators in November 2020 and continued till January 2021. “I received around 70 orders and completed each of them before taking a break. I will be getting back to work after the examinations,” he said. His incubators are efficient and cost-effective. “It costs only Rs 2,500 while the ones with similar features available in the market go upwards of Rs 6,000,” he said.
Libin’s incubators can easily hatch around 100 eggs and are suitable for every type of poultry. He is not confining himself. “I made an electric bicycle for a person living nearby. One just needs to turn the accelerator a bit. No pedalling is required,” he said. An engineering college has offered Libin a BTech seat when he completes higher secondary.