A chatbot that roasts you with a straight face, a mental health support bot that listens gently and non-judgmentally, a web app that crafts personalised excuses for any situation, a staring contest game that uses AI to detect blinking, and even an app that calculates how many holes are in a ‘palappam’.
These ideas, which might sound too weird or whimsical, are exactly the kind of things being built at ‘Useless Projects 2.0,’ a statewide make-a-thon that encourages students to explore creativity without pressure or expectations. Organised by the TinkerHub Foundation in collaboration with the Kerala Startup Mission, the event has been running from August 2, bringing together more than 3,500 students from 61 campuses across the state.
The students have created quirky, bold, and experimental projects. These may not “change the world,” but they do something else — they make people think, laugh, wonder, and most importantly, learn.
“Building something creative is the aim. Even if it’s a small, crazy thing, if it’s something they love, that is enough. It does not need to save the world,” says Moosa Mehar MP, CEO and co-founder of TinkerHub. “The core goal of this fun programme is to build a strong maker ecosystem,” he adds.
The previous edition of Useless Projects, held last year, saw 2,100 students register, with 1,815 building projects across 31 campuses, and 661 final submissions. More than one-third of them were by women. The numbers have grown significantly since.
“In the syllabus, students can only learn the fundamentals. But to understand the current tech ecosystem, they need to go beyond that,” says Kurian Jacob, chief learning officer.
“After this programme, we identify students who show a good making mentality. We offer them a six-month scholarship of 5,000 a month. It enables them to work on their ideas, attend conferences and connect with mentors. We don’t give directions on what to build or what to do. The support is open-ended,” he says.
These students often get connected to real-world projects and, in some cases, even land core engineering jobs.
The TinkerHub movement began in 2014–15 at the Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT). A group of students who were learning robotics, game development, and other tech skills outside class started sharing that knowledge with their peers. In 2015, they officially registered the community. In 2020, Zerodha, a financial service firm, came on board as their principal funder through CTO Kailash Nadh, a Kozhikode native. Soon, they began scaling up their vision.
Since then, TinkerHub has expanded its reach across Kerala. Currently, it has a presence in 62 arts and engineering campuses, with 23,137 active student members. Their mission is rooted in building a maker culture.
TinkerHub’s programmes are designed for different age groups — Kutty Makers (ages 7–17) engage school students with early tech curiosity; Young Makers (ages 17–24) focus on college-level exploration through peer-led learning; and Friends of TinkerHub (25+) include mentors, alumni, and volunteers who support the ecosystem through co-creation and learning pods.
“Each campus hosts student-led learning groups guided through a one-year mentorship programme by us. They organise study circles, bootcamps, and workshops in AI, design, open source, and web development. If we want strong startups, we need people who know how to build. That skill does not come from classrooms alone; it happens when students see others around them making things,” says Mehar.
In 2022, TinkerHub launched TinkerSpace, India’s first and only 24/7 open tech lab, in Kochi. It’s not a co-working space, but a walk-in hub where anyone can access tools like AI, electronics, and design platforms. “It’s like a reading room for tech. At a time, 100-150 people can work there. It’s a place for self-learning,” Mehar explains.
Earlier, TinkerHub hosted Tink-Her-Hack 2024, the world’s largest all-girls hackathon, with 3,017 participants and more than 700 beginner-friendly projects, which opened up space for young women in tech.
“Both Useless Projects 2.0 and Tink-Her-Hack will be annual events. But even more is on the pipeline,” Kurian says.
Later this year, TinkerHub will host a grand Maker Fest in Kochi, bringing together tinkerers and builders from across the state for a celebration of creativity, much like a biennale for tech.