THRISSUR: Stone, stick and umbrella are what we have so far used to keep the stray dogs away. Now, a start-up is coming with a weapon named the UCOM Stick, to prevent stray dog attacks.
This stick uses electricity to frighten dogs away. Infusory Designs, a company started by Thomson Tom of St Joseph’s Engineering College, Pala, is behind this much-needed gadget.
“The working of this instrument is simple. When you operate it, a spark and sound is produced from it. Dogs will run away when they see the spark and hear the sound. Rabid/mad dogs may not get frightened by it. So, we added another facility in it. The user can give the dog an electric shock by touching it with the instrument,” Thomson said.
The instrument will helpful for people travelling in the night and going for morning walks. The instrument also has a torch attached to it. “Nowadays most of the people use flashlights of their mobiles. But by the time they return home after office, the charge in the mobile gets drained. So they cannot use it,” Thomson added.
Women can also use the instrument against eve-teasers. “Women can use this also against eve teasers. When someone tries to physically disturb any woman, she can use it against them by giving them a shock. The electricity passing from this instrument is not harmful for the life of the dog or human beings,” said Thomson Tom.
In one second, 300 to 400 volts of electricity passes from the instrument. Manufacturers said that while designing this instrument, they had considered safety measures for the dog and user.
The company has been incubated in the Startup Bootcamp of St Joseph’s Engineering College and Technology Business Incubator of Government Engineering College, Thrissur.
Apart from Thomson, the project team members, include Shyam Pradeep (Thrissur), Jobin P Thomas (Cherthala), Fasil K V (Ramanattukara) and Arjun Ashokan (Nilambur). Shyam and Fasil study at the Thrissur Engineering College and others are at Pala St Joseph’s.
Shyam Pradeep is tech lead, Arjun Ashokan is operations head, Fasil K V is product developer and Jobin P Thomas is hardware developer in the startup.
The group found money for the research and development of the instrument by conducting workshops and training in colleges.