Long gone are the days when rote learning formed the crux of education. School students today are engaged in all sorts of projects that push the limits, thus ushering in bold innovations.
And that’s precisely what has transpired at the Government Girls Higher Secondary School at South Junction, Ernakulam.
At the Tech Expo 2025 organised here, students have unveiled smart solutions to a slew of problems, including a home automation system, farmstead weather station, a smart waste bin, among others.
Speaking to TNIE, Dayana, headmistress of the high school section, says, “The school has been giving students two hours every week to tinker at the Atal Tinkering Laboratory on our premises. Various components have been made available at the laboratory to create innovative devices and products, and the students have been making good use of the time. Their works are showcased at the exhibition.”
Home automation system
Ayilya Sunil and Jaliba C K, two members of a four-member team of Class 9 students, have made a home automation system that exceeds the performance of similar models available in the market.
“We have added a rain sensor to it, which powers the clothesline outside. When it rains, the clothesline is retracted into the shade, thus ensuring that the clothes don’t get wet,” says Ayilya.
Farmstead weather station
Afraid that the vagaries of weather will foil the crops on your farmstead? Don’t worry. A team of girls at GGHSS have developed a system that uses the Internet of Things to alert the farmstead owner about the changes in air quality, humidity, the volume of rain and the temperature in and around the farm.
The students Arathi H Bhat and Anita S, representing their team, explain, “We have set up sensors on the roof of the building that will detect any minor changes in an array of climatic parameters. If there is an excess of rainfall that might lead to flooding, the farmer gets an alert on the Blink app on their smartphone, thus aiding them to take the necessary action.”
A smart waste bin
Another sensor-operated device that’s developed by the students is the smart waste bin.
Team member Farah Fathima of Class 8, who is also a student police cadet, says, “It’s a wastebin that will defeat even the laziest person. It detects the person’s presence and opens the lid automatically. This is just a prototype. We will be developing it further so that even garbage collection can be automated.”
A smart walking stick
A clutch of students has also brought out a walking stick that will help visually impaired individuals avoid obstacles on their path.
“We have observed that many visually impaired people struggle a lot while traversing the footpaths, roads and other public places due to the presence of obstacles. Unidentified objects can make even the paths they tread daily dangerous. The walking stick we developed has a sensor that uses sonar to detect objects on the road and sounds an alarm alerting the individual,” say Sreenanda and Aleena of Class 9.
The expo showcased many other products like the automated car parking facility, a sonar-operated device to find the distance of an object and an obstacle finder that can be used on driverless cars.
