Innovation

A group of students in Anekal taluk of Karnataka, have developed a fire-fighting drone. It cost them around ₹40,000 and six months to develop the prototype!

To shatter taboos surrounding periods and promote menstrual hygiene, a group of friends in Rajkot designed an affordable DIY pad using waste cloth and taught women in nearby slums and villages how to make them. The project won the Disney Innovation Award in the ‘Large Impact’ category at the ‘I CAN Awards 2014’ organised by Design for Change.

Many small and marginal farmers in Lohardaga and Gumla are using tiny pumps to irrigate vegetable fields, an entrepreneurial model that has the potential to increase incomes for smallholders, since groundwater is abundant in the state. Bikalp Chamola takes a closer look.

To help homeless people who sleep on the roads, students in Bhuj made beds using waste gunny bags stuffed with softened paper and cloth. The project won the ‘Quick Impact’ award at the ‘I CAN Awards 2016’ organised by Design for Change.

Climekit, a unique and simple innovation, has the potential to “crowd-source” the next solution to India’s growing air pollution troubles.

Perumal Vivekanandan has been working in the NGO sector for 30 years, encouraging grassroots innovators and giving them platforms to grow and flourish.

Finding the chalk dust in their classroom insufferable, students at a government school in Villupuram district of Tamil Nadu designed chalk dusters using waste plastic bottles. The project was selected amongst the Top 20 stories at the ‘I CAN Awards 2015’ organised by Design for Change.

Gursimran Singh has made a device that visually impaired people can wear which will enable them to visualise the text being dictated by using the concept of binaural beats. He has been awarded a 20 lakh grant for the device to be produced at commercial level and distributed across the country.

Elderly healthcare in rural India still has many gaps in effective implementation. In the current scenario, having an efficient home-care system can be extremely beneficial and helpful.

Students at St. Kabir’s Residential and Day School, Haryana, designed a plough to ease the burden of the school gardener, who took a lot of time to plough the garden, time that he could otherwise spend in studying or pursuing other jobs. The project was selected amongst the Top 20 stories at the ‘I CAN Awards 2012’ organised by Design for Change.