Kochi: Making a wheelchair follow your instructions to calling an auto-rickshaw with a text message are among the many projects by Kerala’s students lined up for incubation.
The innovative projects were selected for development in a talent hunt held by country’s first telecom incubator Startup Village and IEEE Communication Society’s Kerala chapter.
The aim was to identify projects in communication technologies and applications created by engineering students in Kerala and help them grow.
“We selected the projects not only for their innovativeness but also for usefulness for the masses. We are sure these ideas will translate into successful technologies with commercial applications,” said Sanjay Vijayakumar, Startup Village’s governing board chairperson.
Intelligent Wheelchair, created by five students of Sahrdaya College of Engineering Technology in Thrissur, can be operated through eye movements, voice or lever. It also has sensors to detect hazards, text message alerts, and a device to monitor physiological conditions and inform doctors.
Smartmotive, a wheelchair developed by students of Government Engineering College in Thrissur, helps a disabled person stand up from a sitting position.
Since it is controlled by retinal movements, facial commands and sound, the chair can be operated by a person with various types of paralysis.
SMS Vehicle Locating Solution is a project which cuts shorts the wait for an auto-rickshaw.
In many cases, a vacant auto-rickshaw might be nearby unaware of a commuter’s presence. The technology developed by a team from College of Engineering in Thiruvananthapuram allows commuters to send text message alerts to drivers pinpointing their locations.
Haritha (Hybrid Automated Remote Irrigation Technique for Agriculture) is a user-friendly automated solar powered irrigation system for home gardens. The project has been created by students of Sree Chitra Thirunal College of Engineering in Thiruvananthapuram.
The Tarang project converts mechanical effort of any sort into electrical energy.
Developed by students of SCMS School of Engineering and Technology in Ernakulam, the compact device allows users to convert any mechanical energy source into electrical energy without modifications to the apparatus. The system is as compact as a water bottle and as light as a book.
Sijo Kuruvilla George, chief executive officer of Startup Village, said the programme intended to transform young talent from Kerala into entrepreneurs.
He said they had covered 164 engineering colleges to spot new ideas.
