Students shine with tech innovations at State School Science Festival

From an AI-powered sign language translator and a RAM pump designed to supply water to high altitudes to an eco-friendly precision agriculture system, the working model competition for high school students at the ongoing State School Science Festival in Alappuzha on Saturday highlighted innovative technologies aimed at benefitting humanity.

From an AI-powered sign language translator and a RAM pump designed to supply water to high altitudes to an eco-friendly precision agriculture system, the working model competition for high school students at the ongoing State School Science Festival in Alappuzha on Saturday highlighted innovative technologies aimed at benefitting humanity.

Rigved Maanas and Johan Baiju, Class X and Class IX students of Rajagiri Higher Secondary School, Kalamassery in Ernakulam, showcased the AI-based sign language translator that can convert various Indian sign language expressions- such as how are you, thank you, welcome and hi to mention a few into speech in more than 60 languages. The system incorporates flex sensors, an accelerometer and gyroscope, an ESP32 microcontroller, wi-fi connectivity and a speaker for audio output.

The duo came to the State festival after securing first prize at the district competition. Rigved and Maanas say their project aims to “empower the muted” through the technology. “Globally 1.4 billion people have speech disorders. In India alone, 35 million people face speech-related challenges. We hope our system will be a handy tool for them,” they say.

Meanwhile, A.S. Vagda and Nifa Nourin, both Class VIII students of Government Higher Secondary School, Kallachi near Nadapuram in Kozhikode demonstrated RAM pump, a device for pumping water from rivers to high altitude areas without any external power source. It uses the kinetic energy of flowing water to pump water to high elevations. The major advantages of RAM pump, according to the girls, are its reliance on natural energy, requiring no electricity and its low manufacturing and maintenance costs. “It can be a boon for agriculture in water-scarce areas and does not disturb the natural conditions of water sources,” the students say.

Another standout project was an eco-friendly precision agriculture system presented by Class X students Abhinav P. Aneesh and Rithunand Ranjith of Sivapuram Higher Secondary School, Mattannur in Kannur. Developed under the theme “science and technology for sustainable development”, the system offers numerous advantages such as water conservation, improved soil quality, biodiversity preservation, automated watering and manure application and real-time monitoring of agricultural fields.

Besides the high school working model competition where students from across the State presented ideas, the day also featured other events, including still model displays, improvised experiments, investigatory projects, group projects, and digital painting across venues.