Young talents showcase innovative solutions to societal needs

Students from various schools displayed their models at Kerala State School Sasthrolsavam held in Kochi

Devika T.M. and Adithya K. had the image of four-year-old Minsa Mariam Jacob lingering in their minds when they decided to come up with a working model of a bus tracking system.

Minsa, a kindergarten student in Al Wakra on the outskirts of Doha, had reportedly died of heat and asphyxiation after she was accidentally left locked inside a school bus for over four hours in September.

“The girl could have been saved, but the bus crew left without realising that she was still inside the vehicle. Our bus tracking system is inspired by the traffic incident, and it includes radio frequency identification global system for mobile communication and the Arduino microcontroller,” said the young talents representing the Katampazhipuram High School in Palakkad, as they stood awaiting judges at St. Albert’s Higher Secondary School here on Thursday as part of the Kerala State School Sasthrolsavam.

Most participants in the working model section at the fair showed an earnest desire to come up with ideas that had resonance with various incidents happening around them. Devika and Adithya pointed out that the “user identification RFID technology is used to count the entry and exit of students from school buses. Parents will receive a notification through short message service,” they said.

The duo also showcased a drowsiness detection eyeglass while recalling that its use could have averted the tragic loss of nine lives, including five students, at Vadakkenchery after the tourist bus in which they were travelling rammed a KSRTC bus.

The ‘Medi Nurse’ model by Nandana G. Krishna and Alma Sajan, students of Standard 9 at St. Teresa’s EGHSS, Ernakulam, was inspired by the challenges thrown up in the medi-care sector following the pandemic. “This device will ensure the safety of the bystander and nursing staff. It will also ensure that patients get timely care and attention,” they said.

Pointing towards charts explaining the working of their model, the science enthusiasts said the highlights of the device included an oximeter, temperature sensor, ultraviolet chamber to disinfect plates and clothes used by the patient, sanitiser, and a camera facility to monitor the health status of the patient.