Apeejay School, Saket student aspires to pull the plug on energy wastage

A class 7 student of Apeejay School Saket, Adam Bashneen’s innovation has been selected for INSPIRE-MANAK. In the upcoming months, the child prodigy will be part of the District-level – ‘Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research’ (INSPIRE) scheme which is one of the flagship programmes of the Department of Science & Technology (DST), Government of India. This programme aims to motivate students in the age group of 10-15 years and target one million original ideas/innovations rooted in science for societal applications. In an interview, Adam shares insights about his project, highlighting how his invention can become useful for citizens in the near future. Edited excerpts:

Please give us a glimpse into your interests, hobbies and achievements.  

Since grade 3, I have been a science enthusiast. From that time onwards, I have been hooked on reading a lot of encyclopaedias across topics such as space, human body, nature etc. Both my parents are doctors, and therefore, regular discussions in my house are based on the medical field. I enjoy that but I also want to work in the technological field.

With that, I am an avid reader. As part of extra-curriculars outside school, I am currently pursuing a diploma programme in Keyboard from the prestigious Trinity College of London. To name a few of my achievements, I was one of the top 20 students at the Spell Bee International competition. I have received the inter-school rank 1, state rank 1, and National rank 3 in the same. I love to write and have authored several short-stories for magazines such as BrainFeed.

What is your INSPIRE-MANAK project all about?

I have created a power-belt. The idea emerged when I was trying to seek eco-friendly solutions for environmental degradation. I strongly believe that in the near future, we would have to put in a lot of thought to devise more advanced methods to produce electricity. Therefore, a power-belt is a device which can generate energy from motion. When a person would wear the belt, the energy generated from his/her movements would be captured and stored in the belt. This can further be converted into electricity for using basic appliances.   

What are some of the raw materials that you are using for the power-belt?

For making the power-belt, I have used a lithium battery, dynamo generator, weights, to name a few.

With all these materials, would the belt be heavy to wear?

No. I have kept it very light so that a person can easily walk, jog and run while wearing it.

Can the belt be connected to any kind of socket?

Yes. Right now, my prototype is for small electrical instruments such as bulbs, torches etc. I aspire to finish the model further so that it can be used to support larger appliances as well.  

If your prototype becomes a finished product in the market, what could be its price?

The belt is made using very basic materials. It would not cost more than Rs. 1000.

Would you be keen to pitch your idea to tech companies in future?

Yes, absolutely. I would also like to keep this product at a cost which everyone can afford. I am sure that I would find a company that meets the criteria.

What is your career aspiration?

I want to become a robotics engineer.

Your role model?

Steve Jobs. I have read his biography as well and it boggles my mind how he was able to create such a finished and advanced mobile product in his local garage. It is very inspiring!

If you were to give fellow citizens advice on eco-friendly behaviour, what would you say?

I want to say that we are losing more and more of our fossil fuels each day. For short-distances where you can walk or cycle, please do so. I also suggest we start making use of solar cookers and solar panels because the sun is going to be our main source of energy in the near future.