How clean are your daily-use utensils?

Attempting to solve the lives of thousands of men and women in Indian households, a class 10 student at Apeejay School, Faridabad, Jai Dhamija’s Robo Dish Cleaner has been created using easily available raw material. The low-cost innovation was recently shortlisted for the INSPIRE-MANAK Award for 2021-22, ‘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. It aims to motivate students to put forward original ideas rooted in science for societal application. Jai received an amount of Rs. 10,000 recently for this project. In an interview, the young achiever explains how his model-prototype functions. Edited excerpts:

How can one make use of the dish cleaner?

It is a simple project based on sensors, motors, and conveyor belts. To be able to use the dish cleaner, a person only has to put the dishes on the conveyor belt and the machine will do the rest. One can put about 2-3 full plates and quarter plates in the washer and it is most helpful for restaurant chains and food joints which serve a large number of people.

How did the idea for the dish cleaner come about?

Since the pandemic, more and more people have learnt to do household chores without depending on domestic help. The change is great because it can help families save costs and cut down on the inconvenience. Despite surface cleaning, many times washed dishes contain bacteria that is not visible to the naked eye. The robotic-based dishwasher will cater to this problem as it uses sensors to direct the proportion of water used and to create a base for the dishes.

How long did you take to complete its making?

Once the idea was in place, it took about 2-3 weeks for the creation of the dishwasher. I have also refurbished some parts from an old dishwasher to make it. Its mechanism is such that it can use about 20-30% waste water dispensed from RO water purifiers installed at our homes.

What could be the cost of this dish cleaner if it becomes a product in the market?

Based on the size, it could cost restaurant chains Rs.20,000/- and for households it would range from Rs. 10,000-15,000/-.

How has the school contributed to the project?

My teacher, Suman Chaudhary Ma’am encouraged me to participate in the competition. I am very thankful for her constant guidance and support.

What is your career aspiration?

I want to become an entrepreneur and attempt to solve people’s problems through my business ideas.