Nearly 250 innovations were up by students from all disciplines in this year's open-house show at IIT Delhi which had a plethora of out-of-the-box inventions and stunning machines. From a simple clothes drying machine and an aloe vera extractor to a friction-based page-turning machine and a single-seed sower – there was something for everyone which, if put up commercially, could make lives easier, healthier and more interesting. No wonder, school and college students, researchers and even housewives came visiting the campus that had scientific models all over in the golden jubilee year of IIT-D. According to Ranjana Mehta from Pitampura there is a lot of freshness in ideas as these are mady by students.”I really liked the bamboo cycle and the page-turning machine as students have thought about the environment and the disabled in these projects. My 13-yearold son loved the 3D Snakes & Ladders and the chance to interact with IIT students, though,” said Mehta. The bamboo cycle was designed, especially for rural areas, by second-year students of MDes, Dwaipayan Bhattacharjee and Shubham Ranjan Sharma. It is a hand-made cycle put together with bamboo and functional parts of a discarded bicycle. “It is light-weight and can be made at a very low cost. This one just cost us Rs 1,800 and can take 70-80 kilogram weight. It would last about seven to eight years as compared to a normal cycle, which can be used for at least 15 years,” said Dwaipayan. The page-turning machine, ideal for those who lost their limbs, is also a low-cost option. The machine is fitted on a table with a pointer that can be moved with just the movement of the head. “It's a compact product, which may cost only Rs 1,000,” said Gunjit Kumar, who made this machine with another student, Sanjeev Sharma. It can also be used in museums where touching books is not allowed.
