Drone irrigation, printer cartridge recycling: Students’ exhibition woos all

One of the most attractive exhibits was a 1.5-metre drone which is used for irrigating fields. Brought straight from Shindawane village in Pune, where it is in use, the drone is fixed with a water tank of capacity up to 15 litre.

Pune Students’ exhibition, Pune College of Engineering exhibition, Drone irrigation, printer cartridge recycling, indian express, indian express news

Innovative products were exhibited at COEP Technological University, to mark the launch of a five-day ‘Innovation, Design & Entrepreneurship Bootcamp’, on Friday. (Express Photo by Arul Horizon)

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Imagine a drone that can irrigate an acre in five to seven minutes while saving up to 90% water. Imagine a device that would let you sit in one place while still getting the exercise that comes with walking.
Or a garbage-picking machine which needs neither batteries nor electricity. Imagine harnessing the energy of flowing water without having to build dams.

These were only few among the several innovative products exhibited at the College of Engineering Pune (COEP) Technological University to mark the launch of the five-day ‘Innovation, Design and Entrepreneurship Bootcamp’.
One of the most attractive exhibits was a 1.5-metre drone which is used for irrigating fields. Brought straight from Shindawane village in Pune, where it is in use, the drone is fixed with a water tank of capacity up to 15 litre.

“CS-Krishi can spray an acre in five to seven minutes and use at least 90% less water,” said Rushikesh Sonawane, Director of CerebroSpark Innovations, the Pune-based company which developed this product.
“Because the current cost of this device is too expensive for some farmers, most farmers prefer paying per acre,” according to Sonawane.

Environmental concerns seemed to be driving several of the innovations as further down was an automatic garbage picking machine. Developed by Nagpur-based Clean Lane Equipments and Solutions, this simple mechanical device needs the sanitation worker to only push it.

“Because it needs no other source of power like batteries or electricity, it is quite energy efficient, environment friendly and easy to maintain,” said Mihal Wargantiwar at the exhibition.

An example of the step after garbage collection was shown by RCube Recycling which recycles printer cartridges.
“We recycle at least 50,000 printer cartridges every month at our recycling plant in Mumbai,” said a staffer at the stall. The company has developed a unique technology to convert the used toner powder which is otherwise considered waste, into new and usable printing material.

Another innovation was that of hydrokinetic turbines which focused on generating electricity from canals and other water bodies with moving water. “This does not use any extra land and is much more consistent because water flow, unlike that of wind, is highly predictable,” said Weti Maini from Maini Renewables which was incubated at the Bhau Institute at COEP itself. She also has a patent on the specialised blades of this equipment.

Walking further brings one to the ‘SitWalker’, developed by Sushrut Designs to improve blood circulation in the feet by moving the feet in a way that is similar to walking.

“A person can be sitting and still getting the health benefits of walking,” said a staffer at the stall. This is especially for people with diabetes or a sedentary lifestyle. It also reduces the risk of varicose veins and deep vein thrombosis.
Nearby, several boys huddled near the colourful stall set up by Wharf Street Studio.