Techno 2019 Grassroots level opportunity for young inventors

Falcon E1/first -ever electric formula student car in sri lanka

Techno 2019 was held for the 7th consecutive year at the Bandaranaike International Memorial Conference Hall (BMICH) premises from October 11-13. Organised by the Institute of Engineers Sri Lanka (IESL), Techno 2019 is the foremost exhibition in the country to promote engineering technology and innovation. In this backdrop, the IESL conducted its annual Junior Inventor of the Year (JIY) competition. The 12 best inventions were chosen to be exhibited at Techno 2019. Daily Mirror spoke with some of the young inventors at Techno 2019.

Front Brake Light system

Based on her experiences whilst travelling on the road and her concerns regarding the increasing number of accidents on the roads, Hiruni Ubayasirinarayana (13) from Sacred Heart Convent, Galle invented the front brake light system. “Many accidents occur when pedestrians cross the roads. I think the reason is because pedestrians can’t predict if the vehicle is slowing down and stopping or not.” 

Noting that in vehicles, the brake light is at the back, Ubayasirinarayana decided to use the same technology in the front as well. She is hopeful that this invention would save many lives. She requested the Government to encourage inventors like her and to make the front brake light system a necessity. 

Smart Dustbin

Hailing from Jaffna, Vaishnaviey Karunananthan (14), a student of Chundikuli Girls’ College was used to seeing three dustbins; one for paper, one for plastic and one for organic waste in her class room and she noticed how much space those three bins take. This sight was also visible on the streets. She also noticed how the refuse collectors sorted out the waste with their own hands and was concerned about their health. These observations fueled her to come up with the concept of a smart dustbin. 

“I divided this bucket into three parts for the three different types of wastes. Then I attached these type 1 levers to the rotating base of this bucket. When you press the appropriate lever, the linear motion is converted to rotational motion and the correct portion would open up for you to dispose your waste,” she explained. A strong advocate for proper and efficient waste management, Karunananthan reused waste materials she found around to create the smart dustbin. The waste materials included an empty 20 litre paint bucket, wasted steel bars and aluminium sheet, springs and a timber plank. The cost of making the bin was Rs. 1800, largely due to the welding and cutting tools used. Karunananthan also added that it took her 8 months to make the bin and her father had helped her. 

Many accidents occur when pedestrians cross the roads. This is because pedestrians can’t  predict 

-Hirunui

Novel Methodology to Measure Fluid Levels

Having been a participant in this completion since Grade 6, Mindiya Karunasinghe a student of Grade 10 at Royal College, Colombo had always been curious and innovative. A trip to Kukuleganga Power Station two years ago made him come up with this idea. “The Chief Engineer told that they had no way of measuring the water levels quickly therefore was unable to store water. From that day onwards, I wondered how to solve this issue,” he said. Firstly, he had thought of using a SONAR sensor for that purpose, but soon realised that if there were any obstacles or if the SONAR sensor got damaged, then the reading could be inaccurate. After learning about the Archimedes’ Principle at school, Karunasinghe came up with this methodology.
Using the simple concept of the Archimedes’ Principle, Karunasinghe constructed a methodology using a PVC pipe and another 5kg pipe which would be inside the PVC pipe to measure fluid levels. The 5kg pipe is connected to a sensor (load cell) and when fluid level rises, the upthrust acting on the pipe would cause change in the weight. This change will be noted by the sensor and the fluid level can be measured thereafter. Karunasinghe informed that the current accuracy of this device is 5cm, but through further development, the accuracy can be improved to 0.1cm. He shared that this device can be used as a weather monitoring system, alert if reservoirs are about to overflow, in petrol stations to notify the petrol provider of the levels of petrol in different stations so they can be filled up easily. 

“The uniqueness of this methodology is that the sensor is not connected to the liquid. The only thing that is exposed to the liquid is the 5kg pipe so this doesn’t conduct electricity. This makes it easier for it to be used to measure a wide range of liquids” Karunasinghe stated while adding that the sensor is also connected to the internet, so the status of the fluid levels can be observed from anywhere. He informed that it cost him USD 92 to make the device and expressed his gratitude to his parents and teachers who encouraged him. He stated that it took him 4 months to construct the device. Karunasinghe will also be applying for a patent as this methodology was discovered by him. 

Techno 2019 was held for the 7th consecutive year at the BMICH premises from October 11-13.

Electric Formula Student Car

This wasn’t an invention under the JIY 2019 competition, rather it was the entry of the Mechanical Engineering Department, University of Moratuwa for the Formula Student 2019 competition held in Germany. Due to unfortunate circumstances, the team was unable to participate in the competition. 

“Two weeks prior to the competition, a battery failure occurred and we didn’t have enough funds to replace the battery at the time,” shared Peshala Randima Withanachchi, a final year Mechanical Engineering student and one of the team members that made the car. Withanachchi shared that they found the funds with much difficulty. They were funded by the state and two private companies. Withanachchi also informed that this project is the Mechanical Engineering Department’s main project and enables students to practice their engineering principles, management and put their theories to practice.

“The Formula competition series is where mechanical engineering students get international exposure. Previously two Formula cars competed from the University, but this is the first time we made an electric student made formula car,” Withanachchi stated. 

He explained that the interior structures were done by chromoly bars and the exterior body was made by glass fibre. The car weighs up to 252kg and is of 3084mm in length. The motor has a power of 81kW and the maximum speed of the car is 150kmph. Withanachchi also stated that they are planning to enter other competitions and are currently looking for sponsors to enable them to enter competitions.

Withanachchi also noted that the research and development prospects in Sri Lanka seemed bleak for mechanical engineering students “There is an outcome of 120 undergraduates annually from the mechanical engineering department, but only around 4 get into research and development jobs. The rest have to go abroad for such jobs or if we stay in Sri Lanka, we get maintenance engineering jobs. This should change.” He added that most graduates have potential for research and development yet they unable to harness it, and requested the relevant authorities to create opportunities for these graduates to stay and serve their homeland.

The Formula competition series is where mechanical engineering students get international exposure 

-Withanachchi

Public opinion on Techno 2019

“It’s good that an event like this is happening and a platform is given for young inventors. Children should be encouraged to think and invent. However, inventions shouldn’t be made for the sake of inventing. Children should be guided as they invent,” stated a visitor, who wished not to be named. He went on to point out that due to the ‘tuition-culture’ present today, children hardly have the time to be curious and question. “You can see that these young inventors have a talent to think out of the box. They must be encouraged and guided,” he reiterated. He also noted that most of these inventions needed further improvements to make them efficient.

When asked about whether there are opportunities for international exposure for these inventors, he stated that there are systems in place but he wasn’t aware of how effective the systems were.  “Inventors should have the initial study in Sri Lanka before they go abroad and should be able to think differently at their age.” He also added that to be an inventor, one must be curious, question, discover solutions and work hard towards the solution, learning through trial and error. The visitor also touched upon the fact that there are many Sri Lankan inventors living abroad and stated that opportunities in Sri Lanka for research is questionable. “Opportunities must be made in Sri Lanka for such people.”