Barefoot engineers

A soaring kite and a sewing machine inspired two brothers in rural Assam to fabricate a windmill to pump water. The windmills have helped the salt farmers in Gujarat, whose operational cost has reduced by 40 percent, says Kavita Kanan Chandra

Sensing touch

Engineers in the University of Pennsylvania have developed a belt-based sensor device called 'viSparsh' that helps visually disabled persons walk freely without hindrances, says Nikhil Walia

One for rural roads

When more SUVs are hitting the road, Abhinav Das plans to unveil his own RUV (Rural Utility Vehicle). Nikil Walia meets the 26-year-old from Delhi, who knows about the roads of rural India

Sun Teller

ATM card holders in villages that go without power for hours need not trek to towns to draw money. Indian start-up, Vortex, has come up with solar-powered Gramateller, says Shudip Talukdar  

Biogas buses

As many as 120 Delhi buses may soon be running on biogas produced from a plant to be set up inside Kesopur Sewage Treatment Plant in West Delhi, says Ankur Paliwal 

Torchbearers

The steely resolve of two Vidarbha farmers broke the myth that biogas plants will not work in their villages, which led to a proliferation of natural fuel making units, says Aparna Pallavi  

Shooting guns

Turning murder weapons into productive tools is not just a lofty idea for Bihar police, who have been practising it by converting seized pistols into hoes and hedge clippers, says Imran Khan

The making of Jugnu

Fifty IIT-Kanpur students worked day and night to make Jugnu, a nanosat that was launched recently. It was built through out-of-the box thinking and plenty of sacrifice, recall the students

Cool deal

Now, you have a solar cap to keep you cool when you are out in the sun! At Rs.400 the cap has no recurring cost, since the tiny fan fitted in the cap runs on solar power, says Mauli Buch

Road to glory

A major plan is on the anvil to spruce up Bangalore roads to international standards. The unique public-private initiative will see the involvement of corporates like Biocon and Infosys

Historic launch

Chennai based SRM University is set to make history by launching a nano-satellite designed and built by its students to monitor greenhouse gases from Sriharikota today. A report

Innovating the wheel

Picking parts from the scrap heap, Sandeep Kumar fabricated a foldable cycle, ‘SANDSIMA’, which is not just a boon to cycling enthusiasts but also for whom the bicycle is a part in their scheme of commuting to work, says Kavita Kanan Chandra

Tyre to rubber

Every year a billion tyres are discarded worldwide with the bulk going into landfills, placing a burden on the environment. Scientists have now found a way to make rubber products from them

Whiz stick

To prevent visually impaired friends bumping into walls, Shantanu Gangwar made a walking stick that warns of an obstacle a foot ahead and won a CSIR award for inventions by school children

Precious Nano

A not-for-sale, ‘fully functional’ model of the Tata group’s Nano car, has been made with 80 kg 22 carat solid gold, 15 kg silver, and studded with diamonds, rubies, and other gemstones

Kids' joy

Ajit Narayanan’s speech device for spastic kids has brought tears of joy to parents. It helps users to construct phrases that are spoken out by an artificial voice through built-in speakers

Accredited schools

In a first of its kind initiative, about 21 schools in Chandigarh have been selected in a project funded by the health department in collaboration with the World Health Organisation to slot schools under various categories - bronze, silver, gold and platinum – based on certain health par

Barefoot inventor

A humble Gujarati farmer’s innovation, Chetak, has revolutionised cotton industry, cutting down the cost of cotton stripping 20 times. Kavita Kanan Chandra meets the barefoot inventor, Mansukhbhai Patel, who is now a successful businessman

Women's dream

A Bengali woman, with an MBA, is helping poor women through a retail selling system that is giving jitters to supermarket chains. Soma Mitra finds out the secret of Aparna Banerjee’s dream

Cool jackets

India will soon provide its soldiers a specially designed ‘cool’ jacket that will help them beat the summer heat in the Rajasthan desert, where temperatures shoot up to over 50 degree Celsius

Driving crazy

A toy bike created by a Meerut mechanic for his 4-year-old son attains a high speed of 60 km/hour. People are ready to shell out up to Rs.2 lakhs to buy the bike, but its owner is refusing

Urban management

A new university is coming up near Bangalore to train people in managing the emerging urban India. V S Karnic elaborates on the project, for which Nandan Nilekani has contributed Rs 50 crore