Heart-felt innovation turns into high-tech industry

Indian innovators can match anyone in the world when it comes to solving problems creatively, where they perform better than rest is in generating greater sustainable alternatives by using local resources frugally.

There are so many examples of Grassroot Innovations in India that has helped in improving the quality of lives and capabilities of real India. These are inspiring stories of not high tech innovators but heart felt innovation. For example, ‘Walker with adjustable legs’, conceptualised by a 13-year-old student from Patna, who become the first innovation made by a child to be prototyped, fabricated and commercialised with the aid of the National Innovation Foundation, India (NIF), headquartered in Ahmedabad.

This year again the Festival of Innovations (FOIN 2015) is all set to acknowledge, appreciate and encourage the culture of innovation amongst all sections of society, specially focusing on grassroot innovations.  

As a part of previous edition of FOIN, National Innovation Foundation (NIF) signed an agreement with Kaviraa Solutions for the non-exclusive manufacturing and marketing rights of walker with adjustable legs, the brainchild of Shalini Kumari from Patna, who was a national award winner of NIF in its IGNITE 2011 student competition where she received the award from former president, APJ Abdul Kalam.

The inspiration behind this innovation goes like this…after an accident left Shalini’s grandfather was unable to climb the stairs without the aid of a walker to indulge in his hobby of gardening at their terrace, she conceptualised and designed a walker that has spring-loaded self-locking front legs. Looking at the normal ‘walker’, she realized that if the front legs were adjustable instead of fixed, they could be used to climb stairs. When the user pushes the front legs on the upper stairs and the rear legs rest on the lower stairs, the walker is stable enough for climbing stairs. It also has a foldable seat that can be pulled out and is also fitted with a horn and a light.

Kaviraa Solutions has voluntary contributed Rs 2, 00, 000 to the innovation fund at NIF, to support grassroot innovators. Senior IIM-A professor Anil Gupta, Executive Vice-Chair of NIF said, “An IIM-A student is already using the walker to help him climb stairs after he recently injured his leg. While we have showcased many innovations by children before, this is the first one that has gone from idea to market. The walker can take upto 100 kg and can be adjusted to different environments. Through its commercialisation, around Rs 12 lakh has already been given to the student. The company aims to produce 10,000 such walkers. A patent for the product has also been filed in her name, for which she will get royalty for each product sold.

This year too many innovators will be recognized and rewarded as a part of FOIN 2015. SME Step-up is proud to be associated with this event and will be reporting action and inspiration from Rashtrapati Bhavan as a part of this innovative initiative of money control.

NIF has proved that Indian innovators can match anyone in the world when it comes to solving problems creatively, where they perform better than rest is in generating greater sustainable alternatives by using local resources frugally. The Grassroots to Global (G2G) model that NIF is propagating is all set to change the way the world looks at the creativity and innovations at grassroots.

By Archana Tiwari-Nayudu