Ideas that make you go, 'wah!'

Necessity is in fact, the mother of invention. You know the idiom holds true when a love-lorn wife creates a pillow that can connect her with her husband lodged in another city. The 'inventions' of final year students of the Industrial Design Centre at IIT Bombay are up on display this fortnight. Yolande D'mello brings you a preview of the best of the lot

While Dombivli-resident Yatin Bengali doesn't mind cutting through a mob on local train stations, what he does get frustrated with is having to twiddle his thumbs in long, slow-moving queues to buy a ticket.

The current systems of ticket, coupon and ATVM smart card sale are flawed, he believes. "I have studied the current system of ticketing (along with Western Railway PRO Sharad Chandrayan). The ticket needs a vendor, and that slows down the process. The coupons machines are usually out of order, and although the smart card is used by young, educated commuters, it is intimidating for many," says Bengali. Although his idea draws from the concept of smart cards, it is a simple version that will help you get your ticket before you reach the station in your autorickshaw or taxi. "The vending machine, shaped like a mobile phone, will be fitted into the rickshaw or taxi. The driver will be given a smart card. The passenger can pay the driver, who then prints out a ticket from the machine. According to Bengali, the economics of the system can be worked out so that for every Rs 550 transaction, he can pocket Rs 50.

To: Drive around the city in a chair
The product: Personal Mobility Vehicle For Urban Commuteu00a0
The brain: Ranjit Raju
Ranjit Raju's design for a personal mobility vehicle has no steering wheel, just a handlebar, with three wheels and a motor attached to the front wheel. It, according to him, will work like bobsleighs do, using the motion of a person's body to propel the vehicle. Thus, the flaps on the sides will protect the driver's shoulders, while he moves his body to change direction.

"I referred to a lot of sports like skating, sleighing and skiing to understand how the motion of the body helps drive a vehicle. Most of these sports use a system called banking; the person adjusts his body weight to turn the vehicle," explains Raju.

To: Pitch a tent, start a fire, cross a river
The product: Trekker Survival Kitu00a0u00a0u00a0
The brain: Vivek Bhalekar
The kit is no bigger than a 500 ml soft drink bottle, but contains a whole host of tools -- a rechargeable torch, whistle, double-edged knife, lighter, signaling mirror, built-in compass and a dry compartment to store medicines. You can also use the kit to tie knots in 32 ways.

Vivek Bhalekar, its creator, is just a month away from graduation. "Scouts are taught to tie 32 kinds of knots. But you can't expect beginner trekkers to master all the methods. This is where my kit can help," he says.
So is it any different from a Swiss Army Knife? "I studied the Army Knife and realised it had a lot of tools that are unnecessary for most users. My Trekker Kit, on the other hand, includes only essentials. It can be used to help you cross a river, pitch a tent, start a fire, call for help, and even get directions," says Bhalekar who enjoys spending weekends trekking in the Sahyadris.

To: Learn with blocks that talk
The product: TiBlou00a0u00a0u00a0
The brain: Swati Srivastavau00a0
Interaction design student Swati Srivastava has constructed a fully functioning model of TiBlo (Tangible Interactive Blocks), which is an open-ended, tangible learning aid for children aged eight to 12. Designed to aid dyslexic kids, the model took two months to create, with an additional two weeks used to test it with children at CarloxPrerna, a non-governmental organisation that works with children with learning disabilities.

TiBlo includes a set of blocks that can be organised in multiple patterns. Besides the fact that they are brightly coloured, the blocks also allow for 30 seconds of audio recording time. Children can record audio and play it back, adding to the fun, and helping them learn in the process.

Srivastava is currently sourcing funds to help with her next project, Spell Bound, a prototype of which is under production. According to Srivastava, the Spell Bound, another learning aid for dyslexic students, will consist of a board fitted with electric sensors. If an alphabet letter is identified correctly, the board will light up.

To: Zip by like a squirrel does
The product: Car Inspired By Squirrelu00a0u00a0
The brain: Sandesh HD
While the puma and jaguar have inspired the names of automobile brands, if industrial design student Sandesh HD has his way, next will be a car named Squirrel. And it will be designed like a rodent. "The theme of our (Industrial Design Department) project was speed. I thought of options including the arrow, but went with the squirrel because it would make for an aesthetic design," says Sandesh, who spent three months perfecting his computer-aided design of the squirrel car.

The squirrel shape enables the car to generate a higher speed than most regular-shaped vehicles. "For the model, I started by video recording the movement of squirrels I found on campus. Then I watched them in slow motion to understand how their muscles move," says Sandesh.

To: Beat long distance relationships
The product: Interactive Communication For Couples
The brain: Dhyan Suman
VIRAHA vedana or what we commonly know as the angst of separation, has played spoiltsport for several lovers. Interaction Design student Dhyan Suman is determined to change that.

She is missing him, wishes he were by her side

On pressing a 'sync' button, an SMS alert is sent to her partner

An impression of her partner is generated on the mat through LED sensors

The final experience is one of sleeping next to each other

Partly inspired by her own life, Suman has created a pillow that shrinks distance. Tired of missing her husband who is based in Bengaluru, she created a working model of a pillow and mat structure. The pillow has a built-in mike and speaker system, and acts like a mobile phone. A mat contains LED sensors that replicate a silhouette of the other half. On pressing a 'sync' button on the pillow, an SMS alert is sent to the partner. "I realised that a relationship enjoys intimacy through the sharing of items like a bed," says Suman.

Catch these IDC innovations live
Urdhvam -- Design Degree Show was started to pay tribute to founder Prof Subhakar Nadkarni. The exhibition, open to the public, will give you a look at the prototypes with a detailed explanation from the innovators.
AT: Nehru Science Centre,
Dr E Moses road, Worli
CALL: 24920482

Seminars will include industry biggies taking about their expertise in the field. Catch Udaya Kumar, designer of the rupee sign along with speakers from Yahoo, Bajaj, Godrej, etc.
AT: Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai
CALL: 9820856218