The Research & Development Lab, started in 2016, as a technical team for manufacturing an ICT based tool ”Edu-box” for night school. The technical team since then has evolved into a full-fledged Workhorse. The team comprises youngsters from early twenties to their late fifties with an average of 29. Out of which 50 percent formally educated and the rest are Barefoot engineers. The Lab team works on electronics, design and prototype models as well as technical support. It is currently working in the domain of education, health, energy and livelihood.
In addition, it is handling 7 projects with the Government of India (Department of Science
and Technology) as well as a soon to be registered Fab-lab.
Timeline:
Secured a grant from the Government of India from SEED (Science for equity, empowerment and development) - 2018.
Set up Fab-Lab in Tilonia. First CSO in Rajasthan to ever have a Fab-Lab - 2019
Project Implementation Locations:
Rajasthan
Chhattisgarh
Jharkhand
Manipur
Project Dashboard:
Below are the 7 projects currently being carried out that are at various stages of their development.
C-REW (IOT controller)
Divya Solar Lantern
Solar projector with Offline Server (2 projects combined)
Water filtration and vending machine
Solar dryer
Solar sheep shearing Machine
C-REW (IOT Controller)
Managing efficiency of panels and batteries has always been the single most daunting task in any part of Solar powered system. The solution proposed will make this process an easy task with the help of a dynamic tracking system, to monitor and evaluate solar equipment in REW and any solar power plant. Monitor system health such as battery and panel as it's crucial for longevity of the system. The system will support 12 V batteries with maximum current of 40 A with max load current of 10 Amp.
A small, portable plug and play system will be implemented to extract the data and remotely send it to a central server where the data is accessible 24/7 anywhere from the world. The system will have a GSM capability to send the data wirelessly. The controller is currently in
The system parameters can be set with a plethora of options either by laptop, and mobile phone (wired and wireless) makes it stand out.
Divya Solar Lantern
The work aims to improve the current standards of solar lanterns which are developed with planned obsolescence in mind. All portable solar lighting solutions are in one way use and throw. A conscious decision has been taken to use the best of both SMD and through whole technology to make service and reparability an easy process. It has a 10 watt solar panel with 7 aH lithium battery powering the system. Weather resistant body to protect the internal components from water and moisture.
The product is currently in it’s production mode. The product will follow a “cradle to cradle approach” where starting from design decisions were made to focus on repair ability, Reverses planned obsolescence trend from product development, Portable and light-weight, Luminosity of the product can be controlled with an ease of a button to three different levels, which conserves battery.
Solar Projector with Offline Server
The Edu-Box has been designed as an effective tool for teachers to make learning immersive and interactive. It gives them the freedom to bring in curriculum all around the world at a touch of a button. Designed to cater to these remote inaccessible schools with digital tools, It has been developed as a high-quality teaching resource tool with our existing curriculum.
Available in four eight different combinations for broad access
The product contains a 550 lumens projection unit backed with 18 ah Lithium battery that can last throughout a classroom session.
40 watt panel that powers a 18ah lithium-ion battery along with a charge regulating device.
Small and compact packed with all education tools.
Versatile as it can work with many medium (Tablet, Laptop, or mobile phones)
It can be used for both online and offline activities.
We have completed its third iteration with products currently in the Field test. Design and innovation in barefoot R&D lab, Small and compact packed with all education tools, Versatile as it can work with many medium (Tablet, Laptop, or mobile phones), Comes with an inbuilt SOC (raspberry pi with kolibri software), Open source data management software, Gives access to 25+ individual nodes at a point in time.
Water Filtration and Vending Machine
Most Rural villages still find it difficult to access clean potable water. Our solution works on two main aspects, first to provide potable water, second would be to make it accessible for people from all walks of life. The solution would be a solar operated water vending machine. The whole setup involves a solar powered water desalination device with the option to provide water when paid for (similar to an ATM machine). As the available water sources are contaminated with in-sufficient potable water, a technology intervention is necessary for the people to have access to safe drinking water.
Innovation and competitive advantage
Small and compact form factor that can be assembled in site location in a couple of hours.
It will be an open source technology.
The product will use state of the art CDI (capacitive deionization) techniques to filter water which can save water wastage by 80%
Everyone one in the community will be given equal access and quota for water eliminating discrimination
The product is currently in its Design phase. Communities who lack access to clean drinking water in their vicinity, Social discrimination in the name of race, color or creed will not stop them from accessing the water, Everyone one in the community will be given equal access and quota for water eliminating discrimination.
Solar Dryer
Food produced across the country are mostly dried in direct sunlight. When using the traditional method of drying, the food quality decreases due to poor hygiene practices. It’s also a time consuming process which totally depends on the availability of a heating source. With the possibility of mold growth in a humid region, the natural drying process is riddled with issues. There are many solar dryers available in the market that are supposed to improve the process but they still fall behind. The solution is a compact IOT controller that controls all aspects of a dryer to increase the efficiency of the system.
It has a 10 watt solar panel with 7 aH lithium battery powering the system. Atmega2560 microcontroller with 2 humidity sensors , SD card data logging, IOT data monitoring ,12v fan control, lcd display with keypad for real time monitoring and setting drying parameters. The product is currently in it's Design phase. The product is a compact IOT based controller that is cost friendly, The product will be able to study its current environment and manage different variables such as temperature, pressure, humidity to get the desired effect for a particular product.
Solar Sheep Shearing Machine
India has the third highest sheep population in the world, even then the market for wool is full of synthetic that's imported. There are many reasons leading to it and one of them is the shearing process. The current solution for sheep shearing is a mechanical hand operated device which is time-consuming and inefficient. The current model also assumes that the sheep are brought to a common location which would not be possible for everyone. The answer we are looking for is a portable, lightweight solar operated system that can be carried to a remote location for the purpose of shearing.
Technical specification:
The pilot system will be a 12 volt DC system with the panel and battery capacity of 300 watt and 200 ah battery.
Lithium battery with the highest energy density are used.
India has the largest number of sheep in the world at number three, yet the wool market is full of artificial imports. The reason for this and one of them is the shearing process. The current solution for this is sheep shearing operated with a mechanical hand. We are working on this process to make solar power and provide a good machine to the people.
Effect:
You will be able to complete shearing in 20 minutes per sheep.
The quality of the wool will be A + as its machine cut.
Farmers will be able to earn more due to high quality wool
Impact: Quantitative data for Solar Lantern
By using Solar lantern – Total usage of candles and kerosene lamp reduced from 5.65 Hours to 1.8 Minutes
51% increase in income from sewing, stitching and weaving after the intervention of solar lanterns.
Opened One of Rajasthan’s first Fab-lab in Tilonia
Knowledge Partners:
Everon Energy Private Limited
International Center for Clean Water, IIT Madras
Vigyan Ashram, Pune