International accolade for Telangana teen’s low coast helmet

Hyderabad: Moved by her uncle's respiratory illness, a Telangana SC student has created a low-cost helmet with air filtration and applied for a patent.Dasari Harshitha, the innovative mind behind this worker-friendly helmet, developed it with support from her teachers. "My uncle is a welder who underwent a lung operation. I missed school for a week to care for him, which inspired me to help people like him," Harshitha told TOI.At ZPHS, Chandanapur in Peddapalli district, students are encouraged to identify problems and collaborate on solutions. Teacher Thaduri Sampath Kumar helped Harshitha refine her initial idea of using a fan to push smoke away from workers.Using a lightweight helmet, an aluminum rod, and computer filter fans, Harshitha created a prototype. "We attached everything to the helmet and connected a battery to power the fans during work," she explained.The daughter of a daily-wage laborer, Harshitha developed this innovation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her project has since participated in various competitions at national and international levels, including the Inspire award, Festival of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (FINE), and National Technology Week. The team even presented it at an international science program in Sakura, Japan."We first pitched this for the Inspire award at district level. Subsequently, we reached state and national levels. We even made the product better by adding a smoke sensor, so that the battery doesn't drain out quickly, after taking suggestions we got at the fest. We even presented it at the Festival of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (FINE) and National Technology Week last year. The idea was presented at an international science programme in Sakura, Japan," said Sampath, adding that they even applied for the patent recently with the help of the National Innovation Foundation.Sampath added that they've improved the design by incorporating a smoke sensor to conserve battery life. With assistance from the National Innovation Foundation, they've recently applied for a patent.Now pursuing her intermediate first year in Karimnagar, Harshitha notes that the helmet cost less than Rs 1,200 to build. She believes it can benefit not only welders but anyone exposed to smoke and dust pollution.