Manav Rachna Innovation and Incubation Centre organized a motivational session called “Inspiron” led by Mr. Amit Kumar who is Director of Parimukh Innovations who made the Pariyayantra Air Filtration System. Mr. Amit recounted his experiences of facing challenges in the beginning of his Graduation as project-based learning was difficult to find when the norm was curriculum-based studies.
He shared the pride associated with his project that was listed on the UN website and another that was funded by Supreme Court. He briefed about how project-based learning is a journey and makes you more hands-on in the technical aspects. He then told the students the categories of new things which could be
- Discovery’ of what already exists
- ‘Invention’ of something new
- ‘Innovation’ which involves giving a new dimension or purpose to what already exists
He very nicely gave the concept of innovation to students as: ’Answering the problem using the resources already available.’ He then shared his journey of making the Air Pollution Mitigation Product ‘Pariyayantra Air Filter’ right from how the idea was born and explained the practical steps of how to actually make a product from that idea.
He also shared personal experiences of his journey like finding a way to filter without using external source of power and how their team stumbled on the raw idea of using the motion of vehicles. Then came the stage of applying the prototype on buses and studying the data which yielded good results. But challenges came when the project was not quickly integrated and were overcome in due time. He also discussed the terms like Patent, Copyright and Trademark. He gave well defined steps on solving any problem which included:
- Identifying the Problem
- Gathering Knowledge
- Designing a Solution
- Manufacturing or Making Proof of Concept
- Trials and Correction
- Market-ready Product
- Launching‘
He gave an interesting perspective that ‘the task of curriculum is to make you capable of innovation’ and encouraged students to start working on any idea they have no matter their background and be passionate enough to solve any problem they observe in day-to-day life.
Students enjoyed the story of his journey and found it beneficial to have a clear perspective on the way forward in developing a product based on their innovative ideas. They were also enthusiastic about future such sessions. He was felicitated by Dr. Umesh Dutta, Director, MRIIC.