Hyderabad: Class X student invents solar-powered agri machine

Hyderabad: Shubhashree Sahu, a Class X student of Paramita Heritage School, Karimnagar, is one among the 31 students across India who have been selected under the 11th national-level project competition under INSPIRE, and she will be showcasing her innovation at the annual Festival of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (FINE).

Twenty two students took part in the 11th NLEPC from Telangana, and Shubhashree Sahu, a student of Paramita Heritage School, Karimnagar, has been selected to participate in the INSPIRE Award Manak National Science Exhibition that will be held in New Delhi.

These 31 exhibits will be showcased at FINE at Rashtrapathi Bhavan, New Delhi, in January. If successful, these students may have the opportunity to visit Japan under SAKURA High School programme, and some projects may get patent rights for their product. Shubhashree presented her innovative project, ‘multifunctional eco-friendly agro machine.’

Describing the innovation, Shubhashree pointed out that modern machines tend to serve only a single function, limiting their utility and cost-effectiveness. Moreover, she mentioned how their operation contributes to environmental issues like air and noise pollution, further deterring adoption. Even when affordable, challenges such as unreliable electricity supply in rural areas and high maintenance costs persist, complicating their use.

To address these, she developed a solar-powered agricultural machine that prioritises eco-friendliness, multi-functionality, affordability, and portability. This machine efficiently integrates four essential operations such as threshing, grain separation, straw cutting, winnowing, and even bag stitching into a single process, promising to enhance productivity while minimising environmental impact.