IIT-M Scholar Builds Machine That Rescues Youngsters From Borewells

Sadham Usean Ramasamy, a PhD scholar from IIT-Madras, distinctly remembers the circumstances behind the tragic demise of two-year-old Sujith Wilson, who fell into an deserted and deep borewell in a village close to Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, on 26 October 2019. 

The incident befell close to the kid’s home in Nadukattupatti village on the earlier night whereas his mom was tending to his elder brother. Authorities quickly commenced their rescue, which went on for greater than 80 hours, given the interruptions attributable to rain. 

This wasn’t the primary time a toddler had fallen contained in the borewell, however the operation to rescue Sujith went viral on social media and mainstream information retailers. Regardless of many praying for his security, the kid was confirmed lifeless by the authorities within the wee hours of 30 October. 

Following his final rites, celebrities and politicians throughout India supplied their condolences to the household and paid tribute to the younger baby. It’s an episode that by no means left Sadham’s thoughts, and on a regular basis, he would focus on it with a professor from the institute’s mechanical engineering and his first mentor, the late Professor BVSSS Prasad. 

In the present day, the PhD scholar has invented a device referred to as the Inflatable Borewell Rescue System, for which he acquired a patent from the Indian Patent Workplace in September 2022.     

“If a toddler falls into an open borewell, this Inflatable Borewell Rescue System could be mounted to any car or hearth rescue car. The kid could be safely extracted from the borewell even at totally different gap diameters, positions, and borewell heights. Within the latest previous, many kids’s lives have been misplaced to borewell accidents. This machine will assist overcome such situations sooner or later and supply the fullest protected extraction of the kid. The Sujith incident was an actual driving drive behind my invention,” says Sadham, chatting with The Higher India. 

At the moment, the PhD scholar is working beneath the steerage of Prof Shilgram Tiwari and Dr Shyama Prasad Das from the division of mechanical engineering, via a PhD fellowship sponsored by ANSYS, a US-based engineering software program growing agency. 

Utilizing science to provoke change 

The son of a farmer in Periyanagalur village, Ariyalur district, Tamil Nadu, Sadham remembers doing each day wage work along with his brothers throughout faculty holidays to complement the household earnings. Regardless of his circumstances, he was a shiny pupil, graduating in mechanical engineering and doing his grasp’s in thermal engineering.

“My father and uncle at all times inspired me to be a scientist and assist society,” he recollects. 

After engaged on a sequence of tasks, he enrolled into IIT-M’s PhD programme in January 2020.         

“The Inflatable Borewell Rescue System with improved holder mechanism device was one in every of my first tasks at IIT-M, which I completed beneath the steerage of the late Prof Prasad. Throughout the first 12 months of the PhD programme, he impressed me to create and purchase cutting-edge applied sciences for right this moment’s challenges, which might assist society and be freed from price,” he recollects. 

Following the Sujith incident and plenty of discussions, Prof Prasad requested Sadham to create an revolutionary design that might assist authorities save different kids from such accidents. 

“By November 2019, we had designed a 3D mannequin. Prof Prasad and I agreed that the innovation shouldn’t be copied for revenue by enterprise folks. So we filed a patent software in January 2020. After a last design assessment, we created a prototype mannequin to check the operate and precept of the mechanism, and started fabrication work in March 2020. We accomplished the fabrication half throughout probably the most tough part of COVID-19 and had it examined by the point we acquired the Indian Patent Workplace’s first examination report in December 2020,” recollects Sadham.  

Following the issuance of a primary examination report, the applicant is anticipated to reply to it inside six months, failing which the patent software standing will change into deserted. Each Sadham and Prof Prasad had ready their rebuttal feedback. 

“My patent work was funded by Prof Prasad. In March 2021, nonetheless, he fell ailing on account of COVID-19. Within the following month, my information and mentor misplaced his battle to the virus. His demise was a devastating blow, and it was the hardest second of my life. Additionally, a few of the parts had been in want of rework and re-fabrication amounting to some thousand rupees, which was spent from my stipend. This created some severe monetary points for me personally,” he recollects. 

Nonetheless, Sadham didn’t give in. He submitted his rebuttal feedback and encountered two hearings earlier than receiving a patent grant certificates final month.

How does it work?

The machine works by fixing the tripod on the bottom floor, and comes with an air compressor and oxygen supply that may be linked to the holder base. The tripod ensures that the complete holder portion passes via the borewell.

To start the method of decreasing the holder into the borewell, wire ropes are slowly allowed to roll over pulleys, permitting the holder to descend the borewell by gravity. To fastidiously monitor the kid’s location, the machine comes with a digital camera. If the kid isn’t in a super place, it’s mandatory to regulate the clamper and rotate the holder to attain the correct place. When the holder approaches the sufferer, the oxygen provide valve opens.

A winch motor meeting permits wire ropes to open the holder palms in addition to the cylinder with balloons as wanted, and embody the topic. As soon as the topic is safely secured, the primary rope is slowly pulled in order that each the holder and the topic are safely lifted from the borewell. 

Right here’s a extra detailed explainer:

To this point, Sadham claims that he has not approached any personal or public sector organisations relating to his machine. However he can be “delighted” if authorities companies supported and superior his invention as a way to make it a compact and efficient device for aiding society.

“Prof Prasad mentored me to construct the idea of proof. He additionally assisted financially and technically. ‘We’re right here to assist society,’ my professor used to typically inform me. All credit score for this invention goes to the (late) Prof Prasad, my dad and mom, associates and lab mates for his or her persistent assist and motivation. I hope that down the road, this machine can save extra lives,” he provides.  

(Edited by Divya Sethu)