FABULOUS FIVE
Sanad Wadkar
Srinivas Narkar
Ankur Parab
Deepam Salkar
Yash Haldankar
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>> Over a period of around four months, they built a fully-functional prototype of the beach-cleaning machine
>> The prototype cost them just Rs 1.2 lakhs - a good Rs 18 lakhs or so cheaper than the existing beach cleaners available
>> The prototype has two engines: one to drive the belt which picks up the litter, and the other that drives the machine
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PANAJI: Sanad Wadkar, a fourth year Mechanical Engineering student from the Angel Institute of Technology and Design (AITD), Assagao, had an idea for his final year engineering project. Sanad decided to build a prototype "beach cleaning" machine that would help clear Goa's beaches of its litter and clutter, and may be draw more tourists in to the clean beaches.
So Sanad, along with his classmates Srinivas Narkar, Ankur Parab, Deepam Salkar and Yash Haldankar put their heads together, brought in more ideas, and over a period of around four months, built a fully-functional prototype of the beach-cleaning machine, which cost them just Rs 1.2 lakhs - a good Rs 18 lakhs or so cheaper than the existing beach cleaners available in the market.
Srinivas Narkar, in conversation with "The Goan", explained that the prototype designed by the boys has two engines : one to drive the belt which picks up the litter, and the other that drives the machine.
The belt has teeth which are 6 inches long, which scoop up the litter, which is then taken along the belt and deposited into a "hopper" or a big basket of sorts for the waste. The teeth move through the sand, and then pick up litter. In a video the boys prepared, which has been circulating on social media, the machine is seen picking up shoes, plastic bottles and even tender coconuts on a beach.
Srinivas says that once the waste is in the hopper, it can be segregated into metal, plastic and other things, and then be taken to be recycled.
What's more, the machine's height can be adjusted, depending on which beach one is trying to clean, and what kind of litter one is looking at picking, explains Srinivas.
The boys were guided by their teachers, and Srinivas says that their lecturer Prasanna Kattimani gave them the most guidance and inputs.
"There are existing beach cleaners, but they are highly expensive as their cost goes above Rs 20 lakhs minimum. We are working on reducing the price, so that these beach cleaners can then be mass-produced," says Srinivas.
Excited with the success of their prototype, the boys are hoping for funding from other sources (they funded the prototype themselves), so that they can improve the prototype as much as possible and make it possible for it to be mass produced, and help God's beaches practically.
While a lot of improvements are still needed, the students are thrilled to have come this far to do their bit for the environment, while managing on a budget.
