Odisha Teen Designs Novel Safety Feature For Mobile Phones! Find Out What

Bhubaneswar: A Class XII student in the city has designed an anti-radiation flip cover to reduce radiation in mobile phones.

Not only that, the innovation can also control radiation from towers and used in drone cameras as well, said the 17-year-old innovator, Ayush Acharya

“Several studies have reported that mobile phone radiation is very harmful for users of all age groups. And since people use mobile phones worldwide, I started thinking about how to absorb this radiation,” said Ayush, a student of KIIT International School.

Initial Survey

So how did it all begin? “I had started this project when I was in Class IX. I participated in the National Children Science Congress (NCSC) and conducted a survey on the effects of mobile phone radiation on people’s health,” Ayush said. “I surveyed 250 people for the project. I categorised them in three groups—educated, uneducated and teenager,” he added.

The teen innovator said his survey and research revealed that mobile phone radiation was harmful to health. “Then I started thinking about how to tackle this radiation and how can I make mobile phones eco-friendly. I also wanted to make a cheap product so that people can afford it,” he said.

Banking On Tradition

Ayush informed that he used Bel leaves, cow dung and some chemicals to design his anti-radiation mobile cover. “Bel leaves are generally used in Shiva shrines to make the Lord calm. In ancient times, these leaves were used to absorb negative power. But scientifically, it was never proved,” he said.

“I thought of experimenting with Bel leaves to see if they could reduce radiation. I took them to a laboratory and derived positive results. Besides Bel leaves, I have used cow dung and other chemicals to make the solutions. Then, I used the mixture to make the mobile cover,” he added.

Movie Inspiration

Ayush said he was inspired by the movie ‘Robot 2.O’ to do this project, which was finished in March 2019.

“My mother has helped me a lot on completing this project. She had pursued Chemistry honours in college and so I gave her the task of mixing the ingredients into a solution. I also want to give credit to my school teacher, Rajashri Mohapatra, for her help and support,” he added.

Kudos To Innovation

The Odia teen’s innovative mobile cover has won the first prize at the prestigious LJ Innovation contest in Ahmadabad, Gujarat. Incidentally, only Ayush and one other student from Odisha were selected for the competition.

“More than 250 scientists and professors were present at the competition. They all appreciated my project,” he said.

“I have also applied to the state government to develop my innovation. The project will be named after me, following an approval from Europe. After two or three months, it will be launched internationally. It will also be commercialised very soon,” he added.

Ayush said he has been receiving many calls from companies to develop this innovation. “But I am waiting for the state government’s step. I want to produce it in large numbers so that it can reach more people,” he added.

And what are his next plans? “After passing out from school, I will try to study in IIT,” Ayush replied. “And yes, I want to commercialise my product worldwide.”