I want to share my Invention Factory journey with all of you. Well, it would be better to use the word chronicles for describe it. It had been full of adventures, setbacks, confidence, faith, and support.
It started somewhere around the beginning of my registration for Invention Factory. Actually, I was at the end of my 3rd year, so I didn’t want to miss a single opportunity, and in search of an internship, I came across the mail notification for the invention factory. It really seems funny and weird now to think that I applied just by chance since I didn’t want to go home during the summer break. Additionally, Invention Factory offered free food and lodging. However, the only confirmation I received was that I was on the waitlist.
New Beginnings
Time passed by, and I came to the end of my sixth semester. There was a continuous thought battle going through my mind: what to do in the summers? I was just casually talking to my friends about the same when suddenly I received a call from their side stating that ‘there is a place left, would you consider the slot?‘ I was more than happy, so I accepted it.
Finally, I landed here at the Maker Bhavan space, where I found many other candidates sitting across me, all from different institutes. I usually don’t get nervous, but this was the time when I felt unsure; will I really be able to make it or not?
Week One: Orientation, Invention and Anxiety
After the initial group task, everyone was asked to pair up with a partner of their choice. I thought I would decide gradually; however, when I went to the classroom on the second day, everyone was already paired and only one person was left. She was Nivedita, a 2nd-year student pursuing chemical engineering at IIT Jammu. Usually, I don’t have problems working with strangers. But she seemed to be quite nervous, and the initial days didn’t go well; nevertheless, slowly and gradually, we settled up.
One more reason for trouble was that she was from the chemical branch and I was from the Civil department, whereas the invention factory was all about making a physical prototype that required mechanical and electrical skills. Now, it was a tedious task for both of us to walk down the road.
The orientation of how things would go and the hard deadlines we were to meet, increased my anxiety. Actually, one thing I forgot to mention is that I am not flexible with deadlines, and I am more of a ‘my rules and my deadline’ kind of a worker. However, now there was no choice left.
The first week was all about inventing the idea and deciding whether it was really feasible and significant. Here I would like to express my gratitude for both the founders of Invention Factory, Eric Lima and Alan Wolf, and also to both the mentors, Dr. Rakesh Singhai and Dr. Ankit Dubey. They helped me through the entire process.
Into the Rabbit Hole: Ideation
I brainstormed many things, talking to various people, from my friends to my family, about the kinds of problems they face. Finally, one day Nivedita came up with the idea of improving upon the ergonomics of the motorcycle handlebars, as the continuous movement of the wrist leads to pain and discomfort.
This idea initially felt weird to me. However, in discussion with our mentors and facilitators, we gradually gathered more information and decided to work on some gloves that could remove the problem. In the process, we took input from everyone and refined the idea to make anti-vibration gloves.
However, the gloves already existed on the market. Now, the point was: how can we do it efficiently? One day we were discussing with all the faculties and Kuldeep Sir when Dr. Rakesh put forth the concept of tuned mass dampers used in motorcycle handlebars. It was then that we decided to use a similar concept in the gloves. You can see the final prototype on YouTube! Thereafter, things got into the flow.
Finale Approaching: Skill and Confidence
With every step ahead, taking input from the guest evaluators during every evaluation session and discussion with the mentors keeps us moving. Now, when we were close to the final presentation, we had this doubt about whether we would share the podium or not. Our product looked quite ordinary in appearance; however, we had the strongest experimental data. Nonetheless, we had doubts in our minds. Here, I would again like to thank Dr. Rakesh Singhai, who motivated us at every step and kept confidence in us.
One thing that I was confident about were my communication skills, which never let me down. After giving the presentation, I said to Nivedita that we would surely get a prize. She was skeptical; it’s only the second presentation so far; how could I be so sure? But, yeah, I was because I had confidence in my product and all the hard work that I did.
The Result
Finally, after the results were declared, all those thoughts came flooding back. At one point, I was wondering what to do in the summer. And now, here I am standing with a cheque for Rs. 1 lakh. It was surely a wonderful decision to come here. Some were happy, and some came back with a little momentary disappointment.
But it was never about the final outcome. We all came from different places, and within a short span of six weeks, we became family. Keeping the invention aside for a moment, the journey was itself a victory; I overcame so many shortcomings in myself. It taught me to be punctual, work under deadlines, work in teams, improve my presentation skills, and so much more.
I think it is obvious to say that no one in the program could forget this entire program throughout their lives. I would like to congratulate and thank Mr. Hemant Kanakia for funding this program and bringing this opportunity to Indian students. I still remember his highly motivating and informative speech that he delivered during our program.
Finally, I would also like to thank Damyanti Bhattacharya and Raj Kataria, who coordinated the entire event. I would also like to extend my gratitude to all the staff members of the Tinker’s lab and associated lab (special thanks to Israil sir and Gautam sir) who helped us in every way possible. Some of them even worked outside their duty hours to deliver the best to us.
