A 12-year-old girl, studying in class 9, had a revolutionary idea that struck her mind. An idea that brought comfort and support to hundreds of physically disabled people. An idea that gave a new shape filled with colours to the lives of handicapped people. An idea of an adjustable walker.

INSPIRATION FOR THE INVENTION

Shalini’s grandfather was immensely fond of gardening. He used to love spending his time walking in his terrace garden every other day.

Unfortunately, Shalini’s grandfather encountered a horrendous accident that left him with some serious injuries in his legs. Due to this, a walker became constant support for Shalini’s grandfather, and this constant support became a hindrance between her grandfather and his affection for gardening.

Watching her grandfather always being restricted to do what he loves the most, Shalini decided that something needs to be done and came up with the innovative idea of an adjustable walker.  

THE ADJUSTABLE WALKER

Shalini came up with the idea for a spring-loaded walker with self-locking front legs. The user must push the walker’s front legs up the upper stair while resting the back legs on the lower stair, which makes the walker steady and powerful enough to support the user’s weight while climbing the stairs.

This adjustable walker also comes with a folding seat, a horn, and a light. The walker can support up to 100 kg of weight and is adaptable to various settings.

IMPLEMENTING THE INNOVATIVE IDEA

After coming up with a thorough plan of the new walker, came in a reality check. The idea of the walker was ready, but the required implementation was not.

How was a 12-year-old girl supposed to carry out the process of making the walker all by herself with no money, resources, or experience?

Miraculously, Shalini got an idea of taking her little project to the National Innovation Foundation’s IGNITE Competition from her brother’s friend, Abhishek who won an IGNITE award for developing an automatic food-making machine.

Shalini penned down her thoughts, ideas, and objectives on paper. She profoundly illustrated her methods, designs, and targets and submitted it IGNITE.

The proposal was shortlisted, and the NIF-India team manufactured the final product for her, much to her delight. They tested models, experimented with multiple materials and designs, and went through numerous cycles of redesigning and reproducing. To look at the silver lining, they were ready with the final model after five prototypes.

ADDING WINGS TO THE INVENTION

The final mode, which is ready for the market, has been passed to Kaviraa Solutions, a Nagpur-based company. The business intends to make 10,000 of these walkers. Kumari has received a patent for the product, and she will get a payment for every product sold.

This product has piqued the interest of a rehabilitation centre, and NIF-India is now in negotiations with them to formalize the process. Shalini is also anticipated to earn a reward of Rs. 2,00,000, which she would give to her parents to spend for her further education.

Shalini Kumari has proved that the country’s young female minds can make a revolutionary change in the lives of thousands of people with their power of imagination. She enlightens us with the fact that one should not be afraid to come up with their ideas alone as many would be standing right next to you to support you with your endeavour.  

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