Young ‘techies’ show skills at this inventors’ nursery

GURGAON: A chatbot that streamlines travel industry purchases. A device that cuts inefficiency in power generation. At Shri Teq, the two-day annual tech fest conducted by The Shri Ram School, Moulsari, students from 22 NCR schools displayed their prowess as tech upstarts.
“Technology has crept into all parts of our lives. Through Shri Teq, we wanted to give school kids a platform to satisfy their curiosity,” said Manika Agarwal, the host school director.She added that many tech firms have shown interest in the event.
This year’s theme was sustainable development. Thursday was for students from Class VI-IX, with Friday for Class IX-XII.
On display was a fire extinguisher that leaves no residue by the Springdales Dhaula Kuan trio of Ansh Madan, Vishesh Bhaskar and Tanmay Vadhera. “By leaving no residue, the extinguisher reduces environmental damage,” said Bhaskar.
A team from Shri Ram Moulsari showcased a device that converts up to 40% of heat energy emitted by electrical goods. “This can be used in any condo to produce power from heat emitted by gensets,” said private equity investor and judge Tapesh Bagati.
Another item that caught the judges’ fancy was a device that raises efficiency of power generators. “The power generation industry is extremely inefficient, losing about 70% of energy through heat and sound. Our product — Terra — converts the lost heat back to electricity, reducing loss and increasing profitability,” said Advay Mansingka, a student of Shri Ram Moulsari.
The USP of the fest was that it had competing teams pitching their ideas to a jury for funding, much like an angel investor’s meet.
Keynote speaker at the event, Snapdeal founder Kunal Bahl spoke of his school days and career, including his failure to clear IIT entrance. “My elder brother went to IIT. So my parents wanted the same for me. But I had my heart set in business. Not getting into IIT was a boon in disguise,” said Bahl.
The fest included a hackathon with the theme: travel industry efficiency. Shrey Sharma and Nishant Gadihoke of Mother’s International, Delhi drew plaudits for a chatbot to assist bookings. It was however the all-girls team from Tagore International that wowed the crowd and judges with their eco-friendly Rangoli.