Student Innovator, Famous For Solar Ironing Cart, Now India's Batonbearer At 2022 Queen's Baton Relay

Tashafi Nazir

16 Jan 2022 5:06 AM GMT

Vinisha Umashankar is famous for her mobile ironing cart, which uses solar panels to power a steam iron box. After her speech at the 26th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in 2021 Glasgow, Scotland, she became an inspiration for the world.

Vinisha Umashankar, a student innovator turned environmentalist has been selected as a "changemaker" and Batonbearer for the ongoing 16th official Queen's Baton Relay in India from January 12-15.

Hailing from Tiruvannamalai district of Tamil Nadu, the young innovator has been an inspiration for youngsters which was an important factor for being selected as a baton-bearer, the Ministry of Science and Technology said in a press release.

Famous For Solar Ironing Cart

The 15-year-old is famous for her mobile ironing cart, which uses solar panels to power a steam iron box. After her speech at the 26th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in 2021 Glasgow, Scotland, she became an inspiration for the world.

She bagged the Dr APJ Abdul Kalam IGNITE Awards instituted by National Innovation Foundation (NIF) – India.

A key benefit of the teenager's solar ironing cart is that it eliminates the need for coal for ironing and brings about a positive shift towards clean energy. Users can offer services at the doorstep for increasing their daily income. The ironing cart can also be fitted with a coin-operated GSM PCO, mobile recharging, USB charging points, which help in the extra income.

It is a creative solar-powered alternative for millions of charcoal burning ironing carts for pressing clothes and can be useful for workers as well as their families. In addition, the device can be powered by electricity, pre-charged batteries or a diesel-powered generator without sunlight.

Global Climate Change Problem

The 16th official Queen's Baton Relay began at the Buckingham Palace in London on October 7 last year and is scheduled to conclude on July 28, 2022 at the Opening Ceremony of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. It is set to travel 72 nations and territories of the Commonwealth for 294 days. With the baton's arrival in India, the 27th country in the route, the Queen's Baton Relay will continue in India from January 12-15, 2022.

Vinisha's success reflects the significance of institutional support mechanisms and a conducive eco-system for innovators. Following the conferring of the award, NIF had been very instrumental in driving prototype development and Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) protection for her innovation. NIF is also committed to improving the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of her innovation in partnership with the Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE).

As per the release, India is committed to solving the global climate change problem through Science, Technology, and Innovation based solutions.

It stated that it the next generation of innovators like Vinisha who provide the country with a hope that "Tomorrow can be better than today" by their scientific ways, societal focus, and institutional support mechanism like the one offered by NIF, which could be replicated in other parts of the world.

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Tashafi Nazir

For most people, journalism sounds hectic and chaotic. For her, it's a passion she has been chasing for years. With an extensive media background, Tashafi believes in putting efforts on presenting a simple incident in the most interesting way.