A young innovator’s device to farmer’s aid

For 17-year-old Ishan Malhotra, a summer at his grandmother’s house  in 2015, proved life changing. It was while observing the state of farmers that he decided to develop a device that would somehow help them.

“I saw that the farmers had no choice but to get up really early in the morning to turn on the water pumps because there was no electricity in the village for most of the day. They had to fix their schedule their day around the erratic hours when electricity was available,” he says, adding, “It is then that I thought of inventing a device that could control the pumps remotely.”

Pluto enables the user to remotely connect the submersible pump or any other electrical device to its source of power from any corner of the world by using any kind of phone. It provides the  user with accurate information of the electricity status of the area where it is being used as well. Hence, the user doesn’t have to be physically present to turn on the water pump, or to turn it off.

Ishan decided of naming the device Pluto as just like the former-planet, it works from long distances.

It was Ishan’s parents who funded the project initially. “But after a point, I realised it can’t be the only way. So, I started looking for crowdfunding,” he says.

Till now he has sold around 400 Plutos. The earlier version of Pluto was sold at Rs 700 but the new version that he is about to launch will be slightly more expensive as it incorporates more technological advancements. So, it will be around Rs 1000.

“These devices are also  really durable as over the two years we haven’t received any complaints. Also, for technical issues, we have a helpline service,” he says. The device works on the main power supply and has no embedded batter in it.

It wasn’t just witnessing the lack of power supply in his grandmother’s village but also his in-depth interaction with his driver that made him realise the kind of hardships that the villagers go through due to the lack of power supply. “This was one thing I could help with, as I had attended a summer course where I learnt about the Internet of Change — IOT, I wanted to apply it here as well.”

But Pluto wasn’t his first innovative work. “Though it’s hard to remember what exactly, I made quite a few things for fun — like drones or a bedside lamp that could be controlled through a remote. Right now I’m working on an interactive computer, wherein the computer can see and feel humans and in turn interact with them.”

But the dream project for Ishan will be around the lines of artificial intelligence.

The 17-years-old wants to pursue computer science and mathematics for his undergraduate studies but is also keen on exploring other fields.

He is not alone in his innovative journey. “I have had many mentors. As I said, I attended a summer programme but even after it ended, I was well connected with my professor. I told her about Pluto and how I could make it better. After making the prototype, I even shipped it to US so that she could have a first-hand experience and guide me further. Even in Delhi, I had a science teacher who helped me out and in school, my chemistry teacher always motivated me and helped me out when I was facing problems while making Pluto. So, it’s not just me but a number of people who have made Pluto a success.”