Tech story: My first interaction with tech!

Tech story: My first interaction with tech!

During my second year of engineering at COEP Technological University in 2004, I participated in a "Contraption" event organized by IIT Bombay. A contraption is a device or machine designed to perform a simple task in a complex way. These devices can be fascinating and fun to create or observe, even if they sometimes seem a bit impractical!

We built a device using metal, wood, and plastic to transfer a ball from one place to another using gravity. I was personally proud of how we managed to create the device in such a short time and make it work. However, when we saw the contraptions made by others, we realized how much we still had to learn.

The final blow came when the judges asked us to demonstrate the number of energy conversions happening in our contraption. Unfortunately, we only had two energy conversions—potential to kinetic. The judges were looking for the use of electronic and electrical devices, and we had none! And surprisingly, we were from the Instrumentation & Control field 😀 !

The first prize went to a team that used photovoltaic cells, thermal resistors, LEDs, and wind energy. Their device was the size of a chessboard, in contrast to the bulky devices made of metal, wood, and plastic.

Similarly, in today's world, when developing a new product, are you creating it like my contraption—simple and mechanical—or are you focusing on integrating advanced technology?

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Read past stories like above at https://lnkd.in/d9ijze8r