Design Case study
Grass Root - Innovation
Story of a Grass Root Innovator
by
Innovation
Selection of Uddhab Bharali's Product Innovations:
• Pomegranate De-seeder:
It separates the outer cover and thin inner membrane of the fruit without damaging the seeds. The device has a capacity of deseeding 50-55 kg of pomegranates per hour. The machine has been exported to Turkey and USA. He has also developed a smaller version of the machine. Future groups (Big Bazaar) have offered him a proposal to market the product. The machine has also been nominated in the NASA Tech Briefs Create the Future Design contest.
• Areca Nut Peeler:
The machine has a capacity of peeling 100-120 nuts per minute without posing any risk of human injuries which is normally seen while peeling these nuts manually.
• Cassava Peeler:
It is a portable electric machine that can process up to five kg of cassava per minute. Bharali has even sold one unit to a customer in Kenya.
• Bamboo Processing Machines:
It is an assembly of machine that can perform operations like splitting long lengths of bamboo, sizing, surface finishing, polishing, etc. It consumes very less time and is almost effortless. These units have been installed in North Cachar hills in Assam, India.
Bharali has also developed other machines such as the remi-decortications machine, garlic peeling machine, tobacco leaf cutter, paddy thresher, cane stripping machine, brass utensil polishing machine, Safed Musli peeling machine, Jatropha de-seeder, small fish dressing machine, mechanized weeding machine, passion fruit extractor, trench digger, chopper for cattle and fisheries feed and portable Dheki (Pedal pounder), bamboo incense sticks maker, tea plant for small tea growers.
For many of his innovations Uddhab Bharali was supported by the National Innovation Foundation (NIF) and also by Technopreneur Promotion Programme (TePP) scheme at the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, government of India.
