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Kids' innovations shine at Capital science fest

Abu Dhabi - More than 80 young innovators are presenting their projects and 20 signature innovations at the festival which runs until February 8.

A robot that segregates wastes and recycles them into organic composition is one among the many innovative projects that are being presented by students at this year's science festival in Abu Dhabi.
The 10th edition of the Abu Dhabi Science Festival (ADSF) kicked off at its three locations of Al Bahar on Abu Dhabi Corniche, Al Jahili Park in Al Ain and City Mall in Al Dhafra on Thursday.
More than 80 young innovators are presenting their projects and 20 signature innovations at the festival which runs until February 8. As many as 27,000 students are participating in the event and 120,000 visitors are expected to attend it.
The festival, which is being organised by the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (Adek), is one of the biggest events of its kind in the region and brings exciting educational activities in the STEAM fields for children and adults. The festival aims to contribute to promoting the spirit of discovery and inculcate a scientific temper in the people.
Harshith Putsala, 10, a Grade 5 student at Bright Riders School Abu Dhabi, presented the robotic waste segregation technique.
"The robot separates brown or organic wastes from recyclable materials, such as metal wastes, using sensors. It then turns the waste into organic composition that can be used in sustainable agriculture or vertical farming as fertilisers," said Putsala, an Indian national.
"It took me 15 days to complete this project because of its complicity. The materials I used include DC motor, moisture detecting sensors, inductive proximity sensor, batteries, mother board, connecting cables and others."
He said he came up with the idea of creating this robot after seeing many people struggling with recycling wastes.
Nine-year-old Milann Sharrmah Pasupathy, a Grade 4 student at Diyah International School in Abu Dhabi, is presenting his project 'Rudy', a beach-cleaning robot.
"I created the robot so that it can be used to remove garbage from the beaches in order to protect the environment. Garbage is harmful to both human and aquatic lives," said Pasupathy.
"The robot uses its arms to pick the garbage from the sea or the beach. It then throws them into the basket at its back." The Malysian student said it took him a full week to put together the materials to create the robot.
Speaking at the grand opening of the festival, Sara Musallam, Adek chairperson, said: "This year, the Abu Dhabi Science Festival celebrates a decade of success, during which it has inspired young minds, supported them to realise their aspirations and captured the imagination of the nation, thus, contributing to the development of human capital in the fields of science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics. We look forward to welcoming students, their families and the general public to enjoy the festival."
A total of 75 workshops and scientific activities will be organised at Abu Dhabi Corniche with over 19,000 students expected to attend. The 10-day festival heralds the official launch of UAE Innovation Month.
ismail@khaleejtimes.com