SHUBHANGI SHIFA
Ranchi, Dec 14: A Ranchi-based professor Dr Rahul Singh has come up with an innovative idea for a portable foot-over bridge and has secured International Innovation Patent 2022 for the same.
According to the professor, this foot-over bridge could be used to cross small gaps ranging between 5-7 meters and could easily be carried from one place to another through the wheels fitted in it.
“The bridge has been prepared to keep the necessities of rural areas in mind, where a large part of land gets disconnected from the outer regions due to over flooding of rivulets and frequent collapse of small bridges. However, it could be used quite efficiently for the movement of army and Para-military forces and disaster management activities in case of flood, earthquake and fire fighting,” claims Dr Singh.
“The purpose of this portable foot-over bridge is that it could be used for smaller gaps. Since it is portable it has enormous usage as it could be used for disaster management activities in case of flood and earthquake,” said Professor Rahul Singh. The idea is to make passage simple, easy and convenient, he added.
When asked what inspired him to come up with this innovation, Singh said that he believes in research work that can be put on the ground to help the common man.
“I wanted to do something which benefits the common man and humanity at the end of the day,” said the professor. The material for the bridge is yet to be decided but they would like to make it cheaper so that it may be accessible to all,” he said.
The bridge will weigh up to 30 kg and will be able to hold up to 120 kg. The professor’s approach was to make the design simple, economical and durable.
Furthermore, the research work was conducted to find out an alternative to small static bridges which is also environment friendly.
Professor Singh informed that the International Innovation Patent 2022 has already been granted for the research work conducted by him and his team. He is presently working as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Amity University in Ranchi.
Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering at BIT Mesra, Kaushik Kumar, who is also a part of the research team, asserted that it will prove to be a boon to cross the small rivulets in hard terrains.
“Being foldable in nature, it is very easy to carry them from one place to another,” said Professor Kaushik Kumar. Two aspects were taken into consideration while designing this foot-over bridge, firstly the materials being taken should be lightweight and should have more carrying capacity, he added.
