7/20/2023
I was super excited to head to Jammu for the Invention Factory. I love traveling, and this time it was just me, my backpack, and the long route from Gwalior to Jammu.
Sitting alone on a late train for almost a day can get boring. Luckily, I spotted a few kids playing around me, and since I’m naturally good with kids, I ended up spending some fun time with them. Halfway through the journey, one of the other participants messaged me saying he was on the same train. We decided to stick together once we got to Jammu. Since it was already midnight and no drivers were available, we crashed in the waiting room for a couple of hours before hiring a cab to IIT Jammu.
First Days at IF
The first day was all about orientation. We met Navneet sir, our TLs, and the other participants. Everyone seemed so talented and confident in their fields that it instantly felt inspiring to be among them. We were divided into groups and given a quirky challenge: to design an “unnecessary invention.” It was a fun ice-breaker, and while working late into the night, we got to know each other better.
That night was one of my favorites walking around the campus, laughing, talking, sharing stories about our colleges, and bonding over random topics. It had been a long time since I felt that kind of energy with people.
Our tempory team me, Supragya, Mayur, and Varun started brainstorming ideas. After a lot of back and forth. We decide to make a cycle extension for Trolley bags. Final prototype was really cool, more useful than we thought.
Building Together
Soon, we shifted gears from ice-breakers to real work. Me with my teammate Prabhat (IIT Hyderabad), We chose a project close to our hearts: designing a prototype to help elderly people sit and stand without assistance.
The process wasn’t smooth. During our first pitch, professors and evaluators pointed out that while the problem we were tackling was important, our design wasn’t convincing in terms of usability and comfort. It stung a little, but the feedback was valuable. We went back, brainstormed again, changed our design, and slowly started shaping something better.
Every Thursday, we pitched our progress. And every Thursday, we were grilled by professors, doctors, engineers, and guest evaluators. It was tough but incredibly rewarding. With every round, we learned something new not just about prototyping, but about presentation, teamwork, and communication.
Along the way, there were so many little memories from roaming in local markets and visiting temples, to late-night basket ball games, pizza parties, and random discussions about life, tech, and dreams.
The Grind
The actual work was intense. We spent hours in the mechanical workshop, cutting, welding, drilling, and fixing mistakes (sometimes redoing parts multiple times). At one point, we had to switch materials, rethink hinges, and almost rebuild parts of the frame. It was frustrating, but slowly the prototype took shape.
We also worked on the patent side like writing descriptions, filling forms, making technical drawings, and ensuring our design was unique. Between building, filing, and constant feedback, the days just flew by.
The Grand Finale
The final week was all about polishing. We painted the prototype, shot videos of it in action, rehearsed our script, and practiced our presentation again and again. By then, our prototype was completely functional.
On the presentation day, I woke up nervous but excited. Standing in front of the jury with our prototype set up, explaining our invention, and answering their questions. We had put in weeks of effort, sleepless nights, and countless reworks and it all came together in that moment.
Looking Back
The Invention Factory wasn’t just about building a prototype. It was about friendships, laughter, late-night discussions, pizza after long days, and the joy of creating something that could make a difference.
It was one of the best experiences of my life a mix of travel adventure, learning, struggle, creativity, and bonding with brilliant people from across the country.
