Shalini Kumari: Stair-climbing walker with adjustable front legs
Stair-climbing walker with adjustable front legs.
Her grandfather could not use a standard walker on the stairs of their Patna home. Shalini, in Class 8, saw that the fixed length of the front legs was the constraint and made them spring-loaded and self-locking, so they shorten to the height of a step; the frame also folds out a seat and carries a light and horn. NIF's version weighs about 4 kg and was costed around ₹3,000. She won the IGNITE Award in 2011, the National Grassroots Innovation Award in 2015, and a place in the President's Innovation Scholars In-Residence programme at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
IP note
NIF-filed Indian application 1434/KOL/2011; technology transfer to Kaviraa Solutions recorded by NIF; grant status unconfirmed.
Recognition
IGNITE 2011; National Grassroots Innovation Award 2015.
What this means for a student inventor in India
[Editor: 120–200 words connecting this story to the Indian route — Section 6 (any true inventor may apply), provisional vs complete specification, disclosure at fairs (Section 31), renewals, and who owns what when a school is involved. Link to the relevant MYCrave guide.]
Related young innovators
- Easton LaChappelle — 3D-printed robotic prosthetic arm; later TrueLimb
- Arsh Shah Dilbagi — TALK
- Ryan Patterson — Sign-language finger-spelling glove
Sources
[Editor: list the 2–4 primary sources from the research notes for this entry, with the date checked.]
Working on something like this?
Start with a patentability search, not a filing. Request an expert assessment