Meet Mr. Gadget inventor- Dhaka's Inspector Gadget

I urge everyone to help this man

Meet Mr. Gadget inventor - Dhaka's Inspector Gadget'

Meet Mr. Gadget inventor - Dhaka's Inspector Gadget

Dhaka Live's Faizul Khan Tanim met up with Wahiduzzaman Bachhu, Bangladesh's very own 21st century gadgets man. Photographs by Rakib Ahmed

Wahiduzzaman Bachhu is not a household name yet, but this creative genius has only been held back from fame and fortune because of poverty, a lack of suitable patrons and the absence of opportunities and facilities.

When you see Wahiduzzaman’s inventions, you’ll know that his experiments and inventions can combat many existing problems such as the lack of continuous electricity supply in the city.

He has not had any formal educational and training in technology or engineering but has successfully created an array of electronic gadgets and appliances which are eco-friendly and cost-effective. Born in 1970 in Jhalokathi district's Krishnokathi village to a martyred freedom fighter, H. M. Obaidul Huq, Wahiduzzaman began working soon after completing his SSC but could not pursue higher studies due to financial constraints.

Today he has around thirty-one innovations to his name, which include a hand-rechargeable torchlight, the mobile hydropower station, auto hand-sensor machine, water sensor, friction-powered toy cars and more. The rest of his ideas are yet to be developed because he lacks sufficient funds. The gadget man remarks, “To build these a large amount of money is required. And I am earnestly requesting corporate bodies to help me develop entrepreneurship because these projects can fetch foreign earnings for the country as well.”

Sunshine works:His innovations include an auto sensor water shower. Like the sensor-based hand dryers available in public bathrooms, this shower works in the same way. Another interesting project developed by him is designed for newborn babies. The sensor is attached to a bed cover and when the baby urinates the sensor sends out an alert/alarm. Every mother would love to have one.

The man is socially conscious and patriotic as he states ardently, “I want to develop time-bound gadgets and equipment that will not only be displayed at technology fairs but vigorously used by citizens in our country. When I was developing the Bangla auto-rickshaw, I constantly reminded myself that a large amount of electricity is wasted to charge the electrical auto-rickshaws and vehicles, especially in rural areas, and the nation suffers from severe power shortage and my invention runs on less power.”

Solar power is the best alternative energy source and the ceiling fan Wahiduzzaman has designed uses direct current (DC) and runs on very low power – 15 watts is enough as opposed to conventional ceiling fans that require more than 100 watts. This energy-saving fan is excellent; if you want a device that consumes less power then this fan is for you. The Road Harmony power technology is not a gadget but a power plant that he calls Wahid Power NG-4. A hyro-power station, this steel built power generating station is 35.5 inches in height and 45 inches in length with a width of 34 inches. It is the answer to Dhaka’s woes.

The model I saw has a 13 inch-wide canal in between and uses paddles, along with DC (direct current) motors and a dynamo, to produce electricity from river currents. He believes that if his model can be replicated as an actual power station, then plenty of electricity can be produced at extremely low costs, helping not only those in less-developed nations but also in rural areas and large cities such as ours.

It is by far his most successful invention. Made in the shape of a bailey bridge, it can be placed on roads. When heavy vehicles pass over the steel plant full of buttons, electricity is generated and stored in a power grid. The Road Harmony was tested on the Dhaka-Aricha highway and the 50 metre long 1 megawatt power plant produced eight hours of electricity after only 24 hours!

The Bangla Auto-rickshaw uses a device attached to the paddles of a three-wheeler rickshaw that produces energy when paddled and energy is stored in cells/grids. The energy produced from paddling a certain distance can then be used to power the rickshaw for three times the distance it covered initially. This should ease the rickshaw puller’s burden by helping him go over raised areas such as bridges.

Check out some of the gadgets designed by Wahiduzzaman on Framework.

*This article was first published in The Independent, December 07 2010

http://www.theindependentdigital.com/?opt=view&page=25&date=2010-12-07

& http://www.theindependentdigital.com/?opt=view&page=32&date=2010-12-07