Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Win money to design a ‘sun-cheater'

Thiruvananthapuram: The Department of Industries has announced a contest to design and produce a cool jacket that can protect workers from sunburn and problems caused by high temperature.

According to the department, lakhs of people in tropical regions are exposed to the health hazards of working under the hot sun. “In Kerala, this has become a serious problem, as the atmospheric temperature has risen to 50 degrees Celsius in summer in recent years,” a press note issued by the department said.

The cool jacket should maintain the body temperature of the person at a minimum 10 degrees below the ambient temperature for a minimum of eight hours. It should be light weight, portable and suitable for use in open spaces and should cover the entire body, including the head.

The innovators are expected to select the design, technology and manufacturing process themselves. The jacket can be powered by solar energy or rechargeable battery or any refrigeration method.

In the first stage of the contest, proposals for design, production and concept will be invited from the public. An expert committee will evaluate the entries and select 10 proposals for funding of Rs.100,000 each for producing the cool jacket.

The second stage involves a product demonstration to select the three best entries for an assistance of Rs.10 lakh each for commercial production of the product. The entire process of selection is to be completed in six months.

The department said it was expecting at least 1,000 applications from all over the world for the cool jacket contest.

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