We interviewed Varun and Ritvik, inventors of Eativo. They participated at the 2019 Invention Convention Singapore Nationals. Read on to find out how they transformed their idea into an invention, and how their invention is becoming better and better.
What was your favourite part of the programme?
R: My favourite part of the programme is the opportunity we got to bring our ideas to life. Usually, it’s easy to come up with an idea, but it’s harder to bring those ideas to life. This invention programme covered various aspects of inventing like pitching, the SCAMPER technique, and many more. And the activities that were conducted had us motivated and engaged throughout the entire invention process.
V: We also enjoyed getting feedback from other inventors as well as the mentors throughout the programme, which will go a long way in making our invention better.
Why did you invent Eativo?
Ritvik (R): Our idea for this invention came from the first lesson we had. We were given scrap materials like boxes, chopsticks, etc., and were asked to build something from those materials that would solve a problem of our own.
Varun (V): Me and Ritvik both have dietary restrictions, and the school canteen did not have the food options to suit them, so we had to bring our own lunchboxes to eat from during lunch. The food, unlike the rest of our peers’, would be cold and bland, and by the time we ate it, we would not enjoy it.
R: It came to our minds that we could invent a self-heating lunchbox that would instantly reheat food upon the flick of a switch, so that we can enjoy hot and fresh food just like our friends did.
V: We also realised that this could not only solve the issue of bringing lunchboxes to school, but could also help many other people — long-distance drivers, the health-conscious, people with dietary restrictions, office workers, etc.
Share some of the challenges you faced.
V: One of the challenges we faced was that we did not have a lot of time on our hands, so making an actual working model was out of the question. Instead, we had to put in more effort into our video pitch and the display board to make up for that.
R: As we were working on the idea, we soon came to realise that this idea of a self-heating lunchbox was not entirely unique. Instead, it was already being replicated in the market and being sold in shopping platforms like Amazon, Lazada, and AliExpress. So, we had to brainstorm further to find ways to make our lunchbox unique from other lunchboxes being sold on these shopping platforms.
V: Another challenge we faced was coming up with a non-working model itself. Since we could not make an actual working model, we had to come up with something to accurately resemble what we envisioned the actual lunchbox to look like. We had to decide what materials to use, and how we could best represent the various parts of the working lunchbox so that we could demonstrate it to the judges in the best way possible.
How did the invention programme benefit you?
R: The programme helped us think like inventors and understanding things like them. We learnt a lot about pitching our ideas, the importance of logging our inventions, how to break down our ideas, and how to make them work better. We also learnt about teamwork since we had to work together.
Did you enjoy it?
V: Yes, we definitely enjoyed the programme! If we didn’t attend it, we would not have been able to get the chance to make our idea a reality, let alone participate in the US Nationals. All the activities were very engaging, the mentors were fun to work with, and we enjoyed working with our peers — all these things made the programme very enjoyable.
What’s your experience like working with Temasek Polytechnic (TP)?
R: Our experience with TP has been very beneficial to us. We have learnt a lot of new things with regards to creating a working model — how the battery systems are connected, the various types of electrical components we can use, and how to integrate those components into a smart circuit that can be further powered by a microcomputer, that can run the lunchbox on its own.
How has working with TP helped to further the development of Eativo?
V: We’ve had a great mentoring experience with Mr Lee, who has been very enthusiastic about helping us in this process. He’s been sharing with us a lot of industry information, as well as valuable advice about how to further make our lunchbox better, making this a great educational experience for the both of us.
IDE Academy thanks Varun and Ritvik for taking the time to interview with us!
Do you have an idea that solves a problem but don’t know where to get started? Take the first step and start inventing at the Road to SG Nationals.
