SANTOSH NAIK
PONDA: Good news for electricity linemen! The Goa Engineering College (GEC) has successfully designed and developed two electrical safety devices: a smart helmet and a wrist watch. These devices can alert linesmen from a safe distance if they are about to touch a live electricity wire. This innovation comes after the alarming death of 15 linemen over the past five years.
The Associate Professor in Electrical Engineering and his students said the gadgets were tested successfully in the GEC laboratory at high voltage and at a transformer, which will alert linemen about live wires with a beep. This was demonstrated during the last day of the two-day training programme on Electrical Fire Safety Requirements at GEC.
Power Minister Ramakrishna ‘Sudin’ Dhavalikar had asked GEC students to develop safety gadgets to detect live wires and leakages following the deaths of several linemen. He said such gadgets could help save lives.
Jayesh Priolkar, Associate Professor in Electrical Engineering, and students Abhinav Naik, Tanay Kurtakar, and others involved in the innovations, demonstrated the working of the devices were designed and developed by their GEC team. Following the recent death of linemen due to electrocution, the safety devices were developed to boost the morale of linemen when they go for repair or maintenance work.
Both devices are designed by the GEC team with their own effort, and the helmet is also lightweight. Anyone using electricity can use it for safety. It can be used in all seasons, and further research is progressing on it.
Dr Jayesh explained that both safety devices work on the basis of electromagnetic induction. When the lineman goes near the wire, the safety device captures the signal and indicates the source is a live wire. The devices have electronic circuits, batteries for power, comparators, resistance, an antenna for capturing the signal, and to give alarm and visual indications.