At a time when farmers in Bihar are progressively losing yields to animal attack and robberies, an IITian's startup could be the answer. Ajit Kumar, an IIT-Kharagpur alumnus, has created the Farm Surveillance-Cum-Animal Scarer (FSCAS), an artificial intelligence-driven system that helps farmers keep animals and thieves at bay.
Kumar claims that the device may be placed in strategic areas on the battlefield. It starts screaming and sends alerts to the farmers' cell phones as soon as it detects an animal or a theft. The equipment is computerized and powered by artificial intelligence. It also has cameras that can see in the dark.
Ajit Kumar, a resident of Shyampur in Bhagalpur, abandoned his job at an MNC to launch the farmer-friendly start-ups Stepupify. The device was created in collaboration with his classmate Sagar Kumar.
“This battery-powered device can be set on a pole or tree in the field, with solar panels fitted to charge the battery. It has been tested in the fields at Khirighat (Antichak) in Kahalgaon sub-division and can be customized according to farmers' requests,” Kumar added. The device now costs Rs 15,000 in India.
Many farmers in Lalapur, Bhader, and Kahalgaon attest to the device's reliability. “Any effort to enter the field is immediately detected by the sensor. In the future, we may add more sensors to improve surveillance,” Kumar says.
Kumar's Stepupify Labs also provides training to adolescents in robotics, STEM, and JEE (Main and Advance) preparation, with the help of Kumar's wife Alka.
Kumar claims that in 2020, he produced a UVC Sanitizer Robot for Covid sanitization using his village-based laboratory, which was evaluated and trialled by the Indian Railways.
