Chatra: In a bid to address frequent fatal accidents involving heavy vehicles in Chatra district, a 16-year-old student has built a remote-controlled truck model fitted with features designed to prevent crashes.Roshan Prasad Kushwaha, a Class X student of Plus II Janta High School in Pathalgada, has named his model “Crash Impact Defender”. The Bank Chowk resident said reports of deaths in accidents involving trucks and other heavy vehicles prompted him to work on the project.The model has front and rear lights, brake lights, side lights and indicators. A sensor at the front detects walls, vehicles and other large obstacles, triggering a buzzer to warn the driver. Roshan plans to upgrade it so that emergency brakes are applied automatically if the driver fails to react.Sensors fitted near the wheels are designed to detect people and two-wheelers in the vehicle’s blind spots and alert the driver. Separately controlled lights indicate the truck’s movement to other road users.Roshan built the model despite financial constraints. His father, Dineshwar Mahto, died six years ago, and his mother, Savita Devi, works as a daily wage labourer to support the family. Roshan buys electronic parts with her savings and uses scrap and discarded material for most of his projects.The model cost around Rs 20,000 — Rs 13,000 for the body and Rs 7,000 for sensors and electronic components. Roshan has previously made a cooler from tin sheets, a mini tractor using PVC pipes and an automatic bell.He now wants to add a camera that can monitor a driver’s eyes and facial movements and issue an alert if signs of drowsiness are detected. He also plans a system that can automatically send the accident location and other details to the victim’s family and the nearest hospital.School principal Uday Prasad Kushwaha described Roshan as a meritorious student and urged govt agencies and technical institutions to support him. School management committee chairperson Vinay Kumar said the project showed that financial hardship could not hold back a determined innovator.
