The 55 Semi Finalists of Pakistan Innovation Foundation's Ideas Contest 2013

Pakistan Innovation FoundationPresents

Semi Finalists of the Ideas Contest 2013

Pakistan Innovation Foundation’s Ideas Contest 2013

When in a new area, it is hard to

find the nearest hospital. In times

of an accident, finding the

nearest medical centre is very

crucial to the patient’s survival.

Precious minutes and seconds

saved looking for a hospital can

save lives.

Th

e P

rob

lem The Solution

We want to develop a smart phone

application which will gather

information of nearby medical

services, get directions to the nearest

emergency service, send an

automatic notification through SMS

to contact the emergency service.

E01: Smart Phone App for Emergency Response

187) Tayyaba Rahman and Abdullah Chohan – SoftAce (Pvt.) Ltd. – http://www.pif.org.pk

Pakistan

Innovation

Foundation

Category: ICT4D

Ideas Contest 2013

Tourism sector in Pakistan is

relatively under-developed and

there is no consolidated source of

information regarding potential

tourist spots in a city and

associated information (such as

where to say, what to eat, etc.)

Tourists who end up in our cities

may be at a loss unless they have

a local source to guide them. Th

e P

rob

lem The Solution

We propose developing a one of its

kind mobile app for Pakistani market

that give tourists details of all tourism

sites within 74 km radius of their

current (or a selected) location and

provide other information. This may

not be out-of-the-box but it has been

ignored for too long

E02: Smart Phone App for Tourism Promotion

186) Raabia Irfan and Muneeb A. Anwar – SoftAce (Pvt.) Ltd – http://www.pif.org.pk

Pakistan

Innovation

Foundation

Category: ICT4D

Ideas Contest 2013

One of the major issues with

energy is non-payment of bills.

WAPDA employees are not

available to take meter readings,

may take erroneous readings

when they do, or meters are

often found to be tempered with.

Th

e P

rob

lem The Solution

We propose that home electric meters

are replaced with smart meters they

will efficiently calculate the number of

units consume and transfer it to

WAPDA wirelessly via Zigbee radios in

a cooperative behavior. Zigbee offers a

cheaper solution that bluetooth at a

higher rate and with better battery life.

E03: Zigbee Radio based Smart Meters

184) Muhammad Bilal Arif – NUST Islamabad – http://www.pif.org.pk

Pakistan

Innovation

Foundation

Category: Energy

Ideas Contest 2013

Contamination of water is a

major issue in Pakistan. An

astonishing amount of 100

million cases of diarrhea

diseases are registered in

hospitals each year, with 40% of

deaths attributed to drinking

polluted water and an estimated

250,000 child deaths each year

in Pakistan.Th

e P

rob

lem The Solution

Remove heavy metal ions - Copper,

Chromium and Lead waste water by using

fruit waste material i.e. banana, orange

and lemon peels. Using this bio material

will result a decrease in Pakistan's land

pollution as most of these fruit peels end

up in landfills as well as water pollution.

An added advantage is the low cost.

.

E04: Remove Water Pollution Using Fruit Peels

180) Umme Salma Gadriwala & Team (Unaffiliated) http://www.pif.org.pk

Pakistan

Innovation

Foundation

Category: Water

Ideas Contest 2013

Our farmers in rural areas

produce a lot of things that they

do not capture economic value

from. If we can figure out a way

to capture and create low-cost

products with significant

benefits from some of these, we

can not only benefit the rural

economy but also create other

important spillover benefits such

as low disease burden, etc.

Th

e P

rob

lem The Solution

Camel Milk contains lactoferrin which is

known to have properties that are helpful

in Hepititis B and C and Cancer. Isolation

and nano-ecompsulation of this active

ingredient along with the creation of a

product to sell Camel Milk and related

products will help fight these diseases and

impact rural economy.

.

E05: A Camel Milk Product to address Hep B &C

239) Aamir Iqbal & Muhammad Nasir – University of Veterinary Sciences – http://www.pif.org.pk

Pakistan

Innovation

Foundation

Category: Agriculture+Rural

Ideas Contest 2013

In rural areas, and those affected

by conflict, the opportunities for

small scale farming that could

provide high returns can create a

significant impetus for rural

economic development. We must

develop new and modern

approaches to agriculture that

provide high value-to-effort

outcomes with minimal inputs

and related requirements.

Th

e P

rob

lem The Solution

Aquaponics –a synergistic combination of

aquaculture and hydroponic farming –

can supplement low farm incomes. It

comprises two units: a fish culture and a

plant growing area. This integrated

system feeds rich nutrient wastes from

cultured fish to cater the plant growth an

cleansing and oxidation properties of

plants for the fish culture..

.

E06: Green Aquaponics to supplement livelihoods

236) Mussarat Shah (Unaffiliated) http://www.pif.org.pk

Pakistan

Innovation

Foundation


Ideas Contest 2013

One of the big challenges we face

is to reduce the ecological

footprint of our lives on the

planet. There are a number of

materials that get produced in

household and commercial

activities as waste and must be

recycled in order to conserve the

earthly resources.

Th

e P

rob

lem The Solution

Our suggested top of the line economic

solution to this major issue is to recycle

the wasted paper, steel and other metals.

We use this material to construct "Solar

Powered- Prefabricated Homes* which

replace the conventional houses in order

to conserve the energy, keeping in mind

the rapid consumption of earthly

resources in view.

.

E07: Solar Powered Pre-Fabricated Homes

233) Muhammad Yasir Malik & Zari Asif Turk – NUST Islamabad – http://www.pif.org.pk

Pakistan

Innovation

Foundation

Category: Energy

Ideas Contest 2013

Most of fertilizers, produces

ammonia emanation, contributes

to acid rain, groundwater

contamination and ozone

depletion due to release of

nitrous oxide by de-nitrification

process. With its increased use

and projections of future use, this

problem may increase several

fold in the coming decades.

Ground water contamination,

respiratory illnesses, etc. result.

Th

e P

rob

lem The Solution

A Green information system (GIS) can

provide a set of services to its customers

for betterment of their crops use of

fertilizers, pesticides attacks and also

sending information about weather

according to their residence area ,market

price and suggested them to use fertilizers

which are less harmful to environment

and man’s health.

E08: A Green Information System (GIS)

231) Muhammad Saqib Chaudhry (Unaffiliated) http://www.pif.org.pk

Pakistan

Innovation

Foundation


Ideas Contest 2013

Fans have become a part of life.

From offices to workshops, this

machine is everywhere to make

life comfortable. These days

portable fans – with light weight

and powerful batteries - are

becoming more popular. The

market is full of cheap fans that

are not durable and sometimes

total waste of money. A simple

and economic fan can save

money and fulfill the purpose.

Th

e P

rob

lem The Solution

A simple fan can be manufactured that

everyone can assemble and carry

everywhere. This needs a 12volts adapter,

12volt battery, PC blower fan, power

switch button, 5v transistor and USB

cable. 2 dry batteries with 6volt power

each can be connected to get 12volts or a

motorbike battery can be used for power.

E09: A Portable Rechargeable Fan

229) M. Ahsan Khan & M. Mohsin Khan – University of Agriculture (FBD) – http://www.pif.org.pk

Pakistan

Innovation

Foundation

Category: Energy

Ideas Contest 2013

In Pakistan a typical 10 Marla

double story house contains

about 1 lakh BRICKS, and each

brick costs its customer about 6-7

rupee. While the Clay brick

manufacturers claim that in the

coming 2-3 years each brick will

cost up to rupees 10, which is

huge and unaffordable for

majority of Pakistani Population.

Clay brick production also causes

soil erosion.

Th

e P

rob

lem The Solution

Fly Ash bricks use an industrial waste and

abundantly available in the industrial

cities. They are 28% lighter than normal

clay bricks and possess compressive

strength higher than 40MPa far than

normal bricks. They’re cheaper (Rs. 4.75)

and eliminates the need of plastering

because of fine finish. This can reduce high

construction cost and soil erosion.

E010: Innovative Fly Ash Bricks to Reduce Costs

221) Nouman Ali & M. Ahmad Tauqeer – EME College, Rawalpindi – http://www.pif.org.pk

Pakistan

Innovation

Foundation

Category: Energy+Climate

Ideas Contest 2013

Pakistan has abundant supply of

wind energy – an important

natural and renewable resource.

Fortunately we have the points

for the production of wind energy

which are available into the

coastal areas of Jiwani, Thatta,

Karachi and Baluchistan’s coastal

belt. We need to develop

mechanisms to harness wind

energy in usable energy that

could be used in these locations.

Th

e P

rob

lem The Solution

In Pakistan, hundreds of thousands of air-

conditioners are operating on electricity. A

normal 1-ton air-conditioner consumes

nearly 1200 W which is equal to the power

consumed by 12 ceiling fans. We propose a

50W airconditioner that simply uses a

blower for the indoor unit that will be

powered by electricity. The outdoor unit –

incl. compressor – is powered by Wind.

E011: 50W Wind Energy Air Conditioners

215) M. Iftikharuddin Behroze – Pakistan Navy Engg. College (PNEC) – http:/www.pif.org.pk

Pakistan

Innovation

Foundation

Category: Energy+Climate

Ideas Contest 2013

Of the three major elements of

fertilizer, Nitrogen has major

influence on yield. Urea is the

major source of N.A major portion

of this (reactive-N) leaks into the

environment with cascading

negative effects on ecosystem

functions and contributes to

global warming. Current

agriculture practices apply an

inefficient route for nitrification

that results in considerable waste.

Th

e P

rob

lem The Solution

To achieve maximum and sustainable yield

as well as minimum pollution from the

synthetic fertilizers, we must find efficient

ways to disburse and absorb Nitrogen.

Solution requires Identifying most suitable

coating material for fertilizers (Urea) and

different microbial strains to maximize

uptake of N. Slow release + micro

organisms use can make fertilizer more

effective

E012:Efficient Use of Micronutrients in Fertilizer

214) M. Adnan Zafar and Team – University of Agriculture (Faisalabad) – http://www.pif.org.pk

Pakistan

Innovation

Foundation


Ideas Contest 2013

Pakistan is passing through a

challenging phase in terms of

meeting its energy requirements.

Rapid population growth and

industrialization in the recent past

have placed pressing demands for

the supply of energy. It is of

paramount importance to develop

clean and renewable energy

sources. We must think out of the

box in developing new energy

sources.

Th

e P

rob

lem The Solution

Salinity-gradient power, a.k.a. blue energy,

is a potentially large source for electricity

generation. Energy can be extracted from

mixing (salt) seawater and (fresh) river

water, due to the increase in entropy.

Salinity gradient power is available

worldwide where salt solutions of different

salinity mix, for example, where rivers flow

into sea or industrial brine is discharged.

E013: Using Salt Water to Generate Electricity

213) Ahmed Ali Khan & Abeera Idrees – Comsats (CIIT – Lahore) – http://www.pif.org.pk

Pakistan

Innovation

Foundation

Category: Energy

Ideas Contest 2013

Phosphorus is the most important

growth-limiting constituent in soil,

and is different in that it is

available in very small quantities

only. Its concentration in soil

solution is very low. Phosphorous

is therefore, one of the least

mobile nutrients in soil. Even

when available, it remains

insoluble thus causing inefficient

accessibility to plans.

Th

e P

rob

lem The Solution

Microbes increase phosphorus accessibility

to plants from organic source of

phosphorus in soil by mineralization and

solubilization of precipitated phosphates.

Bio-organisms capable of P solublization in

soil can be used to increase the

accessibility of P to the plants thus

reducing the use of fertilizer on the soil.

E014: Bio-organisms for increased (P) uptake

211) Muhammad Saleem & Team – University of Agriculture Faisalabad – http://www.pif.org.pk

Pakistan

Innovation

Foundation


Ideas Contest 2013

In Pakistan fruits and vegetables

prices varies in considerably. In all

this situation farmers as well as

consumers suffer a lot. All the

profit goes to the middle man.

This discourages the farmers who

may give up fruit and vegetable

farming. One the reason is that

lack of demand supply

mechanism. Th

e P

rob

lem The Solution

A fruit and vegetable market information

system could divide country in small

regions. Farmers could have information

upon how much fruit arrived in a particular

region, what is the expected demand, and

at what price. By understanding the supply

and demand, they might be in a better

position to negotiate with the middleman.

E015: Fruit and Vegetable Market Info System

209) Qaisar Gondal (Unaffiliated) http://www.pif.org.pk

Pakistan

Innovation

Foundation

Category: Agricuture+Rural

Ideas Contest 2013

One of the key problems with

urban life is the amount of waste

generated. More often than not,

particularly in coastal cities, this

sewage is dumped untreated in

the sea. This not only creates

threats to marine life but also

degrades the condition of our

beaches and causes severe

damage to life in the coastal

communities.

Th

e P

rob

lem The Solution

An Underground waste water sewage that

will treat and incinerate sewage and waste

in an underground environment which

provides for a safer and pollution free

incinerator and result in simultaneous

production of biogas which could create a

valuable source of energy at the small

scale.

E016: Underground Waste Treatment Plant

208) Nasir Yakoob – Baqai Medical University – http://www.pif.org.pk

Pakistan

Innovation

Foundation

Category: Urban Living

Ideas Contest 2013

Clean water is very necessary and

compulsory for good health. More

than 75% of the world’s

population drinks dirty, polluted

and unhygienic water. More than

50% of diseases are just due to

dirty and unhygienic water.

According to WHO more than

300m people suffer from

malnutrition and deficiency of

nutrients. Water devoid of

nutrients causes damage.

Th

e P

rob

lem The Solution

‘Moringa oliefera’, a miracle plant, has

many advantages and benefits. Its seed

can act as a natural water purifier. We can

grow this plant in our homes to clean

water. Its leaves are rich in vitamins,

minerals, essential amino acides, enzymes,

and antioxidants. We propose developing

a product to benefit from this ‘tree of life’

E017: The ‘Tree of Life’

205) Farooq Ahmed Ghumman – University of the Punjab – http://www.pif.org.pk

Pakistan

Innovation

Foundation

Category: Water

Ideas Contest 2013

One of the major challenges

affecting the energy crisis right

now is non-payment of electricity

bills which in turn results in

default on oil and gas payments

by electricity producers. This

results in the seemingly

intractable problem of circular

debt. Causing untold misery to the

masses. Th

e P

rob

lem The Solution

We propose the use of prepaid Energy

meter as the most suitable option for

elimination of circular debt by streamlining

the recovery process in Pakistan. Also

there will be a device (for energy theft)

installed on the nearest distribution

transformer which will perform monitor

electric power supplied to customers and

be a deterrent for theft.

E018: A Pre-paid Energy Metering System

200) Wajahat Abbas Khan & Team – NUST Islamabad – http://www.pif.org.pk

Pakistan

Innovation

Foundation


Ideas Contest 2013

Livestock sector contributes about

11% of Pakistan’s GDP and

employs about 17% of the

workforce. The farm sizes are

small and mostly in the rural

areas. Pakistan's livestock

industry traditionally relies on

horizontal expansion of animals

(i.e. increase in number of low-

yield animals) rather than vertical

expansion (i.e. increase in number

of high yield animals).

Th

e P

rob

lem The Solution

We propose the “vertical expansion of

High yielding, healthy indigenous ruminant

population". This can partly be done

through education i.e. creating awarenss

amongst farmers of why smaller number

of more expensive animals are better, and

partly through availability of capital

(credit) and high quality animals.

E019: Livestock Yield through Vertical Expansion

197) Zaytoon Zaheer – University of Agriculture Faisalabad – http://www.pif.org.pk

Pakistan

Innovation

Foundation


Ideas Contest 2013

Pakistan is facing acute energy

crisis. The costs of oil, coal and

other fuels are increasing day by

day; also these energy recourses

are increasing greenhouse gasses

in environment. Considering

Pakistan specifically, we need very

cheap, easy to use, and

abundantly available local and

environment friendly renewable

energy recourses.

Th

e P

rob

lem The Solution

A cheap energy resource is RDF (Refuse

Derived Fuel) or solid municipal waste.

However, before it can be efficiently burnt

to produce electricity, it must be dried and

moisture removed. We propose using

waste heat from another industrial

process, such as a Cement Kiln, to dry the

RDF to make it acceptable for burning. This

saves on coal and non-renewable sources.

E020:Waste Heat to create dry residue for Burning

133) Faisal Qayyum – University of Engg and Technology Taxila – http://www.pif.org.pk

Pakistan

Innovation

Foundation

Category: Energy

Ideas Contest 2013












sources.

Th

e P

rob

lem The Solution

We propose creating an Energy Efficient

Stirling Engine as an external combustion

heat engine which can be used for general

electrical and mechanical purposes i.e.

driving loads or producing electricity via

generators, etc. It can use waste heat as

fuel and can be modified for solar energy

as a primary source. It is highly versatile

and climate and environment independent.

E021: Stirling Engine – Versatile Heat2Energy

122) Shahzad Amin and Team – PUCIT – Lahore – http://www.pif.org.pk

Pakistan

Innovation

Foundation

Category: Energy

Ideas Contest 2013

The deaf/mute make up 7.43

percent of Pakistan’s total

disabled population according to

a report on the National Census of

Pakistan. These people learn to

communicate using sign

language. Unfortunately, most

normal people don’t understand

their gestures and are unable

understand. This creates, despite

best intentions, a communication

gap.

Th

e P

rob

lem The Solution

SignSpeak, is the design of a system that

would enable these people to

communicate by translating their sign

language gestures into speech. It consists

of a sensor based glove worn on the hand

that wirelessly communicates with an

Android phone to transmit the

corresponding input into speech.

E022: A Sign Language to Speech Convertor

120) Saman Ishtiaq Malik and Team – NUST Islamabad – http://www.pif.org.pk

Pakistan

Innovation

Foundation

Category: ICT4D

Ideas Contest 2013












sources.

Th

e P

rob

lem The Solution

One solution is to generate power through

movement of floating ball on water waves.

This is simple and unique idea in which I

have developed using unidirectional gears

system. Energy can be generated by

installing such devices through 1100 km of

the coastline of Pakistan.

E023: Creating Wave Energy in Coastal Areas

152) Fatima Sohail – DA Degree College for Women – http://www.pif.org.pk

Pakistan

Innovation

Foundation

Category: Energy

Ideas Contest 2013

In last 10 years or so, the price of

fuel has gone up considerably

putting an unbearable burden on

common man. The fuel shortages

have also begun to happen. There

are only two ways to address this.

Either we increase our fuel

production (or import) or save

fuel. Transportation is the biggest

user of fuel and there is a need to

save fuel in that areas.

Th

e P

rob

lem The Solution

Our solution is to create a rideshare web

portal (system) that enables you to check

and find the people moving from point A to

Point B and hitch rides with others. The

system will be designed in a manner that is

convenient to use and makes people feel

they’re connected. A mobile app can also

be developed.

E024: A Rideshare Portal for Pakistan

116) M. Usman and M. Ramzan (Unaffiliated) http://www.pif.org.pk

Pakistan

Innovation

Foundation

Category: Energy

Ideas Contest 2013







the supply of energy. It is

important to minimize the use of

electricity and find creative ways

of saving energy. One application

is lighting which makes up a lot of

electricity usage.

Th

e P

rob

lem The Solution

Our proposed innovative solution is to

produce bioluministic shrubs by

introducing firefly’s luciferase and luciferin

generation enzyme by chloroplast

transformation. This could have many

uses. It could replace of lightning in some

applications. But also used as directional

plants on roads, and to attract tourists.

E025:Use Firefly’s Genetic Matter to Lighten Shrubs

110) Rabiyah – Quaid-e-Azam University Islamabad – http://www.pif.org.pk

Pakistan

Innovation

Foundation

Category: Energy

Ideas Contest 2013

The voting system and process in

Pakistan is an issue which should

be addressed seriously. During

every elections we discover that

our pooling booths are not secure

even in the presence of security

forces. There also opportunities

for large-scale election fraud.

There is always a chance of

violence in the pooling booths

which turns off large number of

voters from even coming to vote.

Th

e P

rob

lem The Solution

Our proposed solution is a web-based

electronic polling system. People should

vote by using internet from their homes.

NADRA's new smart ID card can be used

for the voter’s authentication and vote’s

management. NADRA's new smart card

has all the capabilities to store and process

user identification and security protocols.

E026: Web-based e-Voting System for Pakistan

107) M. Umer and Raniya Sohail (Unaffiliated) http://www.pif.org.pk

Pakistan

Innovation

Foundation

Category: Better Governance

Ideas Contest 2013

Pakistan is suffering through an

energy crisis. Massive increase in

population and its demands are

instilling a constant sense of

agitation among people. Working

households that find it hard to

make the ends meet are turning

towards inefficient and

environment deranging systems

for their needs which include UPS’.

There is a need to be creative

about saving valuable energy.

Th

e P

rob

lem The Solution

Heat is a lost form of energy. I propose to

utilize heat as a source of energy. Heat is

ejected from the industry/factory as

waste. Recycling this heat for its own use

can be very beneficial. A thermal energy

converter plant installed in every single

major factory can make it self-sufficient, at

least to some extent, in meeting its own

energy needs.

E027: Save Energy by Using Waste Heat in Industry

106) Nouman Safdar Ali – Government College University Lahore – http://www.pif.org.pk

Pakistan

Innovation

Foundation

Category: Energy

Ideas Contest 2013

Law and Order and Crime Rates

are increasing in Pakistan.

Particularly in the larger cities,

such as Karachi, this has reached

endemic proportions. Mobile

snatching is a very common type

of crime that causes both

economic distress and terrorizes

the population. Stamping on

Crime will require creative and

innovative use of available

technologies.

Th

e P

rob

lem The Solution

We propose building a software to detect

mobile snatchers or to predict the next

crime. Based on the previous data of crime

records we will be able to develop this

software and we will use Rosmoo's

equation that is used currently by FBI. This

software will help police stations to predict

crime and geographical location will help

to predict their location.

E028: A Software to Predict Mobile Snatching

104) Adeel Zafar – Riphah International University – http://www.pif.org.pk

Pakistan

Innovation

Foundation


Ideas Contest 2013

Rice production is an important

part of Pakistan’s economy with

the country being world’s 4th

largest producer or rice. Currently

the quality inspection is done

through mechanical devices like

vernier calipers, sieve, and in most

of the cases through naked eye,

all these methods are neither

objective nor efficient and prone

to human error. Automating this

will result supply chain efficiency.

Th

e P

rob

lem The Solution

Automated Rice Quality Inspection (ARQI)

is will provide a mechanized way to inspect

rice grain sample using image processing

techniques. Analysis of physical

characteristics of rice grain; such as length,

perimeter, and width of the individual

grains, is the grain broken, foreign

substances, etc. can be done through

ordinary scanners.

E029: Automated Rice Quality Inspection System

91) Muhammad Ahmed Khalid and Team – One Step Solutions (Pvt.) Ltd – http://www.pif.org.pk

Pakistan

Innovation

Foundation


Ideas Contest 2013

The Traffic Challan System as it is

currently practiced in Pakistan is a

waste of time and resources. It

forces you to go the bank, stand in

lines, come back to get your

documents, etc. It also creates

opportunities for corruption

within the system. It also results

in waste of human resources since

there has to be a dedicated

resource for collecting Challans.

Th

e P

rob

lem The Solution

Handheld electronic devices with wireless

connectivity (GSM/GPRS) could be

provided to traffic officers which can

record the ticket and the offender signs it

electronically – like they sign for a parcel –

to verify it and then pays the ticket at the

spot. Challans can be paid by debit cards or

pre-paid cards issued by the traffic police.

They could be instantly updated on server.

E030: Automated Traffic Challan System

88) Muhammad Younus – Government College University Lahore – http://www.pif.org.pk

Pakistan

Innovation

Foundation


Ideas Contest 2013

82% of Pakistan’s population does

not have access to clean drinking

water. The Government has

installed 10,000 water filtration

plants at UC level but only 20%

are working. Others are out of

use. Of this 20%, majority are

supplying contaminated water

due to rusty pipelines. This leads

to water borne diseases. 60% of

the infant deaths are due to water

born diseases.

Th

e P

rob

lem The Solution

Our proposed solution is developing a

water purifier using Nano-filter

membranes. This solution will give purity

1.5 times more than normal purifiers, is

economical, and has a long life. It is also

green. We have developed this membrane

at lab level using our own pocket money,

We are currently in process of designing a

filtration prototype.

E031: Water Purifiers Using Nano-Filters

59) Muhammad Ali and Team – NUST Islamabad – http://www.pif.org.pk

Pakistan

Innovation

Foundation

Category: Water

Ideas Contest 2013

There is considerable talent and

income generation capacity in our

rural areas, particularly among

rural women, who engage in arts

and crafts like rullies, needlework,

ajrak, woodwork, etc. However,

these are not fully exposed to the

modern world and hence do not

bring in the right price for their

labors. If we can package and

present these well, it can result in

increase in rural earnings.

Th

e P

rob

lem The Solution

The solution I propose has presentation

and packaging as a key ingredient. Also,

one could imagine bringing these skills,

arts-crafts, and patterns to the modern

world, for example, by making traditional

rallee patterns on curtains, bed sheets,

cushions and hand bags. Ajrak patterns on

scarves, tie, and boxes, etc. Pitching to the

right market and right message can sell.

E032: Our Traditional Arts-Crafts to Modern World

191) Mahwish (Unaffiliated) http://www.pif.org.pk

Pakistan

Innovation

Foundation


Ideas Contest 2013

Pakistan is full of people who are

illiterate or merely literate. The

country is also lagging behind on

Millennium Development Goals

(MDGs) for Education for All.

There are also social issues and

taboos that hamper achievement

of educational goals such as

pressures on young girls and

women who are not allowed to go

outside the house to gain

education.

Th

e P

rob

lem The Solution

Our idea is to develop an android and

desktop application named “Smart E-

Learning” to promote education and

awareness among people of the world.

The purpose is to develop a social teaching

service forum where the people who have

interest to serve the people in the world

and would volunteer to teach. This could

lead to a chain reaction.

E033: E-learning based Social Teaching Service

181) Nirmeen Yousuf & Mariam Begum – NED University (Karachi) – http://www.pif.org.pk

Pakistan

Innovation

Foundation


Ideas Contest 2013

Pakistan is facing an energy crisis

and addressing this will require

thinking creatively about our

energy use and seeking

efficiencies in it. The internal

combustion engine is relatively

quite inefficient in converting

chemical energy stored in fuel into

mechanical energy. If more

efficient engines are used, less

consumption of fuel will occur and

will help solve the energy crisis.

Th

e P

rob

lem The Solution

I propose using the Bladeless Turbine

Engines as these are much more efficient

than internal combustion engine and can

be used on industrial scale wit proper

research. First proposed by Nikola Tesla in

1900s, it was never used. Even with

current research, they can be used in

Pakistan for small scale uses such as

Backup Power Generators.

E034:Use Efficient Bladeless Turbine Engines

175) Zain Yar Khan (Unaffiliated) http://www.pif.org.pk

Pakistan

Innovation

Foundation

Category: Energy

Ideas Contest 2013

Pakistan is currently facing water

management crisis in form of

flood, drought, theft and

pollution. Currently our

monitoring system is manual

which suffers from human error,

lack of coordination, lack of

resources .All of these calamities

instigated us to devise a system

which can generate alerts before

flood or drought comes.

Th

e P

rob

lem The Solution

The proposed solution is to automate

water management system including

water level and quality monitoring. This

can be realized by the installation of

sensors on rivers banks where there is

more danger of flood. These sensors will

have interface with GSM modules to alert

the concerned department to take

precautionary measures and vacate areas.

E035: Deploy Sensor Technology to Predict Floods

172) Omer Nawaz & Team – NUST Islamabad – http://www.pif.org.pk

Pakistan

Innovation

Foundation

Category: Water

Ideas Contest 2013

Per capita water availability at

the time of creation of Pakistan

was 5,600 cubic metres, but it

currently stands at only 1,000

cubic metres, this places Pakistan

among water-scarce countries in

the world. Pakistan is currently

facing water management crisis in

form of flood, drought, theft and

pollution. There is a need to think

creatively about addressing water

shortage.

Th

e P

rob

lem The Solution

I propose the construction of underground

groundwater dams to obstruct the natural

flow of groundwater and store water

below the ground. There are two types of

groundwater dams 1. Sub-surface dams 2.

Sand-storage dam. These are relatively

inexpensive to construct and maintain and

can be ‘own-able’ technology for poor

communities.

E036: Build Subsurface Dams and Acquifiers

244) Affan Zia, Dooa and Sundas Arif – NUST Islamabad – http://www.pif.org.pk

Pakistan

Innovation

Foundation

Category: Water

Ideas Contest 2013

Pakistan is among the countries

where summer season is intense.

The outdoor temperature can not

be controlled, however the indoor

temperature must be in

accordance with human comfort

zone of around 25°C. But the

conventional ways of indoor

cooling have failed because of

energy crisis or load-shedding or

cost. There is need to devise a

novel system.

Th

e P

rob

lem The Solution

I propose a service that provides air inlets

carrying cooled air to each house/shop/

office that registers for this service. The

inlet provides cool air 24/7 all month

uninterrupted. The customers will be

charged according to the use , and

requirement. Such BIG Central Air

Conditioner in a locality can be more

efficient than smaller ones.

E037: Huge Neighbourhood Central Airconditioners

222) Noor ul Ain Hashmi & Umar Farooq – NUST Islamabad – http://www.pif.org.pk

Pakistan

Innovation

Foundation

Category: Energy

Ideas Contest 2013

Pakistan’s main energy power

sources are TARBELA and

MANGLA. Transmission from

these sources to all over the

Pakistan causes these losses.

According to WORLD BANK data,

in 2010 these losses ate

15,184,000,000 Watt which are

16.08 % of production (vs. 5-8% in

the world). Pakistan total shortfall

is 3-6000 MW half of which could

be accounted for by line losses.

Th

e P

rob

lem The Solution

Our solution is to decentralize power

production through a) building power

plants (mostly solar) near the point of use

(i.e. cities) to minimize line losses and b)

providing subsidy on solar energy so that

household use of solar panels can be

encouraged. The latter is largely a policy

solution.

E038:Minimize Losses through Decentralized Power

207) M. Akeeb Akmal and M. Absar ul Haq – University of Gujrat – http://www.pif.org.pk

Pakistan

Innovation

Foundation

Category: Energy

Ideas Contest 2013

Everyday life produces a lot of

plastic that ends up in the

garbage can. This ultimately is

non-biodegradable and causes

lots of pollution in landfills and

oceans. Sometimes plastic is also

burnt leading to air pollution. In

order to solve this problem, we

must find a way to decompose

this plastic waste or convert it into

something useful.

Th

e P

rob

lem The Solution

We have proposed the conversion of

Plastic to Combustible Oil to put this

pollution and burning frenzy to an end.

This is an out of the box solution that is

practical and cost-effective. Our process

does not involve use of an external energy

source, as it uses only solar concentrator.

We also obtain an important by-product

i.e. CHLORINE GAS as a result.

E039:Convert Plastic Garbage into Combustible Oil

206) Haris Bin Ashraf and Team (Unaffiliated) http://www.pif.org.pk

Pakistan

Innovation

Foundation


Ideas Contest 2013

Pakistan suffers from an energy

crisis that continues to grow and

population outpaces our ability to

create new energy infrastructure.

One of the ways to address our

energy needs is solar which is

found in abundance in Pakistan.

However, solar panels are

extremely expensive and hence

out of reach as an near-term

solution. We need to look for

alternate ways of harnessing solar

Th

e P

rob

lem The Solution

We propose using Chlorophyll to produce

electricity. Recent scientific research has

proven that chlorophyll (naturally

extracted or artificially created) can be

used to create electricity. However,

creating anything on commercial scale will

require a lot of chlorophyll but new

methods are being developed to produce

and package chlorophyll effectively.

E040:Use Chlorophyll to Produce Electricity

203) Hania Hasan and Umme Salma (Unaffiliated) http://www.pif.org.pk

Pakistan

Innovation

Foundation

Category: Energy

Ideas Contest 2013

Pakistan is a country with more

than 65% of its population linked

to agriculture. Although

agriculture is considered as the

backbone of the country's

economy, Pakistan is amongst

those few countries where the

agricultural land is deteriorating

with the passage of time and the

total cultivatable land is

decreasing likely with impact on

development of the country.

Th

e P

rob

lem The Solution

Our proposed solution “Plants for Plants”

can be described in a single sentence as

“Simplicity for sustainability leading to

self-sufficiency”. We propose growing

Eucalyptus Plant in fields that are affected

by water-logging. This is an effective

remedial measure that can help reclaim

the lost land.

E041: Plants for Plants

139) M. Husnain Arshad and Team – NUST Islamabad – http://www.pif.org.pk

Pakistan

Innovation

Foundation


Ideas Contest 2013

Th

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rob

lem The Solution

Using algae as alternate source of energy

for producing electricity is well-

established. Utilizing this green energy can

overcome energy shortage in Pakistan.

With a simple setup at home, or a farm, a

huge amount of algae can be harvested

and energy produced . Pakistan being rich

in algae due to climate and marshy areas,

this can be applied on large scale easily.

E042: Growing Algae to Produce Electricity

109) Adil Farooq – University of Engg and Technology Taxila – http://www.pif.org.pk

Pakistan

Innovation

Foundation

Category: Energy

Ideas Contest 2013

Pakistan suffers from an energy

crisis that continues to grow and

population outpaces our ability to

create new energy infrastructure.

There are certain characteristics

of Pakistan’s land and climate

that make certain kinds of energy

sources more easily accessible.

We need to look for alternate

ways of harnessing energy from

our natural resources.

Th

e P

rob

lem The Solution

We propose an open source concept

around the themes of learn-teach-

collaborate to help spread the knowledge

of microbusinesses and enterprise creation

to enable millions of businesses to be

created. The process of setting up

businesses shall be documented and put on

videos for all to see to enable people to

start new businesses with minimal effort.

E043: Create 1 Million New (Micro) Businesses

70) Rehan Allahwala – Super Technologies Foundation – http://www.pif.org.pk

Pakistan

Innovation

Foundation


Ideas Contest 2013

One of Pakistan’s biggest

problems is poverty. With

declining economy, creating jobs

for growing population is going to

be a challenge. An economy must

provide domestic opportunities to

people so that it generates

business activity and helps in

growth and development of

economy. Small (micro) businesses

can impact on employment,

literacy, and governance.

Th

e P

rob

lem The Solution

My propose solution is to use “bacterial-

fungal interactions and their consequent

effect on degradation/modification of

polythene and other recalcitrant plastics“

as a means to biodegrade the plastics. This

is different from simple biodegration

already in use and can be more effective.

E044: Bio-degrade Plastics for Easy Disposal

62) Rashid Nazir – Comsats (CIIT – Abbotabad) – http://www.pif.org.pk

Pakistan

Innovation

Foundation


Ideas Contest 2013

One of the unfortunate features

of modern urban life is the

increasing amount of waste and

use of plastics. This results in solid

waste – containing plastics – that

is hard to get rid of. This

deteriorates the quality of

environment and life of people

around it. Normal practice to get

rid of such material, is burning

that in itself is a problem.

Th

e P

rob

lem The Solution

Our proposed solution is to use the the

most commonly used electronic media

device, the Mobile Phone, to become a

Learning Device. There are 120m mobile

phones and the cheapest option with video

playback is Rs. 1188. Content videos can be

sold through CDs on local shops and can be

downloaded on mobile memory. The

system works without access to internet.

E045: Mobile Phone-based Education for All

64) Rehan Allahwala – SuperTec Foundation – http://www.pif.org.pk

Pakistan

Innovation

Foundation


Ideas Contest 2013

We think that everyone in

Pakistanis have a right to educate

them self and become a success in

there own. Traditionally,

campaigns to promote universal

literacy have suffered from

capacity constraints such as lack

of schools and teachers. ICT has

now made it possible to overcome

these challenges. Yet, e-learning

technologies have so far failed to

make an inroads into illiteracy.

Th

e P

rob

lem The Solution

We propose a "Smart Water Grid" system.

This is a two tiered problem: First, using

sensors, system identification and controls

for an efficient analysis. Secondly, using

information processing methods for policy

and design. Sensor networks on Canals

have been deployed and are being tested.

Next step is to design controller to

automate canal gates.

E046: Smart Water Grid for Pakistan

259) Soban, Farwa, and Usman – Lahore University of Mgmt Sciences (LUMS) – http://pif.org.pk

Pakistan

Innovation

Foundation

Category: Water

Ideas Contest 2013

Water is a scarce reserve.

Pakistan relies heavily on water

for agriculture. Pakistan's canal

network is one of the most

extensive network in world that

acts as a back for the agrarian

Pakistan. However, this network

suffers from poor water

conservation management

resulting in extensive loss of

precious water. Our solution

caters to solving this issue.

Th

e P

rob

lem The Solution

Our proposed solution is to create waste

water treatment plants in the outskirts of

the cities. Alongside water, solid waste

management could be done resulting in

organic fertiliser and biogas. A 30-40 km

radius around cities should be dedicated to

setting up organic farms to use this

fertiliser thus greening the landscape and

generating export quality produce.

E047: Using Waste Water to do Organic Farming

255) Muneeb ur Rahman & Haseeb ur Rahman – NUST Islamabad – http://www.pif.org.pk

Pakistan

Innovation

Foundation


Ideas Contest 2013

A major problem we face is that

of waste water and solid waste

management. They give rise to

the sanitation problems,

adulteration of clean water

supply, channels, epidemic

diseases, etc. A large portion of

the solid waste and water is

drained into the canals and rivers

causing water pollution. Its

impact on the detriment

conditions of human health and

aquatic life.

Th

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rob

lem The Solution

My solution is a 'smart city solution' based

on concepts from intelligent transport

systems, transportation modelling and

mobility management domains to tackle

these traffic problems by not building new

infrastructure but studying / adapting

people's travel behaviour. This will use big

data approaches to model transportation

behaviour of people, vehicles, and freight.

E048: Apply Smart City Concepts to Transportation

249) Ansar ul Haque Yasar – ContraInternational (Pvt.) Ltd – http://www.pif.org.pk

Pakistan

Innovation

Foundation


Ideas Contest 2013

Pakistan has a long history of

traffic related problems such as

congestion, safety, travel time,

lack of public transportation, etc.

Typically in Pakistan all traffic

related issues are resolved by

focusing on the infrastructure i.e.

road expansions, reducing traffic

signals, etc. that are quite

expensive.

Th

e P

rob

lem The Solution

My main solution is that school students

should be switched to some of the most

up-to-date technology available as virtual

classrooms, Electronic Whiteboards and

video Conferencing. By connecting the

Electronic whiteboards to a laptop

computer and projector, teachers can also

convert freehand writing on whiteboards

into text, then print it for students.

E049: A Smart Technology Revolution in Education

245) Sohair Ahmed (Unaffiliated) http://www.pif.org.pk

Pakistan

Innovation

Foundation

Category: Literacy

Ideas Contest 2013

In Pakistan, Education is often a

boring enterprise. Students work

with centuries old chalk-boards

and books in school. Outside the

school, they constantly interact

with technology like laptops

mobile phones and even iPod,

iPhone and making some fun with

games. Our school system fails to

produce students are capable of

taking full benefit from the

technology revolution around

them.

Th

e P

rob

lem The Solution

The solution I propose will collect real time

data by linking the ECU of automobiles and

downloading this data to a cloud where it

can be accessed on desktop computers,

internet, or mobile devices. This will enable

car owners and drivers take control over

their car from anywhere in the world and

make informed decisions and potentially

save money spent on their cars..

E050: XGear – Real Time Data Tracking of Cars

158) Mohammed Ahmed Khalid & Team – One Step Solutions (Pvt.) Ltd. – http://www.pif.org.pk

Pakistan

Innovation

Foundation


Ideas Contest 2013

Driving and maintaining

automobiles in a responsible

manner could save billions of

dollars a year and help reduce

carbon footprint. Savings can

result if we are able to know how

our automobiles respond to our

driving habits and what is the

status of various parts of the

engine. Drivers can then make

well-informed decisions that can

enhance efficiency and

performance.

Th

e P

rob

lem The Solution

The proposed and tested solar cooker is

five times more powerful compared to the

most common type of solar cooker - the

box type. This solar cooker attains

temperatures of up to 250 degree C, making

it suitable for cooking all types of food in a

shorter period of time. It can be

economically produced at a price of nearly

Rs. 15000/- per piece for single family

usage.

E051: A Novel High Performance Solar Cooker

160) Suhail Zaki Farooqui – Pakistan Navy Engineering College – http://www.pif.org.pk

Pakistan

Innovation

Foundation

Category: Energy

Ideas Contest 2013

Cooking accounts for third of the

total energy consumption in

Pakistan. Fulfilling the cooking

demand through solar energy can

save billion of rupees of foreign

exchange currently being spent on

the import of fossil fuels.

Th

e P

rob

lem The Solution

We propose an innovative Data Collection

smartphone application backed with a

Cloud platform for data storage and

processing. A comprehensive web-based

dashboard will allow performing

meaningful analysis such as the tracking of

the spread of disease and management of

health personnel. This can help with efforts

like child malnutrition and polio-

eradication

E052:Real Time Data Tracking of Community Health

154) M. Yasar Qamar & Team – Lahore University of Mgmt. Sciences – http://www.pif.org.pk

Pakistan

Innovation

Foundation

Category: ICT4D

Ideas Contest 2013

Lack of information-gathering

tools and framework leads to

ineffective policy-making,

severely reducing the impact of

healthcare services." In countries

like Pakistan, healthcare problems

are aggravated by the fact that

real time grassroots statistics and

data are not available to the

Government and NGOs. This

makes effective allocation of

resources for preventive measures

extremely difficult.

Th

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lem The Solution

I propose using Smart grid technology to

improve energy efficiency and reduce

losses in Pakistan. Smart-grid technology is

a layer of sensors and software on top of

the existing power distribution layer. Once

activated, it sends out critical data such as

consumption, pilferage and over-shoot of

consumption limits to the consumer’s

computer, smartphone or any internet-

enabled device.

E053: Use Smart Grid Technology to Save Energy

177) Basim Jamil (Unaffiliated) http://www.pif.org.pk

Pakistan

Innovation

Foundation

Category: Energy

Ideas Contest 2013

Pakistan needs all-around

18000MW power daily and short

by a considerable margin today.

This is important as it is terribly

hampering the actual economic

expansion of the region.

According to some estimates,

energy shortages have cost the

country up to 4% of GDP over the

past few years. There is a need for

an overhaul of the entire energy

infrastructure of the country.

Th

e P

rob

lem The Solution

I propose setting up a disaster incident

response centre. All local institutions who

have been trained in disaster response

shall be linked with this centre and shall

become disaster response units once a

disaster strikes. This will enable

communities to respond before rather than

after a disaster has hit and create

coordination.

E054: Disaster Incident Response Centre

168) Abdullah Khurram -- Disaster Research Institute (Preston U.) – http://www.pif.org.pk

Pakistan

Innovation

Foundation

Category: ICT4D

Ideas Contest 2013

Recent years have demonstrated

that Pakistan is prone to natural

disasters. Experiences and studies

have shown that if the people are

prepared and aware of the

disasters then there is minimum

loss of life and property no matter

how big is the scale of the

disaster. When people are

prepared and aware then the

disaster doesn't remains a

disaster, it becomes a

manageable emergency.

Th

e P

rob

lem The Solution

I propose developing a prosthetic hand

controlled by an Electromyograph. The

signal from the EMG sensor will be applied

to the electronic circuit where a motor

control circuitry will be used to control

different movements of the hand. Thus, by

decoding the muscle movements, our

prosthetic hand would mimic the

movements of the natural hand by a great

extent.

E055: Relatively inexpensive Prosthetic Arm

242) Aqsa Shehzadi Akbar -- NUST Islamabad – http://www.pif.org.pk

Pakistan

Innovation

Foundation

Category: ICT4D

Ideas Contest 2013

In recent years, a large number of

people have undergone

amputations because of the rise

of terrorism. Amputees become

handicapped and not only suffer

from physical and pyschological

trauma but also lose their

livelihoods. Prosthetic arms that

provide a fair degree of

functionality and very expensive

and unaffordable.

The 55 Semi Finalists of Pakistan Innovation Foundation's Ideas Contest 2013

Technology

Transcript of The 55 Semi Finalists of Pakistan Innovation Foundation's Ideas Contest 2013