Assamese innovator Uddhab Bharali is finally reaping the fruits of his hard work. A simple tool to take out seeds from the pomegranate has fetched the 45-year-old an award from the US-based Nasa Tech Briefs magazine. Bharali was one of 12,080 contestants from around the world vying for a spot in the ‘Top Ten Most Popular Entries — Invention’ category in the magazine, which is co-published by Nasa and has a circulation of 190,000. “My entry came second with 995 votes behind Colorado-based Daryl Oster for his evacuated tube transport technology,” he said.

Bharali’s machine, which is already sold in the US, separates the outer cover and thin inner membrane of a pomegranate without damaging the seeds. “America had been struggling with this concept for over 30 years. I am glad to have succeeded in achieving this feat,” Bharali had told a website before winning the award.

His reward involves an all-expenses-paid trip to New York, where he will receive the honour in November.