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SHUATS students’ automatic vehicle washing system bags patent
The invention, named ‘An On-Board Vehicle Washing System,’ has undergone extensive scientific evaluation and has now been granted a patent (patent number 496147) by the patent office of the government of India.
A group of final-year BTech Mechanical Engineering students at Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences (SHUATS) has developed an impressive on-board automatic vehicle washing system, which is efficient, cost-effective and time-saving, said the university officials.
The invention, named ‘An On-Board Vehicle Washing System,’ has undergone extensive scientific evaluation and has now been granted a patent (patent number 496147) by the patent office of the government of India. The directorate of innovation, projects and consultancy at SHUATS facilitated the necessary procedures for obtaining the patent.
The young inventors, including Zuhaib Ahmad, Satyam Sharma, Mohd Nashad Jilani, and Prateek Dwivedi from the department of mechanical engineering at Vaugh Institute of Agricultural Engineering and Technology (VIAET) of SHUATS, undertook this project as part of their final-year BTech project work under the guidance of their supervisor and assistant professor in the department, professor Sanjog J.
“The on-board vehicle washing system is designed to spray a fluid over the vehicle’s surface and wash its exterior surface. It is intended to facilitate washing the vehicle’s exterior surface without requiring additional manpower and is easy to use,” said Sanjog.
Furthermore, since the washing system is integrated into the vehicle itself, there is no need to drive the vehicle to a washing station, thus saving valuable time, he added.
The team utilised CATIA (Computer-Aided Three-dimensional Interactive Application), a multi-platform software suite for computer-aided design (CAD), computer-aided manufacturing (CAM), computer-aided engineering (CAE), 3D modeling, and product lifecycle management (PLM). It took them almost a year to design, develop, and perfect the functionality of their invention, which, for an average-sized car, would cost approximately ₹70,000.
Team member Zuhaib Ahmad shared that several issues with existing vehicle washing systems, such as high costs, significant manpower requirements, time-consuming processes, and the need for setting up automatic vehicle washing systems requiring investment in land and expensive equipment, are expected to be addressed with the help of the on-board vehicle washing system.
