{"id":1872,"date":"2025-01-21T07:18:21","date_gmt":"2025-01-21T07:18:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/webdesigninsg.com\/nif\/alumnus\/?p=1872"},"modified":"2025-12-10T16:26:11","modified_gmt":"2025-12-10T08:26:11","slug":"bringing-a-cool-idea-to-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/2025\/01\/21\/bringing-a-cool-idea-to-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Bringing a ‘Cool Idea’ to Life"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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It\u2019s been said that \u201cyouth is wasted on the young\u201d, but this adage is hardly true for 19-year-old Sparsh. Driven by a desire to create tangible solutions that can have a real impact on people’s lives, the Computer Engineering undergraduate at the National University of Singapore (NUS) has not wasted a single moment in his quest. \u201cI have the curiosity to create things, and seeing people using the things I\u2019ve made is what drives me,\u201d said Sparsh, who was a science student at an Indian senior high school before he pursued his studies at NUS. <\/p>

For the past four years, Sparsh, who is also the founder of deep-tech start-up Incy Tech, has been working on his Thermal Floater invention. This innovative device converts solar energy into electricity while floating on water, showcasing his dedication to creating sustainable and affordable solutions to solve environmental issues. In 2022, his efforts earned him, at age 17, the title of National Runner-Up for India at the prestigious James Dyson Award. In 2023, the project was named second place winner for Singapore at the same awards. <\/p>

Most recently, Incy Tech won the Grand Prize of the Impact Accelerator Challenge at CDE Innovation Day 2024 for the Thermal Floater project. Winning the Challenge provided opportunities for the team to connect with industry partners and use the grant money of S$100,000 to develop their prototype further. \u201cWe\u2019re currently working on improving the conversion efficiency of the thermal floater, and we hope to pilot and deploy some of the devices by the end of this year,\u201d he said. <\/p>

Meanwhile, Sparsh\u2019s hometown in Bihar, in northeastern India, faces intense heat stress and heat waves, with scorching summer temperatures. \u201cAt the informal settlements in front of my house, the temperature could soar to 50 to 60oC,\u201d shared Sparsh. These settlements \u2014 built with bamboo, tarpaulin, and recycled billboard materials \u2014 trap significant heat, making living conditions extremely challenging. His first-hand experience with these harsh conditions fuelled his determination to create innovative solutions to address this problem.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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In addition to lacking structural integrity, informal settlements can pose life-threatening conditions to their occupants by trapping heat. <\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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He decided to share the heat stress situation in his hometown with Dr Ang Yu Qian (Design & Environment \u201913, Msc \u201816), a Presidential Fellow and Assistant Professor at the NUS Department of Built Environment. The duo first met when Sparsh applied for a mechanical engineering design job posting. Although he didn\u2019t get the job, Sparsh took the opportunity to share his ideas, including his Thermal Floater project.<\/p>

Excited by what he heard, Dr Ang chose to support Sparsh in developing his own project rather than assigning him to existing work. \u201cSparsh\u2019s ideas were impressive, especially for an undergraduate. Coming from a small town and making it to an international university speaks volumes about his determination and talent,\u201d said Dr Ang. Their shared interest in addressing the extreme heat in informal settlements aligned perfectly with Dr Ang’s expertise and interest in urban environments and thermal comfort, and they began to collaborate on this latest project together. \u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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The work done by Sparsh (left) and his mentor Dr Ang Yu Qian (right) in the field of thermal insulation potentially benefits millions of people around the world who live in temporary or makeshift housing<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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PUTTING THE PLAN INTO PRACTICE<\/strong><\/p>

Sparsh and Dr Ang decided to explore using low-cost insulation materials like radiant barrier foils and Mylar emergency blankets to help keep the homes cooler and reduce heat stress. In May 2024, Sparsh went back to his hometown and coordinated with suppliers across India to purchase large quantities of the materials, a tough task for a youngster.<\/p>

He also faced other challenges. “There are a lot of cultural nuances as well, because in an experimental setting, we needed some households to have the radiant barrier foil, and some to have the Mylar blankets. Others, meanwhile, did not get anything, allowing us to compare the differences,\u201d he explained. \u201cSo, some people were very unhappy. They crowded around my father and me and started to harass us, but my father managed to convince the residents to cooperate.\u201d Sparsh and his father also had to manually install the materials on the roofs, which was laborious. Despite these challenges, they managed to install the materials in 60 homes across three settlements.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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An experiment in progress: mylar and radiant barrier foil are installed on the roofs of settlements in Bihar<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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After six months of testing, the radiant barrier foil was found to be much more effective, reducing peak temperatures inside the homes by up to 12o<\/sup>C during the hottest parts of the day. \u201cThis provided significant relief from the extreme heat the residents were facing, especially for the children who could now play more comfortably inside the homes,\u201d Sparsh recounted. \u201cThe materials also helped protect the homes from the rain, which was a major issue since many did not have proper roofs.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Radiant barrier foil was found to reduce indoor temperature in the informal settlements by as much as 12 degrees Celsius<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Mylar emergency blankets were also successful in reducing indoor temperature but were less effective than the radiant barrier foil<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Sparsh and Dr Ang are now analysing the extensive temperature data they collected (over 11 million data points) to further understand the effectiveness of the interventions. They plan to publish the results of their project in an academic journal to share their insights and help inform future efforts to improve thermal comfort in informal settlements. In addition, they are also exploring the possibility of testing out other materials to enhance thermal performance. According to Sparsh, the goal is to develop a scalable, cost-effective solution that the residents can easily adopt and potentially take with them as their temporary settlements get relocated.<\/p>

\u00a0A SPACE FOR SHAPING INNOVATORS
<\/strong><\/p>

With so much on his plate, Sparsh has struggled to balance his time between his projects and his studies. He acknowledges that “studies sometimes take a hit while working on these ideas” and that he has had to sacrifice sleep to pursue both. However, he has managed to maintain good results.<\/p>

Sparsh chose to study at NUS for its hands-on, multidisciplinary approach, which stood out from the traditional, textbook-based programmes in India. As a Computer Engineering major and student at NUS College, he has found opportunities to go beyond his field, working on projects that blend engineering with architecture, materials science, and the built environment. \u201cNUS has given me the freedom to explore and apply my skills in ways I never imagined,\u201d he shared.<\/p>

Dr Ang, a former NUS Students\u2019 Union (NUSSU) president, reflected on how far the University has come since his undergraduate days. He highlighted the evolving culture of the university, which has become increasingly supportive of diverse paths, including entrepreneurship. “The innovation-friendly environment at NUS has definitely changed and evolved, and students here are now on par with, or even surpassing, those at MIT and the University of Cambridge,” noted Dr Ang, who did his postgraduate studies at both.<\/p>

Working with Sparsh has also been a rewarding experience for Prof Ang. \u201cIt\u2019s been a joy and a great learning journey for everyone involved,\u201d he shared, emphasising the value of NUS\u2019 hands-on, mentorship-driven approach in nurturing the next generation of innovators. He believes the university is well-positioned to continue fostering future entrepreneurs by building on its resources, collaborative culture and emphasis on innovation.<\/p>

Sparsh\u2019s advice to fellow students pursuing innovative projects is to embrace challenges with adaptability and determination. \u201cYou\u2019ll face setbacks, criticism, or even a lack of support, but don\u2019t let the negativity get to you. Always believe in yourself,\u201d he shared. His journey is a testament to the power of resilience and a reminder that tackling real-world challenges often leads to the most meaningful innovations.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Photos of Sparsh and Dr Ang by Kelvin Chia. Other photos provided courtesy of Sparsh.\u00a0<\/h6>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sparsh, a Year 3 student at the College of Design and Engineering (CDE) and NUS College, is tackling extreme heat in Bihar, India, by combining urban environment expertise with affordable climate solutions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1873,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"elementor_theme","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1872","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-social-impact"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1872","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1872"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1872\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12890,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1872\/revisions\/12890"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1873"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1872"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1872"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1872"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}