The complaints of not getting a coconut tree climber will be a thing of the past soon. Kera Harvester, a substitute for coconut tree climbers, has entered the good books of farmers. Ashwin Anil, Evin Paul, Joseph Kanjiraparambil and Kiran Joy, who graduated in Mechanical Engineering from Christ Engineering College, Iringalakkuda, designed the machine. The idea came to them while searching for a theme for the final year project.
A basic diagram was set through card drawing. This coconut harvesting machine has two parts, one for climbing coconut trees and another for plucking coconuts. Moreover, depending on the diameter of the coconut, it is possible to compress and release the parts. A robotic arm is attached which moves up and down to cut the coconut. The device can move around the coconut trees thanks to the 360-degree rotation facility. The Kerala Harvester operates on 12 Watt electricity. When the prototype was completed, the total cost came to Rs 14,000.
Kera Harvest, which operates by plugging and automating Wi-Fi modules, can be controlled using a remote. In addition, the camera helps in viewing the top portion of the coconut. Christ College Assistant Professors T.V Sreejith and Sanal supervised the production of Kera Harvester. Students said that they have applied for a patent and plans to productize Kera Harvester. During the International Coconut Conference held at Kozhikode, team Kera Harvester won the first prize worth Rs 50,000.
