Making machines: Teenage prodigy displays knack for mechanics

Tucked away in a remote village, 17-year-old Javed Iqbal harbours great ambitions.

SHANGLA:

Like many prodigies who have redefined the way people look at machines and the power of physics, 17-year-old Javed Iqbal does not care much for elaborate theories. Rather, he has constructed scaled models of various machines from rudimentary components he has found while rummaging through garbage and scrap.

Tucked away in the remote Borshat village of Koz Kana in Shangla district – far removed from modern technology – Iqbal is obsessed with becoming a mechanical engineer. He has constructed functioning models of excavators, helicopters and a micro hydel power (MHP) station. His most recent creation, a fully operational excavator, drew a large number of villagers who came to admire the ingenious model.

The idea came to his mind when he saw excavating machines brought to his area to restore network lines swept away by the 2010 floods.

“I was attracted by the function of a strange machine called the excavator. It worked as a human arm does. I started making a model and succeeded after a few days,” the teenager told The Express Tribune.

Iqbal’s excavator relies on a rudimentary hydraulic system put together using discarded syringes. “I thought a lot about how to make the model functional and then came up with the idea to equip it with small pipes and syringes. I collected the materials from a garbage dump and fixed a pair of syringes for every function. In every pair, one syringe is filled with water so that when its plunger is pushed, the transfer of fluid to its counterpart sets the particular component in motion.”

Iqbal’s other creation has the potential for a major breakthrough in the provision of electricity to his impoverished district. He has made a model of a power generation plant run by water – a resource abundant in Shangla.

“My small micro hydel power station can generate enough power to light an energy saver and several LEDs,” claimed Iqbal. With no electricity from the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) in most areas, locals from various villages have set up similar plants to tend to their needs.

About his next venture, Iqbal says he plans to a make a fully functional model of a helicopter. “My ongoing project is to make a helicopter, work on which has started and will soon be completed.”

One of Iqbal’s teachers, Mohammad Zada, said he has a sharp mind, but takes more interest in practical work than theories. He added Iqbal used to repair household appliances for people in the neighbourhood.

However, Iqbal knows he will not be able to go very far without formal education and acknowledges the need to hone his skills in an academic environment. “We have no college or skill developing centres here as it is a backward area. I appeal to the government to get me admitted in a good engineering college so I can develop my skills and serve my country.”

Behruddin, an MHP expert, also praised Iqbal’s skills of making machines. “He has made his small power plant in a very skilful way, replicating water-mill technology which can even generate electricity. His use of hydraulics in the excavator is a landmark for a young boy of his age,” he said, adding such genius students should be encouraged by the government.

However, Iqbal’s talent is not completely unnoticed. He has received various awards and compliments at school and by villagers.

“Many people come to our village to see Iqbal’s machines. They get amused and give him prizes,” said a local about the attention he is drawing. The villager added people often call him a ‘genius’ and say Iqbal can build a model of anything he comes across.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 5^th, 2013.