Innovative ventures from young scientist

Shahadat’s security device.Photo: Ridwan A. Kabir

Bangladesh harvests quite a number of endeavoring minds that are continuously designing new innovations in the IT fields and thus contributing in establishing prospective productions in the local IT markets.

Shahadat Angur has always been curious. While studying in high school, his remarkable prying nature on electronics led him make academic analysis on several everyday circuitry. He thus started his prospective ventures on building a range of them. Studying in grade nine, his first design was a security system that claimed the first prize in the district of Sherpur. Later he was recognised with a national award, which was an encouraging pat on his back.

In practice, Shahadat is quite a technician. In his own laboratory in Sherpur he fixes broken electronic equipment, which has lent a hand in taking his practical knowledge on electronics a step above. The money that he has earned from this source has later been used for his scientific experiments and also to set up the current fully loaded laboratory in the capital of Dhaka.

"I have also sold a few of my designs to some local entrepreneurs in exchange for a fair sum," said Shahadat. These funds have contributed towards establishing the tech-lab in Dhaka. A private twenty-five-station laboratory with full access to assorted amounts of basic electronic elements (e.g. resistors, capacitors, voltage sources, transformers and more) is quite a venture in today's time for the country. Remarkably, he also offers training to a unit of twenty-four young men, who also nourish dreams likewise. Instead of charging any tuition fees, he actually offers them board and lodging and hopes of establishing an electronic industry.

Shahadat Angur claims to have personally designed innovative circuits on different everyday aspects of life. His innovative designs include rechargeable television sets, electric shock controllers, different security devices, electronic equipment safety circuits, remote-controlled door and window shutters and many more. The most recent from his tech-lab in Dhaka is a security device that alerts one on the mobile if a circuit at some restricted location is set off by any unwanted interruption.

This product uses infrared radiation for short ranges and laser radiation for long ranges. Shahadat asserts usage of this device in private locations (e.g. houses, banks, shopping malls, storage locations, and private vehicles).

"The laser device will have a maximum range of 5,000 kilometres, thus opening a totally new angle of border security at national levels," added Shahadat. He also spoke of how he plans to add a closed-circuit camera with this system, which will detect any motion in a range and thus activate capturing the photograph of the intruder.

In experimental stages are several ingenious products like step-up voltage controllers where Shahadat does not make use of any transformers thus setting an example for the endeavoring engineering industry of Bangladesh.

"This device will cost me about Tk 15, and a sale for Tk 30 will allow me to take the production to the next level," said Shahadat enthusiastically.

Various private and national organisations have awarded Shahadat Angur nine awards in recognition of his design-crafts from 1991 to 2002.

At present he focuses on creating a production team and marketing his available designs on a major scale, but with a financial backlash his attempts will be limited and often suppressed.

Shahadat dreams high to make Bangladesh a well established ground for IT production and innovation. "I hope to attain financial help from the different private and government sectors to make my dreams come true," said Shahadat Angur finally, reflecting on ways to make his circuitry available to the general public.