Wild animals are a great asset to any country. They play a great role in enhancing the natural beauty and elevating its place in the world, drawing tourists and international fame.
Elephants hold a special place in Sri Lanka’s culture and has a prominent place among the rich biodiversity of endemic wild animals in Sri Lanka. Since ancient times elephants and the people of our country have peacefully coexisted. Most of you know that beautifully decorated elephants perform noble tasks like parade the Sacred Tooth Relic of Gauthama Buddha during the Esala Maha Perehara.
But today, Sri Lanka’s elephants are facing a lot of problems due to various reasons. Do you know that elephants get knock down by trains often, especially when they walk at night? This not only results in the death of the poor elephant but can seriously cause harm to people and the trains.
I’m pretty sure you all can remember several such tragic accidents that happened in the past. Today, on Amazing Kids, we introduce you to a young inventor who invented a valuable device that will greatly help save the lives of elephants and people.
Meet S.H. Tumira Rantharu Dewmith Ranathunga, who studies in grade 10 at Dudley Senanayake Central College in Tholangamuwa. He lives in Nelundeniya, Kegalle with
Tumira with Railway Department officials
his father, S.H. Dhanushka Piyushan Ranathunga, his mother K. Maheshika Priyadarshani Senarathna and his elder sister S.H. Yesmi Ranya Senadi Ranathunga.
Since his childhood, Tumira has been involved in various new inventions and his parents have always supported him in his projects seeing how talented their young son is. Among his many inventions is a device created to drive away monkeys that damage crops, smart sunglasses and a smart cane helpful for blind people.
Tumira’s latest invention, the elephant warning system has made this young inventor quite the star. He has been featured in many media channels where he spoke about his design. Tumira shared with the Observer Kid’s Chronicle how he created this device.
“I have loved animals since I was very young. One incident that has been particularly moving to me in recent times is the tragic deaths of herds of elephants being knock down by trains.
I want to develop a device to protect the lives of those elephant herds so I created this device using AI (Artificial Intelligence)technology” said young Tumira. This device is installed about 2 metres away from the elephant crossing points on the railway line and its cameras will focus on the track for any sign of elephants. If there are elephants, the driver of the train scheduled to arrive will be notified of this via SMS. “This device can help prevent many elephant collisions and save the lives of elephants and people and it cost me only 10,000 rupees to make this device” said Tumira.
“I have submitted this device to the Department of Railways and I am awaiting their response. I received the support of many school friends to create this device, especially Kahagalla, Sineth, Nadun, Thisara and Lasitha.”
“I had to face various difficulties while making this device. My computer broke during the production and then I borrowed a computer from a friend to gain knowledge. If anyone is willing to support my future creations, it would be a great boost to me as a young inventor. I also know that if someone gives me modern knowledge and equipment, I will be able to create devices which are far more efficient and useful.”
Apart from inventing, Tumira’s hobbies include video editing and producing YouTube thumbnails. Also, Thumira is interested in mathematics, science, and ICT (Information and Communication Technology) subjects. He also learns about modern technology by studying online courses.
Tumira’s future plans include studying well and serving the country by inventing new products. These days, Tumira is a bit busy. That’s because he is designing a robot which will participate in a competition for schoolchildren organised by the University of Peradeniya. We at Observer Kid’s Chronicle wish Tumira every success at the competition and hope he will take the name of Mother Sri Lanka to the international level through his inventions.
