Gujarat mechanic designs 'AC sofa' with help from NID alumnus

Ahmedabad: A repairman from Gujarat has successfully designed ‘an AC sofa’ which can be used even at outdoor events and consumes less electricity than the tower air-conditioners. [caption id=“attachment_2369442” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. Flickr CC[/caption] Gandhinagar resident Dashrath Patel, who repairs ACs, came up with the idea some years ago. He was helped by the National Institute of Design in developing the product. “I first thought of installing air-conditioner in a sofa in 2008 and started working on it. But the first sofa I made weighed around 175 kg, which was way too heavy,” Patel told PTI. “Then I heard of ‘Design Clinic Scheme’ of MSME ministry and I approached them. They provided me a designer who modified the design and changed the material, reducing the weight to 35 kgs,” Patel said. The design clinic scheme of the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises is being run in collaboration with NID since 2010, said Kumarpal Parmar, Project Executive at the institute. It was Ankit Vyas, an NID alumnus, who helped Patel make his innovation lighter and affordable. Patel said he will launch the sofa in the market with a price tag of Rs 1-1.25 lakh. PTI