A university incubation program serves as a catalyst to transform a student’s creative spark into a tangible, commercially viable solution.
16 Sep 2025 | 8556 Views | By Shristi Ohri
What began as a curious student's YouTube discovery has evolved into a comprehensive car safety device that combines emergency tools with the familiar design of a dashboard bobblehead, demonstrating how university incubation programs are fostering practical innovation among students.
Shivam Agarwal, a product design student at Anant National University's ...
This is an Autocar Pro Plus article. Subscribe to continue reading.
What began as a curious student's YouTube discovery has evolved into a comprehensive car safety device that combines emergency tools with the familiar design of a dashboard bobblehead, demonstrating how university incubation programs are fostering practical innovation among students.
Shivam Agarwal, a product design student at Anant National University's School of Design, developed "Raksh" — a dashboard accessory that integrates a glass breaker, seatbelt cutter, 130-decibel siren, SOS button, and detachable magnetic backpack with flashlight and emergency lighting into a single device designed to remain visible during panic situations.
The project's origins trace back to 2019 when Agarwal, preparing for college entrance exams, discovered emergency tools like glass breakers and seatbelt cutters on YouTube. "I found them to be cool. It was new to me, because I was not aware of them. Even my parents were not aware of them," Agarwal recalled during a recent interview.
Further digging revealed an alarming gap: While such tools exist, they're typically stored in glove compartments where panicked drivers and passengers often overlook them during emergencies.
The story of Raksh also illustrates how a structured incubation program can transform student innovation into tangible outcomes. For example, after Agarwal entered Anant University, his initial bobblehead character design underwent significant refinement through the institution's design-focused curriculum and mentorship system.
Agarwal says he did not have much idea of what was lacking before he got into the university. "When I got into Anant, I got to know about the design because I joined as a product designer student," Agarwal said, describing how his second-semester prototype garnered positive feedback from faculty juries who recognized its commercial potential.
The project gained momentum through the incubation center's annual idea contest, where Agarwal secured a grant and a mentor, who provided industry insights that shaped the final product. The mentorship proved crucial in refining features and removing impractical elements.
The device addresses time-critical emergency situations where visibility and accessibility are paramount. Agarwal's research into vehicle submersion scenarios revealed that occupants have only three to four minutes to escape from a drowning car before complete submersion, making immediately visible tools essential.
"In such situations, people panic. In drowning also, it will take five to seven minutes to completely submerge the car and the person inside has three to four minutes to escape," he explained.
The product's design philosophy centers on dashboard placement to ensure tools remain visible during emergencies. The magnetic detachable backpack can be removed and attached to the car body for hands-free lighting during roadside repairs or emergency situations.
Agarwal estimates mass production costs at ₹600-700 per unit, positioning Raksh as an affordable safety accessory for all vehicle segments. The device targets a market gap where comprehensive emergency features are typically available only in high-end vehicle models.
The product has secured design registration with patent applications in progress. Rather than pursuing direct manufacturing, Agarwal is exploring partnerships with automobile dealerships to offer Raksh as an add-on accessory or through IP licensing to established automotive companies.
Cultural adaptation remains part of the strategy, with plans to customize the bobblehead design into religious figures popular on Indian dashboards. "People usually use religious things on their dashboard. We can build this into an idol of Lord Ganesha or any religious thing," Agarwal noted.
Raksh represents part of a larger shift in India's entrepreneurship landscape, according to university administrators.
Dhara Thakore, Head of the university’s Aarambh Incubation Center and assistant professor, emphasized the importance of providing a support system to innovative ideas, right from the student stage:
"We have different labs, tinkering labs or future shift labs, and a lot of support in terms of hardware, software. And apart from that, we tried to give him the understanding of how you look into finances, how to look into go-to-market."
Thakore noted a significant change from traditional patterns where students sought employment before considering entrepreneurship.
"There was a time when people were all looking at doing a job for some time and then came the switch to entrepreneurship," she observed. "Quite a few students are now opting for entrepreneurship because they are getting that kind of support from the university…There is a shift in the student mindset as well."
The Aarambh Incubation Center has supported six student entrepreneurs who successfully launched companies with market-ready products in the past year, plus eight alumni working across sectors including agritech, heat mitigation, and mobility solutions, all focused on design and sustainability principles.
The project demonstrates how university incubation programs can bridge the gap between student innovation and market viability, providing technical resources and mentorship.