The Guwahati teenager’s prototype uses a microchip instead of a hard disk

City schoolboy Afreed Islam on Monday launched his prototype of a computer system that uses a microchip instead of a hard disk and is embedded with an operative system that allows dependencies on both Windows and Linux-based software simultaneously.

A student of Little Flower School, Hatigaon, Afreed, who will be appearing for his Class X CBSE examinations beginning March 3, claimed that his invention (named Revo Book) replaced both mechanical and electronic hard disk drives with a microchip that also doubles as a storage unit and therefore does not run the risk of data loss or system crash.

He has also developed an operating system and has named it ReVo IX which he has installed on the microchip. He claimed that it features faster execution speed, an inbuilt firewall and stands as a complete independent operating system. Afreed said he has applied for a patent.

“A hard disk drive always runs the risk of data loss as it has moving parts which may crash due to shock and also when brought in a strong magnetic field. However, the microchip has no moving parts and is also not influenced by magnetic field, therefore there is little risk of data loss of the microchip-run computing system invented by Afreed,” explained Anupam Barman, Senior Systems Consultant at the Assam Electronics Development Corporation Limited, who was also present at the launch of Afreed’s invention.

“The idea to develop the system came to my mind first when I was studying in Class VII and encountered some problems while operating the computers which my parents had bought for me,” said Afreed. He said he had collaborated with a German company for manufacturing the computer system.

Siddhartha Debnath, a scientist at the Patent Information Centre of the Assam Science Technology and Environment Council (ASTEC), said that Afreed’s invention fulfilled all basic eligibility criteria for submission of a patent application.