Oppo establishes Atal Tinkering Lab

New Delhi OPPO India on Wednesday announced the establishment of an Atal Tinkering Lab (ATL) in Kerala in collaboration with NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) as Knowledge Partners.

This programme motivates students to explore, experiment, and undertake projects involving DIY kits in robotics, electronics, and rapid prototyping, the company said.

The lab at St Paul’s CEHSS in Kuriachira, Thrissur, was inaugurated by Rajeev Chandrashekar, Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and Electronics and IT.

The primary objective of this initiative is to create an empowered future-ready workforce and nurture entrepreneurship and technological skills among the youth.

Till 2022, 10,000 ATLs were established across 35 states and UTs in India via government grants. This collaboration marks the establishment of the first-ever Atal Tinkering Lab, based on the PPP (public-private Partnership) model, said OPPO India.

“The establishment of the first PPP Atal Tinkering Lab in collaboration with OPPO India is a significant milestone in India's school innovation journey. Through this new modality of partner-established ATLs, we hope to democratise tinkering and make it available to many more students across the country,” said Dr Chintan Vaishnav, MD, Atal Innovation Mission.

The ATL has been set up to empower school children in classes 6th to 12th to develop innovative solutions. The students can harness cutting-edge technology tools such as 3D printing, the Internet of Things (IoT), robotics, miniaturised electronics, space technology, drone technology, and technology-inspired textiles.

“OPPO India is committed to social upliftment by investing in youth and providing holistic learning opportunities. We are delighted to inaugurate our first-ever Atal Tinkering Lab to offer a modern learning ecosystem to nurture future innovators and entrepreneurs,” said Vivek Vasishtha, Vice-President, Public Affairs, OPPO India.