The bench, selected work

Things I've designed

Zero Brush, 2025

Vajrä

ModuleFlow, 2026

Projected Reality

It fights back.

A firefighting nozzle that reduces backforce and torque on the firefighter’s hand.

Backforce and torque from a firefighting nozzle land on the firefighter’s hands for as long as the water runs.

Tried first-hand.

50+ firefighters interviewed, training at Sila Fire Training Centre, nozzles and BA set tried first-hand.

Four people in firefighting turnout gear standing in a row outdoors — 01With the fire service

A person in full firefighting turnout gear, helmet and gloves — 02Turnout gear, tried first-hand

Interview notes: BA-SET is too heavy, Restricted movement, No proper grip, Difficult in aiming — 03Interview notes

Prototype: black loop handle around a silver nozzle with white sleeve parts — 04Sleeve prototype

Prototype side view: black bent handle across a silver cylinder — 05Retrofitted onto a standard nozzle

50+firefighters interviewed

2–3people needed to hold and aim a branch pipe at full pressure

1monthwith the fire service

Borrowed from bearings and chainsaws.

Diagram of an earthquake damper bearing: lead core, elastomer rubber, reinforcing steel discs, rubber cover — Earthquake damper bearing, to the sleeve

Gloved hands on a chainsaw grip — Chainsaw grip, to the handle

Round-robin “How might we” sessions, then SCAMPER: a recoil damper after earthquake bearings, a grip after chainsaws.

One nozzle in place of two.

The short branch pipe and the gun-type nozzle, combined in one body, with a shock-absorbing sleeve and a damper spring that take up the back force and torque before they reach the firefighter’s hands.

40% less material.
Same burst rating.

A grid of lattice unit cells — Lattice unit cells, from body-centred cubic to octet truss and Kelvin, compared by FEA

JetFlow simulation of the jet and spread flows, and a compression simulation of the rubber sleeve, showed the concept is feasible.

Turn the grip 15–20° to switch between jet and spray.

A grip for left- and right-handed firefighters replaces the gun-type handle.

Less kickback for the hands that fight fire.

Parts	PU-rubber sleeve in a steel casing, damper spring, bearings, diffuser, nozzle ring
Tools	SolidWorksFusion 360KeyShot
Team	Harsh P, Rohit Shetty, Ujjwal Saraswat, Vinay Acharya
Course	DD543 Product Design Methods, IIT Guwahati
Year	2024
Method	Design Thinking Empathise Define Ideate Prototype Test

Jet

Spray

Aqua Nova

Click the nozzle

In the mockup only Aqua Nova has a model, so try the nozzle.

How it was designed

Design Thinking

Empathise
A month with Assam’s fire service: 50+ firefighters interviewed, training at Sila Fire Training Centre, nozzles and BA set tried first-hand.
Define
Back force and torque: at full pressure, holding and aiming a branch pipe takes two to three people.
Ideate
Round-robin “How might we” sessions, then SCAMPER: a recoil damper after earthquake bearings, a grip after chainsaws.
Prototype
Grip and foam form studies, a CAD model with a PU-rubber sleeve and a damper spring, then lattice sleeve studies for additive manufacturing.
Test
Flow and compression simulations, FEA of the lattice sleeve (40% less material at the same burst rating), and a sleeve prototype retrofitted onto a standard nozzle.