Maker of the Month — Sept’ 25: Nihal M // Turning Everyday Problems into Possibilities

Some people discover that joy in building late in life. For Nihal, it started even before he knew what “engineering” meant

Nihal is now is a BTech student at College of Engineering, Munnar. But Nihal’s story is less about grades or classes and more about turning his curiosity into creation. From hacking toy cars to building IoT systems that solve real world problems, his drive has been clear from the start: enjoy the process of building and solve some problems while you’re at it

Building Before knowing what Building Meant

“I’ve just always liked building and making things work”

Nihal’s journey starts in the sixth grade, at a time when most kids were just playing with toy cars. His curiosity led him to opening his toys, wiring motors, and figuring out how to control them remotely. By eighth, he was learning his way through circuits and transistors through YouTube and this led to his first real project, a smart streetlight that only turned on when vehicles passed by. It was powered by an LDR sensor and when he presented it at his school, his teachers were stunned and amazed. That project ignited the maker in him.

It wasn’t long before Nihal was diving into arduinos and robotics. His first attempt at a cleaning bot failed completely because he’d followed multiple tutorials that didn’t quite fit together. But in true maker fashion, instead of quitting, he joined a lego robotics competition and won first place.

But Nihal’s story is not complete without his constant tinkering partner — his cousin Ashiq.

Together, the two have been building, brainstorming, soldering, failing, and fixing late into the night side by side for years. Their shared childhood curiosity became their own rhythm of experimenting, where every new idea sparked another.

Failure as a Teacher

When COVID hit, Nihal had one thing every maker dreams of — time. No exams, no schedules, no responsibilities. Just him, his cousin Ashiq, and of course their components.

They built, failed and built again. The cleaning bot that failed before? They tried building it again and failed (again). Then came the smaller wins. The idea of an automated sanitizer dispenser was born. Their system ensured that sanitizer would only be dispensed if you had washed your hands for a certain time limit.

His builder journey skyrocketed from there. Ashiq and Nihal then built a remote controlled IoT bot that could be operated anywhere with internet. Their idea solved one of their own issues — a mask reminder system that buzzed your phone if you forgot to wear your mask.

That project was special to the both of them. It combined both Ashiq’s idea to build a smart shield with a temperature sensor and Nihal’s mask detection system. This project got them into recognition and hence a lot of appreciation.

Finding Space to Build

One memorable moment that really shifted things for Nihal was when he presented his smart mask at a competition. He didn’t win, but he met someone that changed his path. The winner of the competition. He told Nihal about a school that actively supported student builders.

At this new school, the principal noticed Nihal’s drive and did something extraordinary. He gave Nihal and his cousin full access to an electronics lab. When they asked for a 3d printer, it was delivered within 2 months. He even told the students to list all the components they needed. All these tools, mentorship, and support meant that the duo built anything and everything they wanted to.

At one point, the school presented 22 projects at an exhibition and won an award for the same. In many ways, that one lab became their first real makerspace, their very own TinkerSpace before they even knew what it meant.

Solving Problems that Matter

When Nihal reached Munnar for college, his maker mindset followed him. With his shift to a new place, new problems took space in his mind. Munnar’s cold weather bought with it the need for water heaters. Everyone in his hostel used these heaters, but no one remembered to turn them off. Electricity wastage was a real issue.

So, Nihal built a smart heater cut-off system. Through a simple web app, students could set a timer for the heater. The system automatically turned it off when unused and reset the timer when water flow was detected. His solution wasn’t flashy, but it worked, and so, people noticed.

When his solution was showcased at Ente Keralam in Idukki, visitors from other hostels approached him and asked if they could place orders for the same. Nihal’s curiosity and problem solving mindset had developed a project that was practical, replicable, and genuinely useful.

Always Building → Always Learning

Since then, Nihal’s tinkering has only increased leading him to build much more — a macropad for productivity, a “chaya maker” from recycled scraps that could make tea and even stir it, a “kozhi koodu” automation system that automatically opens and closes a chicken coop door while counting the chicks, and even a smart cart that helps people with health issues choose the right food items while shopping.

Throughout it all, Nihal’s motto remains the same: “What’s a problem I can fix while having fun and learning along the way?”

Maker by Heart

Ask Nihal why he builds and you’ll see a smile that says it all.

“It’s just fun to me. I enjoy building things more than studying about them. I like doing it with someone, not alone. If something fails, I see that as a challenge. That’s what keeps me going.”

At TinkerHub, Nihal says he has found his set of likeminded people. These are people who see learning as an adventure, not a checklist. He was also awarded a scholarship as a winner at Useless Projects 2.0

Ultimately for Nihal, making isn’t about hardware or sensors. While he’s definitely more inclined towards hardware and components, it’s about curiosity, persistence and joy. The kind of dopamine you get when something you’ve been tinkering with for weeks finally works.

And when it does, there’s an another idea waiting for him at the horizon.

Check out this podcast to find out more about Nihal and his journey — *Watch here*