Suntharalingam Piranawan is just 15, but already has multiple inventions under his belt.
A 15-year-old from Sri Lanka has spent his Covid lockdown building a solar-powered tuk-tuk. The best part is that Suntharalingam Piranawan used scraps for his homemade vehicle - and it works.
The Sri Lankan teenager has created everything from a coconut picking machine to a coconut scraper, and his latest construction is a tuk-tuk (three wheeled vehicles popular in South Asia) made entirely out of scrap metal and powered by solar. Piranawan told BBC News that putting his time and energy into building the tuk-tuk helped him relieve stress during the pandemic.
Piranawan's grandfather supported him during the eight months it took to make the 3 wheeled vehicle, buying him second-hand frames, handles, and wheels. Piranawan has already decided his next project will be even bigger, telling BBC News he's "hoping to build a solar-powered car."
He encourages others to follow his lead, recycling scraps and creatively re-using them to make something new. "It's really rewarding," Piranawan said.