Jamshedpur: Did you know balloons, cardboards, straws and thermocol can be used to make a car, which can also run.

Several such innovative creations came to the fore at the two-day 16th National Creativity Olympiad, which kicked off at the Institution of Engineers in Sakchi on Saturday.

Over 150 students from 28 schools across Jharkhand, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh are taking part in Olympiad.

On Day One, around 40 students from Classes IX to XII designed cars using various items given to them by the organisers like thermocol, adhesive, cardboard, balloons, straw, pins, rubber bands, jumbo clips, wires and cutter.

"We utilised various concepts of science to design a moving car. We attached balloons to the vehicle such that when we released the air from the balloon, the car starts moving forward. To control the car speed, we also attached straws to the balloon," said Rajnish Roshan, a Class X student of Yogoda Satsanga Vidyalaya, Jagannathpur.

Students of DAV Public School, Hehal, also won praises for making a tiny marble ball run down a slope at a particular speed.

"We had to develop a ramp or an inclined plane is such a way such that the marble fall can slide down the slope at a definite speed. It was tough but we succeeded in the end," said Kumar Utkarsh, a Class XI student of DAV Public School, Hehal.

Schoolchildren from city schools will take part in the Olympiad on Saturday, when they have to design scientific models based on the theme Use of sustainable low cost technology and Internet of things (IoT) for modern farming techniques.

"Even though this year we witnessed lesser number of participants as compared to last few years, students have worked hard to design wonderful models using basic concepts of science," said Prabal Patra, organising secretary of the Olympiad.