Narayana Rao Sripada, Manmohan Jain and Venkat Yechuri
Innovation: Swaasa - an artificial intelligence platform that can be used for the screening and diagnosis of respiratory diseases.
Swaasa is engineered to make accurate assessments of lung health using cough sounds. Driven by AI and Machine Learning, Swaasa uses Audiometric Analysis to decode the information extracted from cough sounds and other vital information to provide insights into the wellbeing of the lungs. Healthcare practitioners can use it to make an informed diagnosis of lung health and suggest a course of action. It can identify underlying respiratory lung conditions by analyzing a 10 second (solicited) cough sound recording.
Prof. Sai Siva Gorthi, Arun Balasubramanian, Rajesh Srinivasan, and Yatish Prasad Dasari
Innovation: SickleCert – a cost-effective and accurate point-of-care test for sickle-cell anemia that can also be used in prognosis and treatment setup.
Sickle-Cell Anemia is the most common severe monogenic disorder in the world (20 million cases in India), making access to affordable diagnostic tests crucial. Current screening tests are not specific and can take up to 5-7 days. SickleCert is a cost effective and highly accurate quantitative test for sickle cell anemia, which can also be used in prognosis and treatment setup.
John Joy and Sanjay K Pillai
Innovation: Portia - a self-contained portable oxygen generator providing continuous, uninterrupted supply of medical-grade oxygen.
In India, the only source of emergency oxygen is found in an ambulance. With 35,000 ambulances for a 140-crore population, ambulance penetration and response time is slow in urban areas and very poor in rural, semi-rural, semi-urban areas. Portia is a battery-operated portable oxygen generator providing a continuous, uninterrupted supply of medical grade oxygen on demand during pre-hospital and/or pre-ambulatory medical emergencies and without any reliance on electricity, batteries, or a skilled healthcare resource.
Mayur U Shetty
Innovation: Emvólio - a portable, battery-powered refrigeration device for last-mile transport of vaccines.
All vaccines used in human medicine, including both freeze-dried and liquid forms, must be stored in the dark between 35°F (2°C) and 45°F (8°C), and exposure to temperatures outside the recommended range can lead to reduced protection against infectious diseases. Emvólio, is a portable refrigeration device that will strictly maintain any preset temperature for over 12 hours for last-mile transport of vaccines even in extreme temperature and humid conditions. It’s 2 litre capacity enables it to carry 30-50 vials, which is a standard requirement for a day-long immunization campaign.
Sivakumar Modha
Innovation: Modha Pedal Operating Machine – a machine that aims to eradicate chronic knee pain and lower back pain issues faced by women handloom weavers.
Handloom weavers (72% of who are women) across the country have to lift about 20-45 kgs, 5000-8000 times a day with both legs to operate the loom, resulting in severe knee and lower back pain. Over time, the pain caused by weaving on the loom becomes unbearably severe, causing weavers to retire early. A motor is attached to the loom, which diverts the weight to be lifted, to the motor fitted to the machine. It requires close to zero maintenance.
