Jui Keskar: Bringing relief to Parkinson’s patients with a wearable device that tracks tremors
Written by: Charu Thakur
(August 12, 2022) India is home to 0.58 million persons living with Parkinson’s disease, and Pune-based inventor Jui Keskar’s abode was no different. Having seen her uncle battle the illness for the past nine years with incessant rounds to the hospitals, she was keen to help him. But how was the question that kept gnawing at her? However, the lockdown in 2020 turned out to be a blessing in disguise for the teenager as it gave her the time to dive into research and find a potential solution to helping her uncle. While scrolling through heaps of data on the internet, the innovator realised that the medication depended on the tremor history, and there was no device to measure them.
That was a turning point for this Global Indian as she decided to develop a wearable device to measure tremors and analyse data to chalk out a customised medication for the treatment.
“The disease causes involuntary tremors, and my 42-year-old uncle could not control them. I’ve seen him in this state for almost nine years. I observed that doctors administered or prescribed medication based on the frequency of the occurrence of these tremors, but there was no device to measure them,” the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar 2022 recipient told Better India.
Jui Keskar
After months of hard work, the innovator nailed the solution in JTremor-3D, a wearable device that enables the tracking of tremors every 1/10th of a second in a person’s body, and stores the data in a Cloud database, which is then sent to the doctor after the information is processed. Embedded with sensors and accelerometers and gyro meters, this device helps in producing the data that can help determine the course of action for a patient.
Brainstorming for the possible solution, she found her inspiration in a quote she read a while ago – ‘One cannot control what one cannot measure’. It stayed with her for a while and helped her realise that the only way to control the tremors would be to measure them.
But to reach a plausible solution, she had to go through permutation and combination. “Research showed that such devices already exist, but they’re bulky and limited to only clinical trials and research purposes. There were no wearable devices that were of everyday use or that could allow doctors to prescribe medication according to the needs of the patients,” she added. This led her to work on JTremor3D – which was initially designed as a small box that needed to be strapped to the body. However, a few prototypes later she zeroed in on a hand glove, which is priced at ₹9000.
The innovation won her many accolades including Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Ignited mind Children Creativity and Innovation Award 2020, Grand Award at IRIS National Fair 2021, and Science Seed award at ISEF from Society of Science, USA 2021. However, the more was published about her innovation, the more she realised the huge information gap exists among patients and families in towns and villages in India. That’s when she started Why Beat-The-Tremor Foundation with the aim “to bridge this gap with the mission to support the patients of Parkinson’s Disease in India, virtually for now,” reads the website.” There is a need to capture and curate relevant information (suitable diet, exercises, treatment options) and make it available to the patients and their family members in the language of their choice,” adds the innovator.
Having already filed for the patent, she intends to make it available in the market as soon as possible. She is inspired to help patients get better treatment, and she is leaving no stone unturned to make it happen.
(August 13, 2024) It was in June this year that Sunita Williams and her co-astronaut Butch Wilmore boarded Boeing's Starliner capsule for its first crewed mission. Originally slated to spend just eight days in space, they have now been stranded for over 50 days due to technical issues. Fresh reports suggest that their rescue may be delayed, potentially leaving them in space until February 2025, causing concern about their safe return, health risks and fuelled debates on the role of humanoid robots in space exploration. Amidst these discussions, students at Purdue University have taken the initiative to form the Humanoid Robot Club, becoming the first student group to build a humanoid robot designed for space missions. "When you are in space or exploring an active volcano or conducting deep-sea research, using robotics limits the loss of life in such scenarios," says Aarav Garg, the club's president. "Our biggest motivation is the idea that if something goes wrong in space, it's a robot at risk — not a human. This significantly reduces the potential for loss of life, which is one of the reason why a robot should exist in the first place." [caption id="attachment_38800" align="aligncenter" width="811"] Humanoid Robot Club[/caption] The
The 18-year-old and his friend Riddhi Gupta founded the Humanoid Robot Club in the spring session of 2024 after watching a video of Boston Dynamics, a company that builds humanoid robots. It sparked an epiphany that despite Purdue's diverse range of student clubs, none focused on humanoid robots. "Upon research, we found that there is no student club in the entire US that delves into humanoid robots. That's when we decided to launch our own since most existing efforts focus on research, but we wanted to actually build one," Aarav tells Global Indian.
Aiming for space
Their vision is ambitious — to be the first group of students to build a walking humanoid robot for space exploration. "No one else in the world is currently doing this," Aarav emphasises. Launched in March 2024, the club has already attracted over 400 members from various majors and degrees. "Ninety percent of our members are undergraduates, mostly from mechanical and electrical engineering," Aarav explains. "More than just a club, it's like a startup where students from diverse backgrounds, united by a shared enthusiasm for innovation, collaborate on building a humanoid robot."
The teenage innovator and entrepreneur, who founded a startup called TechNuttiez while still in school, has long been passionate about coding and innovation. His move to Purdue University in the US last fall felt like a natural extension of his interest in robotics. "As a freshman, I was excited to explore new opportunities. With my background in entrepreneurship and robotics from India, I quickly secured leadership positions in two different technology clubs at Purdue within just a month of starting university. During my first semester, I got exposure on how clubs operate at Purdue, which gave me a great head start," says Aarav, who ended up starting a new club at Purdue in his second semester.
Taking the legacy forward
Launching a club that gravitated towards the field of space came naturally to Aarav and his team, given Purdue's reputation as one of the best universities in aerospace in the world. "Neil Armstrong, the first person to walk on the Moon, and Eugene Cernan, the last man to walk on the Moon, are both alumni of Purdue University. Right now, we're the leading producer of top astronauts in the US," reveals Aarav, adding, "Each month, we have the opportunity to meet an astronaut who has been to the International Space Station, so it was only fitting that we ventured into this field."
Armed with the knowledge that humanoid robots can redefine the landscape of space exploration by offering versatility and adaptability in extraterrestrial environments, Aarav was keen to build a robot with human-like capabilities that can navigate complex terrain, manipulate tools, and interact with surroundings with agility. "They can work alongside humans too."
After spending the spring and summer semesters organising and planning, the team is eager to start building the robot in the upcoming fall semester. Having raised $95,000 in sponsorship from departments at Purdue, brands like Autodesk, Altium, and Unitree Robotics, and ten official partners, the Humanoid Robotics Club is using the fund to buy equipment for their lab. They recently signed an MOU to secure a workspace on campus at the newly opened John Martinson Lab of Entertainment and Engineering. "We'll have a dedicated space to set up our equipment, including three 3D printers, and where all the members will work. It's a small lab that we are excited to build."
[caption id="attachment_38801" align="aligncenter" width="811"] Aarav Garg and Riddhi Gupta with the head of AAE at Purdue [/caption]
Securing key support
Starting a new club at Purdue meant having the right allies, and they found the best one in Professor Yan Gu, who signed up as their primary advisor. Being the professor of mechanical engineering and head of the TRACE lab, the only lab at Purdue that works with humanoid robots, made her the perfect contender for the position. "I waited outside her office for three hours just to pitch the idea," Aarav recalls. His dedication paid off when, after their meeting, she agreed to become the faculty advisor. "We had so many sleepless nights preparing our pitches," he adds. But the club members continued to reach out to the deans of other engineering departments at Purdue, and in no time, they had seven faculty advisors onboard, a rare feat for a student club which is usually run with one-two advisors. "We have a faculty advisor from every department of engineering," beams Aarav with pride.
Building the future
This month the students will return to the university from their summer break, energised to take up the mammoth task of building the humanoid robot. "We've divided the robot's various body parts into separate projects," explains Aarav. "In our first year, we'll focus on the legs, aiming to build legs that can walk by the end of the year. Next year, we'll introduce the arms project, where some team members will work on constructing the arms while others continue refining the legs. In the third year, our focus will shift to vision systems and space-related challenges like zero gravity, making the robot autonomous so it can navigate an entire room on its own. Each year, we’ll add new projects and continue fine-tuning the existing ones."
A great deal of planning went into the project, leaving little room for error. However, the biggest challenge for Aarav has been balancing his managerial responsibilities with his passion for actually building the robot. "Juggling two different roles at once can be quite overwhelming," he admits. "But with leadership appointed in key roles, I now want to focus primarily on building the robot. We'll be working on it every day, that's my agenda for the next three years," says Aarav, who is majoring in robotics at Purdue University. "This allows me to constantly learn and apply my knowledge, which is incredibly rewarding."
[caption id="attachment_38803" align="aligncenter" width="768"] Team Humanoid Robot Club working on the humanoid robot HUBO[/caption]
Future goals - Looking to revolutionise space exploration
With his startup experience back home, Aarav brought the expertise needed to lead the club. "I'm replicating the model, but on a much larger scale," he explains. The knowledge and dedication of his team have impressed the leadership at Purdue University. "They see us as students on a mission. We don’t just operate as a club; we approach it like a startup and a research lab," Aarav says.
With only three years left at Purdue, Aarav and his team are determined to build a functional humanoid robot before they graduate. "Our goal is to have a basic walking humanoid robot completed by the spring of 2027," Aarav shares, expressing his hope that the robot will one day make its way to space. "We aim to build the robot, present it to NASA or SpaceX, and ensure that strong leadership continues the project even after we graduate. We understand this isn’t just a three-year endeavour and may require several more years. But once it's ready, we believe it will revolutionise space exploration," he signs off.
(May 31, 2024) 12-year-old Dubai-based Kerala native Leena Rafeeq made headlines when she developed an AI-based app Ogler Eyescan to detect eye diseases and conditions. Interestingly, she was only 10 when she developed the app which is capable of detecting various eye conditions through a unique scanning process. "Using advanced computer vision, and machine learning algorithms, Ogler can analyse various parameters such as light and colour intensity, distance, and look-up points to locate the eyes within the frame range. It also identifies any light burst issues and if the eyes are positioned exactly inside the scanner frame," she said. [caption id="attachment_38056" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Leena Rafeeq[/caption] Using AI to create an impact A self-taught coder, the Global Indian built the app using machine learning algorithms and computer vision systems, thus leading to 70 percent accuracy in diagnosing potential eye conditions like arcus, melanoma, pterygium, and cataracts. "This app was developed natively with SwiftUI without any third-party libraries or packages, and it took me six months of research and development to bring this innovative app to life," she added. It was a year after the invention of the AI app that she submitted it to the app store. During her development journey,
rithms and computer vision systems, thus leading to 70 percent accuracy in diagnosing potential eye conditions like arcus, melanoma, pterygium, and cataracts. "This app was developed natively with SwiftUI without any third-party libraries or packages, and it took me six months of research and development to bring this innovative app to life," she added. It was a year after the invention of the AI app that she submitted it to the app store. During her development journey, Leena expanded her expertise in areas such as eye conditions, computer vision, algorithms, machine learning models, and advanced Apple iOS development features, including sensor data processing, augmented reality (AR), CreateML, and CoreML. As of now, the app exclusively operates on iPhones from the 10th model onward, running iOS 16 or higher.
How it began
Leena's interest in programming and developing websites developed at a very young age. At the age of six, she was able to create a website from scratch for her school science exhibition. "My parents, who are both coders, are the reason I started gravitating towards coding. I created my first webpage at the age of six, and soon started teaching my younger sister Hana coding and programming," she recalled.
After toying with any ideas, she finally zeroed in on developing an app that aids in diagnosing diseases for users of any age. "This introduced me to Ogler Eye Scan, a program that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to thoroughly scan your eyes and enable you to diagnose eye problems," she said. Explaining the benefits of the app, she revealed that it is capable of both - a comprehensive eye scan as well as disease detection. "The four disorders that our app can currently diagnose are melanoma, arcus, pterygium, and cataract. Additionally, it can perform a comprehensive scan that can detect all of these disorders at once. Using your GPS position, the app also lets you browse for eye hospitals in the area," Leena said. Moreover, that app can check pupil distance as well as compare previous scan results with the latest ones. She is glad that her app can help identify eye conditions at an early stage.
Expanding her horizons
The co-founder of Misrai, Leena is trying to be at the forefront of AI with her innovations. "With a passion for technology that ignited at the age of five, I've journeyed from early coding experiments to SOTA innovations in the field of Gen-AI and Pred-AI. At Misrai, I'm currently dedicated to developing a base model prototype for an intelligent, efficient, and compact AI model. This project encapsulates my vision of making AI more accessible and impactful in various industries."
However, it's the development of Ogler Eyescan that she calls her proudest achievement so far. "It's a testament to my commitment to creating tools that define how we interact with technology," says the teenager who loves reading and watching films.
[caption id="attachment_38058" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Leena Rafeeq with her sister Hana[/caption]
She is glad to have found a strong support system in her parents who are also her inspiration. "They have been encouraging throughout my journey, providing me with fresh concepts and business initiatives I might pursue."
AI is the future
As a young software developer, she believes programming and coding are the fundamental building blocks defining the future. "People will likely begin conversing with machines and progress to artificial intelligence. To live an inviting lifestyle and thrive in the upcoming years, it's crucial to know how to code and program because robots may replace many jobs."
During a vacation to Costa Rica in 2018, then ten-year-old Moitri Santra saw that the waters seemed red and brown. Although she didn't know at the time, she was looking at Red Tide, one of the many harmful algae blooms that release toxins which are fatal to fish, shellfish, marine mammals and birds which feed on the poisoned fish. Apart from this, these harmful algal blooms deplete the oxygen available in the water. Moreover, she noticed signage all over the beach, warning people not to go in the water. The Global Indian would go on to create a solution to harvest harmful algae when it is still alive and potentially turn it into biofuel. What are Harmful Algal Blooms? [caption id="attachment_37062" align="aligncenter" width="272"] Moitri Santra[/caption] When Moitri Santra got home to Florida, she began researching toxic algae, discovering that it is a rapidly growing concern. She found a seven-year study by UNESCO's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, the harmful algae event database had record 9,503 events with impacts on human society. "It contaminates marine life and sea food," said the teenager, during her presentation for the 3M Young Scientists Challenge. She went on to develop a robot, and a film gel that
O's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, the harmful algae event database had record 9,503 events with impacts on human society. "It contaminates marine life and sea food," said the teenager, during her presentation for the 3M Young Scientists Challenge. She went on to develop a robot, and a film gel that can attract algae to a substrate. Her vision is to be able to clear the oceans of Harmful Algal Blooms by collecting the algae alive and converting it to biofuel.
Harmful Algal Blooms occur naturally in waterbodies, and can also be encourage dby human activities. Phosphate and nitrate runoffs from fertilizers, as well as from sewage and leachate (liquid from solid waste), along with excessive sunshine can cause harmful algal blooms to proliferate. They also ten dto prefer warmer, still and more shallow waters. Huge amounts of money are spent to clear water bodies of these HABs, the US alone spent $1.1 billion in 2020. Also, there are products to combat these blooms, but Moitri says they just aren't up to the mark, or are pollutants in themselves.
Moitri's solution
"I created a water soluble, biodegradable and positively charged gel with a citrate ion and citric acid," Moitri explains. The chitosan and citric acid contained in the gel induces coagulation in the algae. She spent a summer vacation experimenting with gels and substrates, transforming the family dining room into her makeshift lab. "These algal blooms are everywhere but are especially prominent in Florida," she explains.
Moitri's gel is designed to be biodegradable and water soluble, reducing its environmental impact. The chitosan polymer swells and carries the citric acid in water in the gel. The gel induced coagulation in the algae, causing it to clump together, become dense and sink to the bottom. However, the process also causes them to die. However the decomposition process depletes oxygen from the water, killing off marine life all around it.
A functioning prototype
Her 3M mentor, Dr Kannan Seshadri helped her with a turnaround. Moitri Santra realised that algae can be harvested to make biofuel, which comes with environmental benefits of its own. "I experimented with gels, powders and flakes and found that dried film gel floats effectively on water, and attract algae in under a minute. However, this requires a substrate material to trap the algae. In her early version, Moitri had used a scotch brite sponge, which is a non woven material with intertwining fibres. "I experimented with around a dozen non wovens in rayon, viscose, wood pulp, PA and nylon," she explains. "I chose only the hydrophobic ones because the hydrophilic materials will soak up water and become heavy. Finally, she settled on PET non-woven material.
But after all this, how is the algae harvested? For this, she built SCARAB, an EV3 robot that can be deployed on a boat. The substrate is tied to spools and fastened under a 'guide' to hold the material in place. The material is coated with gel and when the motors are turn on, the spool spins slowly counterclockwise, ravelling and unravelling the substrate to collect algae. The material of the substrate also allows the algae to become trapped. "The algae are alive at the end of the process. I examined it under a microscope and it was clearly moving," she adds.
The 3M Challenge and Broadcom Masters
She attributes much of her success to her mentor, Dr Kannan Seshadri. "He helped me turn my simple idea into a functioning prototype," Moitri says. "I was thinking of sinking the algae and he allowed me to see that it could potentially cause more environmental harm." Moitri's next challenge is to remove the algae from the strip without damaging it, which she hopes to do with a primer. "If the right primer is used it can also increase the strip's reusability," she says. She hopes to see her innovation being deployed around the world, and the eventual use of this harvested algae in the making of biofuels.
In 2022, Moitri also placed second in the technology category at the Broadcom MASTERS, taking home a cash prize and the opportunity to attend a STEM summer camp. She decided to follow her interest in medicine and medical university at the University of Connecticut's Pre-College Summer Program for its pre-med focus. There, she spent her time attending lectures in the morning and taking practical lessons in the afternoons, exploring a different specialization everyday. "using mannequins, we did simulations of emergency situations," says Moitri, who has always been fascinated by the human body and its many complex functions.
(January 21, 2023) "Creativity is thinking up new things. Innovation is doing new things." These words of Theodore Levitt stand true for the brigade of Indian teen innovators who are helping solve the biggest issues, one problem at a time. From saving the earth to creating social impact, this new generation of precocious youth is solving the problems of today with ambitious, ground-breaking technology. Global Indian turns the spotlight on such young innovators who are breaking the glass ceiling with their innovations. Zain Samdani As a 15-year-old visiting India from Saudi Arabia, Zain Samdani had no idea that this family vacation was set to change the course of his life. A meeting with his partially paralysed distant maternal uncle left him “shocked.” In the era of technology, seeing his uncle dependent on others for every small thing was nothing short of a horror. That encounter nudged this robotics enthusiast and innovator to develop Neuro-ExoHeal, an exoskeletal hand rehabilitation device that utilises neuroplasticity and Azure technology to help patients with neurological damage recover faster at an affordable price. The innovation not only left Google CEO Sundar Pichai impressed but also made the 21-year-old win Microsoft 2022 Imagine Cup World Championship, which is
ly left Google CEO Sundar Pichai impressed but also made the 21-year-old win Microsoft 2022 Imagine Cup World Championship, which is considered as the ‘Olympics of Technology’ with more than 10,000 participants from 160 countries.
"Having been interested in robotics from a very young age, I started working with prosthetic designs in 2013. But I realised that a cosmetic prosthetic hand could cost between ₹1-₹2 lakh while a robotic prosthetic hand was available anywhere between ₹40-₹50 lakh. I knew that affordability was the key. But the meeting with my uncle only strengthened my passion to find an affordable solution," Zain told Global Indian. The earliest prototype made him one of the 16 global finalists at the Google Science Fair in 2016, and later the advanced version recreated the magic in 2019. "My uncle could feel the sensation on the very first day of using Neuro-ExoHeal. It’s something that otherwise takes weeks or months to achieve."
India is home to 0.58 million persons living with Parkinson's disease, and Pune-based inventor Jui Keskar's abode was no different. Having seen her uncle battle the illness for the past nine years with incessant rounds to the hospitals, she was keen to help him. But how? The question gnawed away at her, until the 2020 lockdown came as a blessing in disguise for the teenager, giving her the time to dive into research and find a potential solution to helping her uncle. While scrolling through heaps of data on the internet, the innovator realised that the medication depended on the tremor history, and there was no device to measure them.
That was a turning point for the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar 2022 recipient as she decided to develop a wearable device to measure tremors and analyse data to chalk out a customised medication for the treatment. After months of hard work, the innovator nailed the solution in JTremor-3D, a wearable device that enables the tracking of tremors every 1/10th of a second in a person's body, and stores the data in a Cloud database, which is then sent to the doctor after the information is processed. Embedded with sensors and accelerometers and gyro meters, this device helps in producing the data that can help determine the course of action for a patient.
A hospital visit for her project, Compassionate Clowns, changed Nikhiya Shamsher's life forever. She was just 14 when she saw a man who had had half his jaw removed due to oral cancer. Upon inquiring about him, the nurse affirmed that he was one of the few lucky ones to survive. Unable to get the ghastly image out of her head, she began researching on oral subject and found staggering statistics. Five people die every hour because of oral cancer, and India itself accounts for almost one-third of the cases in the world. It's the late diagnosis that accounts for high mortality rate.
[caption id="attachment_20379" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Nikhiya Shamsher receives Diana Award for Prince Williams and Prince Charles[/caption]
Perturbed by the condition of the patients, she found her eureka moment in QuitPuff - a diagnostic device that could help early risk detection of oral pre-cancer and cancer. Explaining the process of its functioning, the innovator told Forbes India, "It is a simple principle, it detects a biomarker present in the saliva, and changes colour. The more the biomarker, the darker the colour will be, which means the higher the risk of developing oral cancer." The device contains QuitPuff reagent which changes colour after an individual spits in it and heats it for 15 minutes. One can compare the colour to the colour chart to understand the risk stage. Priced at ₹38, QuitPuff has already been tested on more than 500 patients.
He was 12 when the infamous Nirbhaya rape case shook the nation in 2012. People took to the streets asking for justice, and his mom was one among them. Curious about the protests and confused about the word ‘rape’, Siddharth Mandala joined his mom for one of the protests. After surfing the net, he understood the gravity of the issue and decided to do everything in his capacity to prevent sexual assault. This awareness led to the birth of Electroshoe, a small badge that can be clipped onto any footwear, or worn as a ring or pendant and can be easily activated during any threatening situation by pressing. “It pulls out two sharp pointers, mimicking the mechanism of a stun gun and pierces through clothing, and even skin to electrocute the attacker,” explains Siddharth. He took two years to build a working prototype and another three years to create a market-friendly product by interviewing over 500 women across India and California.
The 21-year-old reveals Electroshoe activates an alarm sound to alert nearby police stations and sends location to family members. “It can even sense angst in a conversation, and can raise alarm,” the entrepreneur told Global Indian. With a built-in solar plate, it recharges itself when exposed to sunlight. “The idea was that it should be something that women can carry with them easily all the time."
"We have every reason to be angry. But I have no time for anger. I want to act. I am not just a girl from India. I am a girl from Earth and I am proud to be so.” These words of the 15-year-old innovator and environmentalist Vinisha Umashankar received a thunderous standing ovation at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow in 2021. The teen from Tamil Nadu, who was the only school student to earn a spot among the finalists for The Earthshot Prize 2021, was invited by Prince William, The Duke of Cambridge, to speak at the World Leaders’ Summit at the COP26 in November 2021.
[caption id="attachment_17446" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Vinisha Umashankar with her solar-powered ironing cart.[/caption]
At 12, the teen innovator started the idea of inventing a solar-powered ironing cart while accompanying her mother to deliver ironing clothes. Seeing six ironing vendors in her neighbourhood, she realised how charcoal burning is a threat to the environment. She found her eureka in solar power which effectively substitutes charcoal. The innovation won her the Children's Climate Prize in 2020 helped her get a slot as a finalist at The Earthshot Prize in the Clean Our Air category in 2021. “I was happy that environmental innovations like a solar ironing cart got due recognition. It can play a crucial role in reducing environmental damage and climate change. I hope my innovation motivates students to innovate on products that could help protect the environment for future generations. I am happy that the solar ironing cart is my little contribution towards an ambitious goal," she told Global Indian.
(September 5, 2024) "Kalpana Chawla's story inspired many people. She came from a small town but nothing could beat her determination to dream big and achieve it. At a time when her field was largely male-dominated, she broke stereotypes to convert her dreams into a reality. Little did she know that she would inspire millions of girls like me, who were forced to back off from their dreams or not." That's how innovator and technologist Arunima Sen begins her TedX Talk. The girl whose curiosity about science and technology led her to become an innovator and a designer, is now finding solutions to the world's most pressing problems. From developing a device that determines micronutrient levels in the human body using hair strands to building a prototype of an energy-efficient solar hybrid bus to a green building, the 23-year-old is keen to find answers. The STEM enthusiast, who aspires to work towards achieving the United Nations Sustainable Goals, was named a 2020 Global Teen Leader of the We Are Family Foundation and is one of The Mars Generation’s 24 under 24 Innovators in STEAM and Space. An innate love for science Growing up in Bengaluru, Sen was always surrounded by
c="https://stage.globalindian.com/youth//wp-content/uploads/2022/10/arunima1.jpg" alt="Arunima Sen | Global Indian" width="613" height="633" />
An innate love for science
Growing up in Bengaluru, Sen was always surrounded by discussions on varied scientific research projects, thanks to her parents, who worked at the Indian Space Research Organisation. The environment helped ignite a scientific temper and fanned her curiosity. This early interest in science found her gravitating toward global problems, for which she decided to find solutions using STEM. As she tended to her autistic brother's special needs, she would often ponder over the various problems that humans face, and try to look for solutions. For this, she would spend hours reading on the internet about scientific advancements. As she did her research, she found that technology is at the root of everything, and when combined with engineering, it can positively impact society. "As youngsters, we are the future of this country and the world. We need to come up with solutions," she told a daily.
Solving global problems
As early as Class 10, she was selected for The Junior Academy conducted by The New York Academy of Sciences - a program meant for teenagers interested in science and finding solutions to different problems. Her first project was measuring the micronutrients in a person's body, for developing countries like South Africa, India, and South-East Asia, providing data on health problems is essential. Sen, who believes that micronutrients play an important role in health, worked on a prototype called Arduino Pro Mini that gives an exact measure of micronutrients in the body. "We wanted to make this method non-invasive, so what we do is collect strands of hair and dip them in a particular chemical solution. Once the solution absorbs the nutrients from the hair, it is analysed via spectrophotometry. To put it in layman's terms, we measure the wavelength that the nutrients emit using spectrophotometry. By observing these wavelengths, we get to know if there is a deficiency of micro-nutrients or not," she told edexlive.
[caption id="attachment_23347" align="aligncenter" width="422"] Arunima Sen with PM Narendra Modi while receiving Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar[/caption]
The Global Indian collaborated with like-minded students from Poland, Finland, and the USA to develop a cost-effective device. "It is small and has a spectral response range of 320-1000 mm, a range that works for all micronutrients that our project is working with. It is designed to be used either via Bluetooth with a compatible phone or a tablet or with an integrated touchscreen display to allow use in the most varied conditions,” Arunima said in an interview. Her research will help patients in India on a micro level.
Creating impact
Apart from it, she also worked on Homestead Greens - the high-rise buildings that can save energy and lower the emission of carbon - with students from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Norway, and Romania. While living in a locality that had frequent power cuts, she realised it wasn't a green building and produced a lot of carbon dioxide, thus adding to global warming. That's when she decided to work on a prototype of a building that was energy efficient as well as helped with harvesting rainwater - a design meant for commercial and non-commercial purposes. "One part of the building wall is covered with solar panels that help in trapping a lot of natural energy. We also have automatic lights that turn off or become dim when you leave the room. The building will also have a trellis of vines and climbers that run down the building. These plants will be watered by the rainwater harvesting system. This helps us save over a thousand litres of water," she added.
The recipient of Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar, who is pursuing her bachelor's in Computer Science and Physics from Ashoka University, is also a Yale Young Global Scholar of Yale University and a member of the Junior academy of the New York Academy of Sciences.
Even during the pandemic, she didn't put brakes on her work. During an interaction with the press, Arunima said, "I am currently being mentored by professionals from Sidewalk Labs — an urban innovation company working to make cities more sustainable and affordable for all. Since the pandemic had brought many discussions and assignments to a halt, my friend and I are working to resume it soon."
Arunima's journey is a powerful demonstration of the impact that determination, curiosity, and the relentless pursuit of knowledge can have. Despite the challenges she faced, she has consistently pushed the boundaries of what is possible, using her passion for science and technology to address some of the world's most pressing issues. Her work is not just about innovation; it is about making a tangible difference in the lives of people and the environment. She is a true changemaker, proving that age is no barrier to making a global impact.
Aarav Garg and Riddhi Gupta with the head of AAE at Purdue [/caption]
Team Humanoid Robot Club working on the humanoid robot HUBO[/caption]
Leena Rafeeq with her sister Hana[/caption]
Zain Samdani[/caption]
Nikhiya Shamsher receives Diana Award for Prince Williams and Prince Charles[/caption]
Siddharth Mandala[/caption]
Vinisha Umashankar with her solar-powered ironing cart.[/caption]
Arunima Sen with PM Narendra Modi while receiving Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar[/caption]
that’s sooo good