3M India and CII’s Young Innovators Challenge Award 2016 has provided a peek into the promising research efforts in the area of medical devices and healthcare technology platforms from participants across the country.
The winners in the technical category represented by Ganesh Bhere of Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai along with Ashwini Gaikwad of S.S Jondhale College of Engineering, Dombivali and Ashwin Pawade of IIT, Bombay developed the ‘Microbutor’, an electricity free, handy and low cost equipment which can be easily used to detect microbial contamination of water.
The runner up under the technical category was for Samay-Sancharak, a Braille enabled wearable wrist watch and cell-phone for blind people. The device was developed by Rohit Bharatkumar Singh of Thakur Institute of Management Studies & Research along with Hitarth Narsi Patel of K.J. Somaiya College of Engineering & Tanmay Vinay Shinde of Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). The innovation displayed the integration of mobile phones with wearable watch design that can act as an interface for the blind to manage their calls and texts effectively.
In the non-technical category, ‘Saans: A neonatal breathing support device’ developed by the Bengaluru-based Ceo Labs was the winner. The team members were Nitesh Kumar Jangir, Nachiket Deval and M Basava Kumar.
The runner up under non technical category was Abhiruchi Probiotics for a novel probiotic formulation for better management of cholesterol levels and faster management than statins. The team members were Hrishikesh Mungi and Digeshwar Rane.
In the Social Category, the winner was ‘Saathi’, the first fully biodegradable and ecofriendly sanitary pads made from waste banana tree fiber for women across India. ‘
“Innovation has three key components: invention, value and profit, which makes it a sustainable innovation. This was a brilliant journey for us as we saw uniqueness of ideas come our way from across the country. We are playing a key role in creating an environment for innovation with recognition. The winners represent a fantastic spirit of innovation in India,” stated Debarati Sen, managing director, 3M India.
The challenge was held as a run up to the 12th India Innovation Summit 2016 which was held in Bengaluru in July end. Over 300 applications were submitted by innovators. The 17 most powerful ideas were shortlisted and screened by a team of R&D scientists and business managers at 3M India, before the final 6 were selected by a panel of external judges.