India-based inventors in race to win global innovation contest
Bengaluru: Seven India-based inventors are among the finalists who will vie for $500,000 in prize money and in-kind support in a global competition of hardware-led social innovation.
The finalists of the 2018 American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Innovation Showcase (ISHOW) will present their design prototypes in Bengaluru on April 5, ASME said in a statement.
The finalists built innovative design prototypes for diabetes, foetal monitoring, the visually impaired, oral cancer and irrigation, among others.
"They are the first regional finalists selected from over 150 entries worldwide," the statement added.
Among the finalists is Vinayak Nandalike from Bengaluru who invented "Sparsh", a multi-parameter, portable, hand-held medical device that helps clinicians screen diabetic patients for symptoms of peripheral neuropathy.
Tarun Bothra of Ahmedabad who developed Saathi, a biodegradable sanitary pad made from banana fiber, one of the most absorbent and abundant natural fibers in India, is also among the finalists.
Also in the list is Balaji Teegala of Hyderabad who developed a foetal monitoring technology that makes it possible to record, collect and share foetal data with clinicians for timely interventions in remote locations.
The winners selected in Bengaluru and two other ISHOW events in Nairobi (May 10) and Washington (June 21) will share $500,000 in seed grants, technical assistance, design and engineering reviews and access to ISHOW's partnership network, it added.
"ASME originally created ISHOW after our research showed an urgent need to support hardware innovators seeking to enter global markets and make a societal impact," said Charla K. Wise, President of ASME.
"We believe this year's entries all have the potential to address some of the most vexing issues faced by humankind," Wise said.
ASME said it received more than 150 submissions vying for the $500,000 in cash and in-kind prizes that the organisation has offered to help bring socially innovative hardware-led solutions to market.
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TN youth from UAE has tested negative for Mpox: Health Minister Subramanian
Chennai, Nov 2: A 27-year-old native of Thiruvarur district, who had arrived from Sharjah, has tested negative for monkey pox, Health Minister Ma Subramanian said here on Saturday.
Test results from both the King Institute of Preventive Medicine and Research here and the Pune-based National Institute of Virology have show negative for Mpox virus, the minister said.
Subramanian had earlier in the day told reporters that result was awaited for the sample that had been dispatched to the NIV while test result from King Institute ruled out monkey pox.
On October 31, upon his arrival at Tiruchirappalli airport from the UAE, during screening, the young man displayed fever symptoms and small skin lesions. Hence, he was taken to a government hospital.
Subramanian said the returnee had been frightened and hence left for his hometown of Valangaiman in Thiruvarur district. "This treatment is for his good and in order to prevent the spread of infection," the minister said.
Hence, he was brought back to the hospital by the authorities with police help and he has been receiving good treatment at the state-run facility. Further, Subramanian said that the test result from the government-run King Institute indicated Chickenpox and marked negative for presence of Mpox.
Screening at airports for passengers arriving from foreign countries is going on continuously in the state and international airports have dedicated isolated rooms.
Special wards are ready in government medical college hospitals, including those in Chennai and Tiruchirappalli, to provide treatment for Mpox, in case anyone tests positive for the infection, the minister added.
