Massachusetts Institute of Technology says people on the list are inspiring and creative who illustrate the most important emerging technologies of the moment.
In the annual global list of 35 Innovators Under 35 of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Technology Review, 4 young Indians earned their place in it. The institute says the individuals on the list are "inspiring and creative people" who "also illustrate the most important emerging technologies of the moment." Given below is a profile of these innovators who have worked to better many lives:
- Rahul Panicker The 34-year old engineer based in Bengaluru, studied at the Stanford University and returned to India to work on a technology solution that helps reduce infant mortality rate. He created an incubator which can keep babies warm for up to 6 hours without electricity and costs only 1% of the traditional solutions.
- Aaswath Raman He is a research associate at Stanford who used a nanoscale manufacturing technique to create a disc mirror that gets colder under direct sunlight and stays around 5 degrees Celsius cooler than surrounding air. The phenomenon of objects cooling down by radiating heat, which is observed as dew drops formed on blades of grass at night, has been followed by this cooling material.
- Rohan Paul The 30-year-old post doctoral fellow at IIT-Delhi has created a Rs 3,250 obstacle-detection system for the visually challenged called SmartCane. The idea to create this device struck him when he visited the National Association for the Blind while studying at IIT and heard how the students there frequently hurt themselves by walking into open windows, trees and parked vehicles.
- Saurabh Srivastava A research engineer with Xerox India in Bengaluru, he has been creating gesture-based technology that makes it easier for people with limited literacy to use online services. The 30-year-old Srivastava, in a recent project in Assam, set up a system that allowed pregnant women to discuss medical problems through a web interface that referred them to free tests and services. The display included animated women health aides to guide the patients.
Panicker launched ‘Embrace’ in 2009, to mass-produce his prototype which can be run on hot water and costs 99% less than average warmer. His innovative incubator has helped about 2,00,000 babies in 15 countries.
This nanoscale manufacturing method makes his mirror a lot more effective and is able to stay cool even during full daylight. Currently Raman, is working on integrating the material into air-conditioning infrastructure has a working prototype on the roof of Stanford's Packard Electrical Engineering Building. If his prototype works, the money spent on running the air-conditioner will lessen to a large extent.
He created a foldable can that can detect obstacles. The device first tested in 2012 which reported that 95% fewer collisions. Since then, the ‘SmartCane’ has been used by 10,000 people. "It is a 'people's product'—a humble tribute to the Mahatma, who inspired innovators to harness science and technology for the masses," Paul told MIT technology review.
Source-Medindia