These students have developed a beach-cleaning robot, a conversational AI tool and a personal cooling device. They are the winners of Samsung’s Solve for Tomorrow initiative.
An automated beach-cleaning robot called Sweep, a conversational AI tool that helps tackle stereotypes and gender bias in STEM sciences, and a lightweight cooling device to regulate body temperature during extreme weather called Kavach – these are the three creations developed by Indian students that won Samsung’s Solve for Tomorrow 2023.
Solve for Tomorrow is a youth education and innovation programme that challenges students to create solutions for social issues. The competition received over 6,500 entries from 16-22-year-olds across 500 cities, towns and villages. The participants were asked to submit their ideas around four themes – Education & Learning, Health & Wellness, Environment & Sustainability and Diversity & Inclusion.
The top 30 teams were selected and mentored by experts from Samsung, IIT Delhi and MeitY Startup Hub. They also attended an intensive bootcamp at IIT Delhi where they learned various skills such as design thinking, prototyping and pitching. The top 10 teams then presented their final prototypes and pitches to a Grand Jury in New Delhi, which comprised of Samsung’s Chief Technology Officer, the United Nations Resident Coordinator in India, and a professor from IIT Delhi.
The first team is NIT Surat, which has created Sweep, an automated beach-cleaning robot that can collect waste from the sand and water using optimum sensors. The robot can also segregate the waste into biodegradable and non-biodegradable categories and dispose of them accordingly.
The second team is Stemly, which has developed a conversational AI tool that helps women choose STEM subjects and careers. The tool uses natural language processing and AI techniques integrated with positive reinforcement to provide updates on recent advancements, offering mentorship, delivering encouraging messages, and more.
Then there’s Think team, which has built Kavach, a personal cooling device that regulates body temperature during extreme weather conditions. The device is lightweight, wearable and battery-operated. It’s positioned as a neckband and “facilitates rapid changes in body temperature” to combat heat.
The three winning teams received a total prize money of INR 1.5 crore to further improve their ideas and turn them into reality. They also received a certificate and a trophy, inspired by the spirit of innovation that the programme symbolises. All members of the top 10 teams also received a certificate from Samsung, IIT Delhi and MeitY Startup Hub. They were also given Samsung’s latest flagship Galaxy Z Flip5 smartphone and a cash prize of Rs 1,00,000.
Samsung Solve for Tomorrow 2023 is part of Samsung’s global initiative to inspire young people to use their creativity and problem-solving skills to create positive change in their communities. The programme has been running in India since 2019 and has reached over 20,000 students so far. Samsung plans to continue the programme in the coming years and support more young innovators in their journey to make a difference in the world.
Source:indianexpresscom