The top 50 teams attended a three-day bootcamp at IIT Delhi to get expert advice, refine their ideas and develop pitching strategies
Each top 50 team member received INR 1 lakh vouchers for online courses
The Samsung jury selected the 10 ideas that will have a positive impact on society; The top 10 teams will now continue to be looked after for the next level
After intensive training sessions and pitches by the top 50 competitive teams, Samsung India today announced the top 10 teams of the inaugural edition of its national education and innovation competition, Solve for Tomorrow, which celebrates the spirit of innovation, entrepreneurship and social responsibility among all India’s Gen Z
A three-day design thinking boot camp and pitch event was hosted by FITT and Samsung at IIT’s Delhi campus. A total of 118 participants took part in the camp and presented themselves to a Samsung jury.
The Samsung jury selected the top 10 teams that had the best ideas in the areas of environmental protection, making health care more accessible to the less privileged, menstrual hygiene for rural women and stress management.
Solve for Tomorrow, a Samsung CSR initiative, invited applications from 16-22 year olds from India to apply for this innovation competition to promote a culture of innovation among youth and support ideas that make people’s lives better and communities will change. The inaugural edition received more than 18,000 registrations, a record.
The top 10 teams will now continue to hone their skills through collaboration with Samsung and its knowledge partner FITT, IIT Delhi, refine their ideas, create prototypes and compete in front of a high profile panel of judges at a grand finale in New Delhi scheduled for November present. These 10 teams will also be featured in a TV series produced by Network18 Group and airing on their national channels and OTT platform Voot through October and November.
For the top three winning teams, Samsung is offering up to INR 1 billion in total in grants to bring them one step closer to turning their ideas into their dream startups that can help address India’s major causes in agriculture, education and the environment tackle , and healthcare.
“We are very pleased to see a variety of transformational ideas from these young participants. What warms our heart more is that they come from different backgrounds and from all corners of India. With the rise of an innovation ecosystem, a silent revolution is happening in India today, and Gen Z is at the forefront. Solve for Tomorrow, our flagship CSR program, will continue to mentor and support young minds trying to transform the lives of those around them,” he said Mr. Partha Ghosh, Head, CSR, Samsung India.
“A platform like Samsung’s Solve for Tomorrow is a springboard for building a community of young innovators. The innovation ecosystem in India needs a big boost and Solve for Tomorrow is just that platform. Indian youth have the capacity and intention to enable change and we are sure that together with Samsung we will be able to drive this change for the benefit of society.” said Prof Rangan Banerjee, Director, IIT Delhi.
Here are the top 10 finalists:
Backyard Creator – Tamil Nadu identical twins – Raman R and Lakshmanan R – are developing a non-surgical adhesive hearing aid that is cheaper than traditional hearing implants and eliminates the need for risky skull surgery. The device is suitable for all age groups, has no restrictions even for children and offers speech ability after therapy.
udaan – An all-girls team – consisting of Prisha Dubey, Anupriya Nayak and Vanalika Konwar – aims to help disadvantaged women with their menstrual health. Today’s sanitary napkins are both expensive and non-biodegradable. The trio develops eco-friendly, affordable and washable sanitary napkins made from shredded sugar cane bagasse.
Alpha Monitor – Telangana’s Hemesh Chadalavada has developed a smart bracelet to monitor Alzheimer’s patients and notify their caregivers of changes in behavior. Himesh’s grandmother was also an Alzheimer’s patient. The device monitors the patient’s health parameters such as pulse and blood pressure. A nurse and doctor are automatically notified when the patient leaves the bed and wanders around.
Capable Innovation – The team of Maharashtra-based Pratik Raghuwanshi and Aryan Thosariwal has developed a smart assistive solution for deaf, dumb and blind people called Able Glasses that will help them communicate better with those around them. Using patented Bone Conduction Transducer technology, these glasses enable the deaf to hear sounds. The built-in camera sensor and speaker speak for the deaf and mute. Combined with image processing and AI and machine learning will help blind people visualize their surroundings.
Sputnik Brain – Karnataka-based Shankar Srinivasan is developing a wearable device that will help relieve stress. He produces pleasure through safe brain modulation to address the global problem of lethal stress and the unmet need for a technology free of chemicals and side effects. Its safe, wearable brain modulation device for mental health transmits waves to mood centers in the brain within the frequency, intensity, and pulse repetition period specified by the FDA.
planeteers The team of three young women – Riya P. Dey, Nikita Pathak and Akshita Gaba – from Uttar Pradesh is building an autonomous underwater vehicle called Aquarius, which is able to detect micro-nano plastics in deep sea floors and collect them in an accumulator.
CAD – Rushil Saraswat from Rajasthan is working on an affordable and portable device that can monitor a person’s EKG on the go. It updates live via a smartphone app and can even call an ambulance and some contacts if it detects the extreme condition of an abnormal heart rhythm.
Biopatch – Delhi-based Hritik Jaiswal and Animesh Kumar are developing a patch that can be worn on the shoulder or stomach to track blood sugar trends and prevent diabetic complications. Their prototype was tested by endocrinologists.
SVAR – The team of Tejas Kumar, Syed Mohd. Husain and Ujjwal Mathur from Delhi have developed a machine learning embedded mobile app that automates and personalizes speech therapy. The app, which is also available in regional languages, offers a 24/7 virtual speech therapist at an affordable price. In the app, kids who pronounce words correctly are rewarded with points, which motivates them to work hard to improve their language.
JNV Fbd Maan – The team of Ajay, Akshaya and Tarun from Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Faridabad, is developing a wheelchair that can be turned into a crutch using automation. This can be used by disabled or injured people to be self-sufficient and reduce their dependency on carers.
At the end of the boot camp, each of the top 50 team members was presented with a certificate of participation. They also received INR 1,000 worth of vouchers for online courses including design thinking, STEM, innovation and leadership.
Over the next six weeks, the top 10 finalist teams will work with mentors from Samsung and IIT Delhi to refine their ideas and build a prototype that they will present at the final pitch event. They will also visit Samsung India’s headquarters in Gurugram and its R&D centers in Bengaluru and Noida, where they will interact with young Samsung employees and researchers. You will also experience the Samsung product ecosystem at the legendary Samsung Opera House in Bengaluru.
The top 10 teams will receive Samsung gift baskets containing exciting Samsung products.
The top three winning teams will receive grants totaling INR 1 crore. In addition, the winning teams will each receive an 85-inch interactive digital Samsung flip board for their respective schools and colleges.
The scholarship will give the winners the opportunity to work with mentors from IIT Delhi for 6 months and gain access to an incubation center on the campus of IIT Delhi. During these 6 months they work on their ideas and bring them to the stage where they can seek consumer validation for their prototypes.
Samsung India announced the launch of the first edition of Solve for Tomorrow in June 2022.
For more information, log on to – www.samsung.com/in/solvefortomorrow
