Sohum made in India low-cost hearing screening device for newborns launched

Sohum, made in India low-cost hearing screening device for newborns launched

SOHUM, an indigenously developed newborn hearing screening device has been launched by the Union Ministry of Science and Technology.

SOHUM, an indigenously developed newborn hearing screening device has been launched by the Union Ministry of Science and Technology. The aim is to make this battery-operated non-invasive device available across India to cater to nearly 26 million babies that are born every year in India.

Early screening will help minimising or reversing the damage that is caused by hearing loss

This innovative medical device has been developed by the School of International Biodesign (SIB) start-up Sohum Innovation Labs India Pvt Ltd under the Department of Biotechnology (DTB).

More about SOHUM:

·       Sohum is a low-cost portable device which uses brain-stem auditory evoked response, a best screening choice recommended by the American Association of Pediatrics and National Health Services of UK

·       It measures auditory brain waves via three electrodes placed on the baby's head

·       When stimulated, electrodes detect electrical responses generated by the brain's auditory system. If there is no response, it indicates child cannot hear

·       Once it is detected at quite an early age, measures can be taken to prevent other problems such as impaired communication skills and even possible mental illness

·       It is battery operated device and is non-invasive, it doesn't require babies to be sedated, which is risky, testing in process at present

·       It has in-built algorithm that filters out ambient noise from the test signal. This is important because health clinics can be crowded and noisy

What is School of International Biodesign?

SIB is a flagship Program of the DBT aimed to develop innovative and affordable medical devices as per India's unmet clinical needs and to train the next generation of medical technology innovators in India. It is implemented jointly at All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and IIT Delhi in collaboration with International partners.

Biotech Consortium India Limited manages techno-legal activities of the Program, which serves as a valuable contribution to the Make in India campaign by the Government. 

Source:

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/education/story/sohum-made-in-india-hearing-screening-device/1/1005911.html

Line inspector creates electrical map of his town

Custom app helps linemen speedily find and repair faults in Khammam

Kilaru Nageswara Rao is a line inspector with the Northern Power Distribution Company of Telangana. He has spent 20 years inspecting electricity lines, and knows the job, literally, from the ground up to the top of the 25- to 35-foot poles on which electricity wires rest.

 

A few years ago, Mr. Rao devised a low-cost tool — footwear in a metal frame that holds onto the poles — to help line men climb them easily and safely.

From hardware, he has now put his creativity to work using digital tools. He recently developed a prototype of mobile app he calls Google Electrical Map.

Khammam has 10 electricity sub-stations, 29 feeders, 1150 Distribution Transformers, and 10,000 electricity poles; using Google’s map-making tool, Mr. Rao plotted and colour-code them all.

Kilaru Nageswara Rao climbs an electricity pole using an improvised device.


Prevents accidents

The app allows field staff to swiftly locate faults and reach them quickly, so that the town’s 55,000 consumers don’t suffer long when things go wrong.

The app has many uses, he says; for instance, assessing loads, minimising power interruption and line losses, and preventing accidents during breakdown services. He plans to upgrade the app to help field staff in other areas harness its benefits too.

In March, Mr. Rao and his app basked in the limelight at the Rural Innovators and Startup Conclave in Hyderabad in March this year, and then at the Innovation Festival 2017 in Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh.

“I have experienced myself the challenges of climbing tall electricity polls, working on them close to the electricity lines and locating the faulty lines in the vast power distribution network,” he says.

“This has prompted me to find tangible solutions to the recurring challenges.”

Source:
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-andhrapradesh/line-inspector-creates-electrical-map-of-his-town/article19206986.ece