(March 7, 2022) When Hyderabad boy 15-year-old Hemesh Chadalavada saw how disoriented his Alzheimer-suffering grandmother was, he felt helpless. The young innovator worked on a Stem-based app and wearable device that would not only monitor her movements, but also give families a respite from the endless worry.
I truly admire Hemesh Chadalavada’s sensitivity. Seeing his grandmother suffer from Alzheimer’s, he decided to work on a 'Smart Wristband’ that would help monitor aspects that relate to this disease. Congratulations on being conferred the Rashtriya Bal Puraskar 2021! pic.twitter.com/ddBK5l6k8y
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 25, 2021
The young innovator received the Pradhan Mantri Rastriya Bal Shakti Puraskar 2021 for his unique invention. His device, Alpha Monitor, signals caregivers and family members when a patient wanders off, and also sends vital stats, thus helping in the care of such patients.
How concern led to innovation
“Alzheimer’s is similar to forgetfulness; it destroys memories and other brain functions. My grandmother is one amongst many suffering from the disease. A study reveals that every 30 seconds, one individual in the world develops symptoms of Alzheimer’s. This is a huge problem that I wanted to solve,” says the young innovator in a conversation with Global Indian.
Since aged six, Hemesh was captivated with the internet, “I remember watching many YouTube videos about arts and crafts. I used to put my learned skills into practice often. Soon, I started working on basic electronic projects like building electronic cars, fans, etc. By the time I was in my fifth grade, I learned coding and progressed onto more useful projects,” the young innovator explains.
Hemesh Chadalavada
His visits to his grandmother in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh opened his eyes to her struggles. “I realised that one of the biggest problems with my grandmother was that she used to wander off early morning or late at night, and the family and caregivers were left worried. We were fortunate that she didn’t get lost,” says the young innovator, who was intrigued enough to reach out to the Alzheimer’s and Related Disorders Society of India. There, he came across a family that had been in search of a loved one, an Alzheimer’s patient, for the past 20 years. “It was sad, they had given up hope. I thought why not develop something that would impact people around me like my grandmother,” says the Hyderabad-based Stem aspirant. He then went on to create a device that gave doctors, caregivers and family real-time information on their loved ones.
Thinking differently
Alpha Monitor’s first prototype was a wrist band that detected a patient’s movements – whether asleep, standing or walking. “I spent the 2019 summer on building a prototype to test out the concept. It is different from other products in the market. Other devices have not integrated a sensor called a gyroscope which I have,” smiles the young innovator.
Hemesh with Governor of Telangana, Tamilisai Soundrarajan
“Existing devices are similar to a GPS tracker around the neck that patients can easily remove, and are prone to breakage. Some devices like doormats detect if a patient steps on it but are chunky, and can be bypassed. My innovation is based on an algorithm gyroscope model that reflects even if a person rolls on the bed, or places his hands on the floor. It alerts when the patient gets up, and starts wandering through a phone call, unlike just a phone alert, that other products offer,” adds the Jubilee Hills Public School student.
A health monitor too
As his grandmother required regular checkups, which were tough due to her uncontrolled movements, Hemesh’s remote healthcare system bridged a huge gap. Data related to her pulse, heartbeat etc could be sent to a doctor at intervals. “I developed an android app that the doctor could download which connected to the gyroscope device via bluetooth,” smiles the young innovator.
Hemesh Chadalavada
Initially, the device was a wristband. Experts at ARDSI suggested a coin-sized reduction and customisation so it could be used as a wrist or leg band, or pinned on. They loved his useful tech-based solution.
Recognitions and inspirations
The young innovator won at Ideate for India – out of 1,33,000 students, he was among 50 chosen. Recipient of the Macmillan Budding Scientist Award, the Bal Shakti Puraskar was most precious, “I am honoured to receive the award. It is special because it is a recognition from the government of India, which motivates me to do impactful work.”
Hemesh with Former Minister of Electronics and Information Technology, Ravi Shankar Prasad
Hemesh’s parents Kishore and Sandhya have been hugely encouraging. “They have been supportive throughout, even when I was working on my little arts and crafts projects in class 1,” he smiles. The Telangana State Innovation Cell serves as his role model, inspiring him to innovate. Hemesh is working on a startup – CreatoWise.com, a hub for YouTubers following in the footsteps of his BBA brother and homemaker mother who run a channel ‘Simplify Your Home with Sandhya’ with over 5 lakh subscribers.
Hemesh with his family
Internet, coding, and math are his passions. “Internet is a huge knowledge bank. People should not just be passive users but apply the knowledge. If one watches coding videos, they can be applied to gain knowledge in developing new projects. My favorite subject – math requires one to apply fundamentals. Since, I am not a fan of memorising, coding and building projects fit perfectly,” says Hemesh, who sees himself as an entrepreneur empowering the world with powerful innovations in the years to come.
