A 15-year-old boy Akash Manoj built a device to detect silent heart attacks. This device can help save many lives in the near future.
Heart attacks can be detected by symptoms of breathlessness and pain in the chest region, however, silent heart attacks do not show any of the above-mentioned symptoms, but just show signs of normal flu and uneasiness. Thus, people often get mistaken that they are not bound to be attacked by it.
It was only when Akash’s grandfather became a victim of a silent heart attack that he began working to build a device for such people. He shared what had actually happened to his grandfather: “He was a diabetic patient and has high blood pressure, but healthy otherwise. He had a silent heart attack, collapsed and died.”
Akash has always been interested in medical literature. When he was just 13 years old, he had been going to the library at the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru. As medical journals are quite expensive, going to libraries was preferable for him. “I was always interested in medical science and I like reading the journals. Cardiology is my favorite,” said Akash.
About the device and its working principle:
Akash built the device using non-invasive techniques. This device should be placed around the wrist or back of the ear. This technique analyses the presence of a protein, FABP3, in the blood, without puncturing the skin. FABP3 has a negative charge and by nature, it attracts positive charge towards it. Akash used this technique on his device. UV light is passed through the skin and a particular sensor detects the presence of the protein present. This is sent as signals alarming the person about the attack.
He was chosen for the President’s Innovation Scholar’s In-Residence Programme at Rashtrapathi Bhavan. He already filed for his patent rights and he wants the Indian government to use the project but not the private organizations.
Akash’s goal is to pursue cardiology and study at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi in the future. This medical device will be launching probably in 2018 at an affordable cost of Rs. 900.
At a very young age, Akash inspired millions of youth in our Country who are curious to succeed in their lives.
Article Source: Startup Stories