- Winners-Solution involved the use of Virtual Doctor and an intelligent AFB test with a possibility to keep track of defaulters after integration with the new UID System
- Runners up -- proposed solutions in containing infant mortality rate in rural India with the help of LEDs and other low cost raw materials
Bangalore, December 10, 2010: The third edition of 'GE Edison Challenge' held at the John F Welch Technology Centre (GE JFWTC) in Bangalore, GE's largest multi disciplinary research centre (outside the US), saw Team Deja-BHU from IT BHU emerge as winners and were awarded the grand prize of Rs. 5 lakhs. The winning team's entry was lauded by a panel of judges comprising Dr. A.S. Rao, Director, Center for Innovation Incubation and Entrepreneurship, IIM, Ahmedabad, Dr. Uday Patil, Consultant Radiologist, Manipal Hospital, Bangalore, Dr. Mano Manoharan, General Manager, GE Global Research, India and Mr. Karan Verma, Manager, Maternal & Infant Care, GE Healthcare, India.
As a part of the Challenge, students were required to study Community Healthcare Centres in Villages with population of 500 people or more and understand their challenges.
Commenting on the occasion Mr. Mano Manoharan, General Manager, GE Global Research said; "The 2010 edition of the 'GE Edison Challenge' is special as it encouraged students to come up with solutions for some of the toughest problems that India is facing today in the field of rural healthcare. I was personally touched by the passion of the participants and their understanding of the ground realities shown by their visits to rural clinics. I was also impressed with the balance of innovative ideas and practicality demonstrated by both the winning team and the runners' up.
The winning team's project was based on a solution for early detection of Tuberculosis that involved the use of an Intelligent AFB Test and Virtual Doctor. The innovation of the idea was amplified by the fact that the automated database compilation was UID compatible. The uniqueness of the project is that it can be applied to any village and not just the one that they studied.
Runners up -- Team IWANJAU from Sri Jayachamrajendra College of Engineering, Mysore and New Age Innovators from IIT Kharagpur received a cash award of Rs. 1 lakh each for their proposed solutions in containing infant mortality rate in rural India.
"This year's GE Edison Challenge dealt with 3 healthcare issues prevalent in India -- Early cardiovascular disease detection, Infant mortality and Tubercular Diagnosis. I was impressed to see that the ideas the students had to offer were very innovative, cost effective and more importantly solutions that could reach remote underdeveloped areas of the country." added Munesh Makhija, CTO, GE Healthcare, India.
Last year's Edison Challenge saw students from reputed engineering institutions pulling their thoughts together to offer solutions in the field of renewable and sustainable energy.
70 teams from some of India's leading technical schools registered to showcase their solutions at the Edison Challenge 2010.The 10 finalists included 5 teams from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, 1 from the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai, 1 from Sri Jayachamarajendra College of Engineering, Mysore and 2 from Sastra University, Thanjavur.
The evaluation was on the basis of innovation and novelty, feasibility and potential impact of idea, customer value / commercialization and quality of compilation. Their presentation abilities were also tested to see if they could deliver their message clearly, bring clarity of data and solutions presented and showcase creativity and imagination in the tools used for presentation.
About the 'GE Edison Challenge'
It is a unique science and engineering competition that challenges the imagination and technical expertise of tomorrow's inventors. GE launched this national contest back in 2008 with the aim of finding the best scientific and engineering talent. The 'GE Edison Challenge' epitomizes imaginative thinking, technical innovation, engineering, cutting-edge industrial design and in-depth business knowledge. The competition provides an opportunity for the best and brightest students of India's finest technical institutions to provide solutions to some of the country's most pressing issues.
This year, the program challenged students to provide innovative solutions in the area of rural healthcare. The task given to the participants was to choose a rural community with about five hundred to one thousand houses near their home or college, and understand the challenges faced by Community Healthcare Centres in these villages when it comes to infant care solutions and early detection and diagnosis of Tubercolosis and Cardiovascular diseases. They were then required to propose a novel technology/methodology or even innovate on an existing technology to create a solution that is sustainable, cost-effective and affordable, thus improving the quality of healthcare imparted in these clinics.
About The GE John F. Welch Technology Center
The GE John F. Welch Technology Centre (GE JFWTC), Bangalore is General Electric's (GE) first and largest integrated multidisciplinary Research and Development Center outside the US. Close to 4000 scientists, researchers and engineers work on GE's on global technology and engineering programs that is shaping the future of almost all GE businesses including energy, aviation, transportation, consumer and industrial and Healthcare and help create game-changing technologies and innovations to ensure GE's growth and leadership.
About GE
GE (NYSE: GE) is a diversified infrastructure, finance and media company taking on the world's toughest challenges. From aircraft engines and power generation to financial services, medical imaging, and television programming, GE operates in more than 100 countries and employs about 300,000 people worldwide. For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.ge.com.
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