Telangana Assistive Technology Exhibition Showcases Innovations That Are Transforming Accessible Technology

Hyderabad : Telangana State Innovation Cell (TSIC Foundation) in collaboration with the Department of Welfare & Senior Citizens, Department of Women & Child Development DCW, and Sri Vishnu Educational Society organised the 3rd edition of Telangana Assistive Technology Exhibition on 3rd December at T-Hub Hyderabad, commemorating the International Day for Persons with Disability. The exhibition was graced by the Shri. Jayesh Ranjan, IAS, Principal Secretary to ITE&C,  Shri. Vasudeva Reddy, Chairman of TS-TVCC, Smt. B. Shailaja, Commissioner and Director of the Department for the Welfare of Disability & Senior Citizens, and Brigadier Ganesham, President of Palle Srujana.

Jayesh Ranjan, IAS, Principal Secretary to ITE&C, Government of Telangana, said “We in Telangana believe that an accessible future requires innovation to happen in everyday lives. TSIC’s Assistive Technology Exhibition continues its legacy by organizing the 3rd edition with an aim to maintain & enhance the functional capacities of People with Disabilities (PWDs). An observation has been made that such exhibitions not only promote innovations for better living standards but also have the potential to pave the way for long-term employment opportunities for the PWDs.”

The aim of the exhibition is to scout, showcase and recognise assistive and constructive solutions for the injured, elderly, children with special needs and people with disabilities (PWDs). The 3rd edition of the exhibition had exposed 39 innovations devised by startups, innovators, National Institutes, and students from BVRIT Hyderabad that were devised to solve the problems being faced by Children with Special Needs (CWSN), elderly, injured and PWDs.
The exhibition also saw the launch of a product for PWDs devised by a Hyderabad-based startup Kaiteki Innovations Private Limited. The product is aimed at improving and assisting people with special needs with their restroom experience.

Winners:

The Best Start-up award was acquired by  Grassroot Innovator from Palle Srujana, Hyderabad for their idea Modha Pedal Operating Machine for Handlooms which can permanently remove the problem of knee and back pain caused by working on handlooms.

The Best Innovation award was given to Startoon Labs Private Limited ,a 5 year old Medtech startup for their  flagship product - Pheezee, that has the capability to monitor and track the recovery of patients undergoing physiotherapy post orthopaedic and neurological disorders. The Best Student Innovation was awarded to Smart Bandage for their idea to improve wound care and quick heal of wounds. 

Dr. Shanta Thoutam, Chief Innovation Officer of TSIC expressed ”Assistive Technology Exhibition is our efforts towards building an sector-specific ecosystem for nurturing Telangana's inclusive innovation practices. We are spearheading impactful programs in innovation in inclusive education with an intention to bring together not just innovators, government, and enablers but also academia, NGOs, and national institutions for promoting health and well-being of people in PWDs. Our aim is to facilitate research, scientific, professional, and innovation activities that act as a feedback mechanism for innovators to better the solutions.”

The exhibition is an annual activity by TSIC with consistent efforts since 2020 towards building a robust Assistive Technology ecosystem in the State of Telangana. The efforts are a culmination of various stakeholders from Academia, Government, Startups, and Non-profit organisations. While the exhibition is aimed at bridging the gap between innovation ecosystem and industries  & government to procure potential solutions, it is also intended to create awareness among the citizens on the various kinds of innovations differed by organisations studies, individual’s experience and various disabilities existing in the sector. 

Smt. B. Shailaja ,Commissioner and Director of Department for the Welfare of Disability & Senior Citizens, said “It is very impressive to see that the number of stalls kept increasing every year since 2019 for the Telangana Assistive Technology Exhibition. The Dept. for Disability Welfare will always help the innovators to get their solutions deployed for the beneficiaries of Telangana.”

Shri. Vasudeva Reddy, Chairman of TS-TVCC, said, “With changing dynamics in the world, we need innovations to enhance the lives of PWDs, for which I appreciate TSIC for having brought such novel solutions to the limelight. TS-TVCC will act as the bridge between innovators and end beneficiaries going forward.”

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