A 16-year-old boy from Vadodara has developed a mini-robot Meditel, that helps people to take their medicines on time. The mini-robot features an alarm system for reminders, a reusable water bottle for convenience, and a pill organiser that accommodates various medication schedules.
Nikhil Lemos’s inspiration stemmed from witnessing day-to-day struggles that his 83-year-old grandfather, Tyrone Patrick Lemos, and 72-year-old grandmother, Ivy Coutinho, were facing. While his grandfather is grappling with blood pressure issues, diabetes, and cancer, his grandmother has blood pressure and diabetes. Adhering to a strict medication regimen is paramount for their well-being, necessitating constant reminders. What began as a simple alarm system sketched in a notebook metamorphosed into Meditel, a device aimed at aiding individuals in adhering to their medication schedules.
“This was my first project built from scratch,” explains Nikhil, adding that he learned to use Arduino to control the device’s functions, refining his own coding skills in the process. The simple idea progressed into an award-winning innovation project. Last year, Meditel was declared the winner at the INSPIRE awards 2023, a national science fair organised by the govt of India’s Department of Science and Technology. He was selected as a panellist at the World Children’s Day conference in New Delhi.
Recently, he also participated in the World STEM & Robotics Olympiad (WSRO) where he secured second place in the young scientist category and won a cash prize of Rs 8,000. He will now advance to the national round where he will compete with students from across India.
Nikhil considers the UNICEF recognition as one of the 50 innovators at the National Children’s Innovation Challenge as the zenith of his success.
“I am now working on integrating algorithms to predict health data based on medication habits. I hope to use these insights to anticipate future health scenarios,” said Nikhil, who is exploring further innovations for his mini-robot, Meditel.
Beyond the mini-robot, Nikhil aspires to start a company that focuses on processing healthcare data to predict future health. “I believe this could have a profound impact on global health,” he said.
Nikhil’s innovation even captivated former football player David Beckham at the National Children’s Innovation Challenge organised in collaboration with UNICEF, where Nikhil was honoured as one of the 50 innovators nationwide. “I noticed my grandparents sometimes forgot to take their medication,” said Nikhil, a Class 11 student at Navrachana Higher Secondary School, who sought guidance from his mentor and robotics coach, Mukesh Bind.
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