Gurugram, December 23, 2023 – Witnessing an inspiring showcase of ingenuity and problem-solving acumen, Grade 10 students from Shiv Nadar School Gurugram, Faridabad, and Noida, a non-profit initiative of the Shiv Nadar Foundation in K12 education, unveiled cutting-edge technical prototypes addressing real-life challenges at Colloquium 2023. The prestigious first prize was clinched by Team Communica from Shiv Nadar School (Gurugram), led by Aaditya Seth, Samaira Taneja, Vanij Gupta, Armaan Srivatsan, and Sehraj Kapoor. Their revolutionary invention—an intelligent glove translating sign language into speech and vice versa—earned them a coveted trip to CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, renowned for the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the world’s largest particle collider.
Team BlinkTalk, another exceptional group from Shiv Nadar School (Gurugram), secured the second position. Comprising Akshayae Tehlan, Amber Punni, Ayan Sachdeva, and Kunshima Malhotra, the team developed an AI-enabled communication ecosystem for individuals with Aphasia.
The projects underwent a meticulous two-tier evaluation process, first by a sub-jury and then through a presentation and discussion, followed by a final assessment by an external jury. The external jury, featuring luminaries such as Mr. Samik Roy, Executive Director (Corporate, Medium, Small Biz) at Microsoft India; Mr. Lokvir Kapoor, Executive Chairman & Co-Founder of Pine Labs; and Mr. Gaurav Mehta, Chief Marketing Officer at Noise, scrutinized the viability, aesthetic appeal, and effectiveness of each project.
Colonel (Retd.) Gopal Karunakaran, CEO of Shiv Nadar School, emphasized, “Colloquium serves as a dynamic platform for students to identify and address real-world challenges over six months. It’s a engaged approach to learning and problem-solving, enabling students to apply their learnings from the Technology Curriculum in a real-world context. The experiential learning approach encourages learners to reflect on their hands-on experiences and develop the ability to come up with viable projects and implement them in a real-world setting.”
Dr. Shashi Banerjee, Director of Education at Shiv Nadar School, highlighted, “Colloquium embodies our commitment to inspiring joy for learning, fostering creativity, and a sense of purpose. It exposes students to Design Thinking, empowering them to tackle complex issues with empathy. Our students innovate by applying advanced technical concepts to address real-world challenges while keeping the human element at its core. From a groundbreaking sign language translator to an AI chatbot for mental health, our students consistently showcase how to unlock new opportunities for meaningful contributions to society.”
Special Mentioned Innovations:
- Limbsure: A cost-effective neural prosthetic arm for enhanced independence and mobility.
- Aéras: A comfortable, effective, and durable Bi-PAP mask for Sleep Apnea Patients.
- AgroVenture: An IoT device empowering farmers with real-time soil analysis for enhanced crop decisions.
- Replastify: Upcycling PET bottles to 3D-printing filaments for personalized products.
- LimbTech: An affordable AI-powered transtibial prosthetic solution for individuals with paraplegia.
