Delhi NCR– The KIET Group of Institutions recently concluded its Medical Devices Hackathon, MEDHA 2024, fostering collaboration and innovation in healthcare technology. The two-day event, held on September 23-24, 2024, at the BETIC – KIET campus in Delhi-NCR Ghaziabad, brought together aspiring engineers, medical professionals, and industry experts to tackle pressing challenges in the medical device field. Nearly 150 participants collectively from 12 institutions, including KIET Group of Institutions, DIT University Dehradun, MIET, Meerut, Amity Institute of Pharmacy, Noida, ITS Muradnagar among various others participated in the hackathon.

MEDHA 2024 provided participants with a unique platform to gain hands-on experience in medical device innovation while working alongside peers and mentors from diverse backgrounds. The hackathon’s structure encouraged interdisciplinary teamwork, creative problem-solving, and rapid prototyping to address real-world clinical problems. Participants had the opportunity to form collaborative teams, gaining first-hand experience in medical device innovation. They were mentored by medical experts and engineering professionals throughout the event, providing invaluable guidance and industry insights. The hackathon culminated in team presentations to a distinguished jury panel, where participants pitched their innovative solutions.

Winners bagged the prizes under four categories, viz. Best Commercial Project (awarded to problem statements ‘Smart Wearable devices for anxiety detection during dental procedures’ and ‘Device to prevent bed sores in patients with prolonged bed stays’), Best Design (awarded to problem statements ‘Non-medicinal approach to reduce high-grade fever in infections’ and ‘Real-time sleep apnea monitoring with feedback to interrupt episodes’), Best Innovation (awarded to problem statement ‘Portable physiotherapy device to prevent caregiver back pain during sessions’) and Best Prototype (awarded to problem statements ‘Solution to protect respiratory tract from bacterial and viral infections’, ‘Portable solar-powered device for sterilizing medical equipment’, and ‘Compact, low-cost imaging devices for real time diagnostics in remote areas’). They were given the opportunity to participate in IIT Bombay Medical Device Hackathon (MEDHA 2024) Stage 2.

Dr. Preeti Bajaj, Director General of KIET Group of Institutions, commented on the event’s success: “MEDHA 2024 exemplifies our commitment to fostering innovation at the intersection of engineering and healthcare. The creativity and dedication displayed by our participants have been truly inspiring, and we’re excited to see how these ideas will shape the future of medical technology.”

The Chief Guest for the Valedictory ceremony, Dr. Rakesh Gupta, Director, GIMS, Greater Noida expressed his thoughts on the event by saying, “MEDHA has helped us achieve more than what we could individually. It has given us the opportunity to form interdisciplinary teams who work together to find solutions of real problems related to medical field. The government is giving all the resources and all of us should contribute towards the vision of Viksit Bharat.” He further encouraged the students to follow a proactive approach by visiting hospitals, conversating with patients and doctor to analyze the real problems on ground and devise relevant solutions for the prevention of diseases at an early stage.

Shri Sarish Agarwal Ji (Chairman KIET), Shri Atul Garg Ji (Member of Parliament and Vice Chairman, KIET), Shri Sunil P Gupta Ji (General Secretary KIET), along with the Chief Guest felicitated the winners. During his address, Shri Atul Garg Ji highlighted the importance of medical innovation in the tech-driven society today. He also motivated all the participants to keep following their passion and contribute to the society as much as they can.

Towards the end, Dr. Saurav Kumar, General Manager, TBI-KIET thanked all the dignitaries, chief guest, deans, and the talented participants to be a part of MEDHA 2024. He congratulated the organizing team along with the winners and shared, “The success of MEDHA 2024 underscores the importance of collaborative efforts in driving medical innovation. By bringing together diverse talents and perspectives, the hackathon has not only generated promising solutions but also helped cultivate the next generation of med-tech innovators.” He added a special gratitude note for appreciating the meticulous efforts of Dr. Vibhav Sachan (Dean R&D and Dean ECE), Dr. Abhinav Juneja (Dean CSIT), Dr. Neeraj Gupta (Dean EEE), Dr. Ashish Karnwal (Dean Mechanical Engineering), Dr. K Nagarajan (Principal-KIET School of Pharmacy), Mr. Sachin Rathore (Head Innovation Centre, KIET), Dr. Parvin Kaushik (Professor ECE) and the entire team of the Department of ECE for making this event a huge success.