PNN
Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], February 28: Rithika S. K., has been awarded an IET India scholarship for HEKIO, a solar-powered medical kiosk designed to make basic health screenings possible in underprivileged areas. This project is aimed to solve the problem of late detection and inaccessible primary health screening, especially in crowded public spaces and semi-urban areas where people do not regularly visit hospitals for preventive check-ups.
Rithika, a third-year student at KCG College of Technology in Chennai, observed how most people seek medical help only after symptoms become serious, even for conditions that could have been detected earlier through simple screening. This gap between preventive care and actual behavior highlighted the need for an accessible, instant screening solution that people could use without appointments.
HEKIO is a user-friendly self-sustaining health care kiosk that can perform simple but critical health tests in regions without adequate medical services. The kiosk has an integrated health screen that measures vital signs (i.e., pulse rate, blood pressure and body temperature) as well as EXHALORA, a breath-based examination component that helps detect early signs of chronic illnesses very quickly by checking a person's treatable conditions (asthma, anxiety and depression). The kiosk sends real-time alerts about positive tests, and all patient data is stored digitally for future reference. In addition, all health screen tests are accessible within walking distance of the kiosk, eliminating the need for the individual to travel long distances to access the service. By using renewable solar power, this solution is well-suited for rural and power-deprived areas.
Rithika says, "There are conditions such as respiratory issues, alcohol influence, metabolic imbalance, or early disease markers that can be detected through breath analysis, but currently this requires clinical visits. This is the exact reason why we need HEKIO. The kiosk provides instant, non-invasive health screening so that early warning signs are not missed. This solution was inspired by the fact that many people in rural areas delay hospital visits until their condition becomes serious. Often, diseases are detected at an advanced stage, even though they could have been treated if diagnosed earlier. Hence I felt the need to propose something that would allow the people to plan their hospital visits based on the diagnosis rather than completely ignoring it."
The scholarship awarded to Rithika was provided by IET India, an organisation whose purpose is to inspire, inform and influence the engineer and allied professions to create a better world. And this scholarship was part of IET India's ongoing efforts to support emerging engineering talent and student-led innovations addressing real-world challenges.
Rithika recently won the IET India Scholarship Award, a flagship initiative of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) -- a global professional engineering institution dedicated to inspiring, informing and influencing engineering and technology to build a better world. Now in its tenth edition and recognised as one of India's most prestigious award programmes for student engineers, the IET India Scholarship Award offers a scholarship prize of ₹10 lakh and reflects the IET's commitment in India to nurturing the next generation of engineering leaders. It recognises academic excellence and leadership potential, while celebrating student-led innovations that address pressing real-world challenges. By spotlighting impactful ideas at an early stage, the scholarship aims to accelerate solutions that can drive meaningful social and technological change.
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