Summary
Richa Gupta and Girish Yadav received Rs 1 lakh cash prize each
IIT Delhi director V. Ramgopal Rao felicitated the two winners
Two recent graduates of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, Richa Gupta and Girish Yadav, have won the Neilom Prize for 2020-21 for contributing to the space of assistive technology to empower people with disabilities on November 22.
The award, which comes with a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh, is given every year to the best outgoing students of IIT Delhi.
The two winners were felicitated by IIT Delhi director V. Ramgopal Rao.
Richa Gupta, an assistant professor in human centred design at Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) Delhi, completed her PhD from Khosla School of Information Technology, IIT Delhi, after obtaining her BTech in Mechanical Engineering from Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design and Manufacturing (IIITDM), Jabalpur and Master of Design (MDes) from IIT Bombay. She also worked as project scientist at the Assistech Laboratory in IIT Delhi for one year, contributing to industrial design of various assistive devices in the space of accessible education and mobility.
Gupta’s doctoral research at the institute sheds light on the idea of novel design strategies that can aid the retention of tactually acquired graphical information. Her work involved extensive experiments working closely with organizations that excel in accessibility initiatives and inclusion of blind and visually impaired in India (National Association for the Blind) and the USA (Indiana School for the Blind & Visually Impaired).
Girish Yadav completed his BTech in Production and Industrial Engineering from IIT Delhi and recently completed his MDes degree from IIT Delhi. Yadav is a co-founder of Flexmo, an assistive technology product design and manufacturing company focusing on solutions for the elderly and people with locomotor disability. He was involved in successful design, development and deployment of multiple assistive technology devices, which include Flexmo Crutches, Transito Sit-Stand Device and elderly canes and walkers.
Speaking about the contribution of the awardees in assistive technology, M. Balakrishnan, founder, Assistech Laboratory, IIT Delhi, said, “Successive generation of students and research staff who have worked in this space with passion and commitment are responsible for whatever success ASSISTECH has got in the last 15 years of its existence.”
P.V.M. Rao, co-founder, Assistech Laboratory, IIT Delhi, said earlier winners of the prize have done exceedingly well and continued their journey beyond graduation to address social challenges. “We are confident that this year’s Neilom Fellows, too, will embark on a similar path,” he said.
The goal of this prize instituted by Neilom Foundation, Maryland, USA, is to inspire and empower recipients, who are Neilom Fellows, to become the leaders of tomorrow and create impactful solutions to reach humanity.
The Neilom Foundation was established by professor Davinder K. Anand in honour of his son Dilip “Neil” Anand. The foundation’s vision is to support activities to improve the lives of young people working at the intersection of education and technology.
Last updated on 22 Nov 2021
