Transforming lives. That’s what Samsung’s Solve for Tomorrow is about. It empowers the youth of the country to solve real-life issues. Samsung India has announced the top three winning teams — NIT Surat, which has developed an automated beach-cleaning robot called Sweep; Stemly, which has developed a conversational AI tool to help women choose STEM, and Think, which has built a personal cooling device called Kavach for those who work outdoors. The three teams received a total prize money of Rs 1.5 crore to further improve their ideas and turn them into reality.

The three winning teams were selected after the final event in New Delhi where the top 10 teams of the competition made their final pitches and showcased their prototypes before a jury comprising Mohan Rao Goli, chief technology officer, Samsung R&D Institute, Bangalore; Shombi Sharp, United Nations resident coordinator in India and Archana Chugh, professor, Kusuma School of Biological Sciences, IIT Delhi.

JB Park, president and CEO, Samsung Southwest Asia said: “Samsung Solve for Tomorrow is a platform to nurture this thinking and we are extremely proud to see young innovators have the ambition to change the world and transform the lives of people.”

NIT Surat: The team of Aditi Tapariya, Harshil Mistry and Vaibhav Gupta from Surat, Gujarat, is out to address the accumulation of harmful waste on beaches and its impact on the environment and marine ecosystems. Their programmable robot, Sweep, is equipped with optimum sensors that can detect, identify and segregate different kinds of waste materials based on their recyclability. The robot will be capable of traversing difficult terrains and autonomously navigate through a specified area at regular intervals.

Stemly: Yash Yadav from Nagpur, Maharashtra is seeking to tackle the stereotypes and gender bias in STEM sciences. Stemly’s conversational AI tool uses natural language processing and AI techniques integrated with positive reinforcement by sharing the experiences of leading women in STEM.

Think: The team of Mukkabir Rahman, Ankush Yadav, and Varsha KJ from Golaghat, Assam, has built a cooling device called Kavach that is a lightweight and cost-effective device to regulate body temperature for extended durations during extreme weather.

All members of the Top 10 teams also received a certificate from Samsung, IIT Delhi and MeitY Startup Hub.