Samsung R&D Employee Wins Prestigious Innovation Award from the President of India

Trivikram Annamalai, a member of the user experience team at Samsung R&D Institute – Bangalore, the Company’s biggest R&D centre outside Korea has got the prestigious Gandhian Young Technological Innovation Award 2018.

The IIT Bombay alumnus was honoured by the Hon’ble President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind at the recently held Festival of Innovations (FOIN) at the Rashtrapati Bhavan for his creation called ‘low cost vein detector’.

The device that Annamalai developed during his days at IIT Bombay helps medical practitioners locate the right vein in quick time and make a successful venipuncture.

The Gandhian Young Technological Innovation Award recognizes student innovators in the fields of engineering, science, technology and design who come up with affordable solutions.

When he was at IIT Bombay, Annamalai was sent to a blood bank to identify real time problems for which we could come up with solutions.

“I noticed that some volunteers who wanted to donate blood were turned away because the nurses were unable to find the right vein to draw blood from. This was a loss for both the volunteer, who was keen on doing a social service, as well the blood bank, who could have add more blood to their repository,” he recalls.

The device that he designed as a solution to this problem works on NIR spectroscopy where infrared waves are absorbed differently by oxygenated and de-oxygenated blood in veins. This makes one appear darker than the other, helping the medical practitioner locate the veins easily.

The device is cost-effective, hygienic and easy to use, as compared to other solutions available in the market today.

“At SRI-B, we strongly believe that technological innovations driven by the youth which address a relevant need and create a mass impact will define the future. Trivikram and his project are the perfect embodiment of these beliefs and we are proud to say that he is a part of SRI-B,” said Mr. Dipesh Shah, Managing Director, Samsung R&D Institute – Bangalore.

To be at the Rashtrapati Bhavan was an overwhelming experience for Annamalai. He was allowed to set up a stall there to provide a demonstration of his solution to visitors.

“When the President visited our stall and understood the features of our product, he immediately called his personal physician and requested him to buy our product for the clinic within Rashtrapati Bhavan,” he said.

Annamalai is one of the 23 winners of the Gandhian Young Technological Innovation Awards for 2018. Along with the award, the Government of India has given him a research grant of INR 15 lakh to optimize his product and make it more marketable.

The ‘low-cost vein detector’ had earlier bagged the Young Innovator Award from the Chief Minister of Maharashtra as well.