Glaucoma is the second main reason behind irreversible blindness worldwide, in accordance with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The optic nerve that carries visible data to the mind degenerates, resulting in a gradual lack of imaginative and prescient. If not caught early, some extent of everlasting blindness can happen. Even costly remedies, which value between US $600 and $2,500 per yr relying on the severity of the illness, can not reverse the injury.
After one among teenager Rohan Kalia’s members of the family was identified with glaucoma, he started researching an reasonably priced expertise that might be used for early detection. Kalia is a sophomore at Wheeler High School in Marietta, Ga. He constructed a conveyable, cheap machine that may precisely diagnose the situation.
Kalia’s EyePal was showcased on the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) held in May in Dallas.
Eyepal, described as a novel multimodal prognosis and prevention system to allow accessible and individualized glaucoma detection, received this yr’s IEEE Presidents’ Scholarship of US $10,000. The IEEE Foundation established the award to acknowledge a deserving pupil whose venture demonstrates an understanding {of electrical} or electronics engineering, laptop science, or different IEEE area of curiosity. The scholarship is run by IEEE Educational Activities and is payable over 4 years of undergraduate college research.
Kalia and the second- and third-place scholarship winners additionally obtain a complimentary IEEE pupil membership. IEEE Senior Member Bob Becnel, IEEE Region 5 director, offered Kalia with the scholarship.
EyePal additionally got here in third place within the ISEF’s techniques software program class, incomes Kalia a $1,000 award.
An reasonably priced glaucoma-detection machine
Rohan Kalia’s EyePal medical machine supplies accessible, reasonably priced, and individualized glaucoma prognosis with its digital camera, a Raspberry Pi, machine-learning expertise, and a cell app. Lynn Bowlby
Eye abnormalities reminiscent of glaucoma are detected from photos taken of the retinal fundus throughout a typical examination. The fundus is the again floor of the attention’s inside and consists of the retina, the macula, the optic disc, the fovea, and blood vessels. Typically the pictures are taken by an ophthalmologist, who makes use of specialised gear.
Kalia found throughout his analysis that an individual’s socioeconomic scenario impacts whether or not glaucoma is identified.
“I learned that there’s a huge disparity in eye care treatment across the world,” he says. “Diagnosis and prevention of glaucoma is not accessible.”
He discovered that in rural areas, testing for the situation was usually out of attain for many individuals due to an absence of eye docs and testing facilities, in addition to the excessive value of the gear, an absence of medical insurance, and the value of the check.
The EyePal makes use of a top quality digital camera, a Raspberry Pi minicomputer, machine-learning expertise, and a cell app. The digital camera takes pictures of the fundus and sends them to a cell machine that may be examined by a specialist. EyePal confirmed a 95 % accuracy when examined on units of fundus photos, Kalia says.
Unlike standalone specialised gear that can be utilized solely in a physician’s workplace or imaginative and prescient testing middle, the EyePal is moveable, so it may be employed in rural medical facilities and well being clinics.
“The device costs less than $100,” he says. “It’s 50 times cheaper than the average price of ophthalmology equipment, in addition to being highly portable. What I did was create this new ensemble-based system of diagnosis.”
Kalia says he didn’t count on to win the Presidents’ Scholarship.
“It was a nice surprise,” he says. “It was surreal going up on the stage and shaking [Becnel’s] hand in front of everyone.”
Kalia’s recommendation for future engineers is to maintain going regardless of obstacles: “In an engineering project, you’re going to face times you want to give up, but keep persevering.
“Pick a project topic that you really like,” he provides. “When you’re really interested in the topic, it will give you the motivation to keep pushing through.”
Kalia hasn’t began universities to attend, he says, however his profession plans embody working in analysis, almost certainly within the space of imaginative and prescient.
“I love creating solutions,” he says, “and building things for people.”
A pc keyboard for folks with disabilities
Filip Piękoś shows his contactless, programmable laptop keyboard Zhelta, which makes use of a magnetized wand connected to the brim of a baseball cap for these dexterity issues.Lynn Bowlby
This yr’s second-place recipient was Filip Piękoś, a junior from Zespół Szkół Technicznych i Ogólnokształcących in Jarosław, Poland. He acquired $600 for his venture, Zhelta. The contactless, programmable laptop keyboard was designed for individuals who can not use a standard one due to dexterity issues or different well being points.
Computer keyboards usually require the usage of each fingers—an issue that Piękoś seen when a good friend with a number of sclerosis was unable to make use of one. His good friend connected a pencil to a baseball cap with a big brim; by transferring his head whereas carrying the cap, he might kind with the pencil.
“I improvised it using a similar functionality with a magnetic pointer that you can also attach to a baseball cap,” Piękoś says. “My project is meant for people with disabilities, especially limb paralysis. I designed, prototyped, and built a custom keyboard that doesn’t require a person to use their hands. Instead, it uses a pointer that hovers about the keys—which activates their function.”
The touchless Zhelta could be activated mechanically by urgent a swap and magnetically utilizing a pointer attachment, as an alternative of urgent keys. The size of the pointer could be adjusted based mostly on one of the best angle and top for the consumer. The pointer both can clip to the invoice of a cap or be held, in accordance with a PoLand of IT mastersinterview with Piękoś about his keyboard.
The keyboard has an OLED show so customers can view the software program they’re utilizing. Piękoś used CAD software program to attach the keyboard to a pc by way of USB whereas mounted on a stand.
Piękoś says he would love his venture to have a long-lasting influence.
“I hope that this can become a real product and something that could help others around the world,” he says. “I didn’t expect any awards for my project, so I was really excited that I managed to get one.”
He says he hopes to attend an engineering college within the United States and observe by on Zhelta’s product improvement.
“I’m excited for what’s to come,” he says.
Using quadcopters as 5G base stations
Anish Anand holds his quadcopter, modified to function as a 5G communication base station to supply high-speed low-cost Internet for these dwelling in rural areas. Lynn Bowlby
Anish Anand, a freshman at Palos Verdes Peninsula High School, in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., took third place. He acquired $400 for his venture, “A Novel Control System for Autonomous Quadcopter Navigation.”
When visiting household in India, Anand famous his kin lacked high-speed Wi-Fi.
“They had 2G Wi-Fi,” he says, “because the infrastructure for high-speed Wi-Fi was too expensive [for the local telecommunications company] to build.”
He needed to determine a manner to supply high-speed, low-cost Internet for undeveloped areas in India. After studying about methods to deal with the issue, he determined to attempt utilizing autonomous quadcopters as 5G communication base stations.
From his analysis he discovered that present autonomous quadcopters use a single loop-control system for all six levels of freedom. But the tactic could be unstable, and the copter might crash throughout air disturbances or imbalances.
To deal with the instability downside, he constructed a dual-loop management system based mostly on Lyapunov’s idea of stability, which describes the state of being steady in a system reminiscent of Anand’s. After making use of the modifications to quadcopters, they will function extra successfully as 5G communication base stations.
“With my dual-loop control system, I optimized the quadcopters’ movements through the original Matlab programs and prototypes I made from scratch,” he says. “I found that my control system was twice as fast and two to three times more stable than current single-loop control systems.”
The expertise that Anand is exploring, he says, has the potential to carry higher-speed low-cost Internet to rural areas.
He says he was excited to be interviewed by a number of information shops: “It was really great having all these people come and let me talk about my project. When I got the award, it was such a surreal moment, especially walking up to the stage.”
Anand participates in lots of extracurricular actions at his college, together with its math staff, the Science Olympiad, and StellarXplorers, a program run by the Air and Space Forces Association.
He says he hopes to earn a Ph.D. in electrical engineering and pursue a profession within the area.
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