Parul University students amongst top innovators in Ideathon to combat the impact of COVID-19 pandemic

COVID-19
adversely impacting the socio-economic livelihood of the people, and with
lockdown in place, students are using technology and innovation to seek
practical solutions to alleviate the effects of this virus. In pursuit of this
agenda, city based Parul University has been actively encouraging and
motivating students to be engaged in productive activities during the current
lockdown.

One such way
has been through the promotion of various State and National level hackathons
amongst its students. Joining the fight against COVID-19, “Toodle”, a team from
Parul University, took part in one such hackathon and emerged victorious
amongst the top 6 nationwide, in the educators and researchers category.

Fight Corona Ideathon, an initiative jointly organised by AICTE, MHRD, IIC & Forge as a way of promoting and encouraging innovative ideas and solutions which can be utilised towards mitigating the impacts of COVID-19. The spectrum of ideas and fields which were covered in this innovation centred platform include digital and distance education solutions, finance and economic systems, psychology and mental health during the lockdown period, practical solutions in healthcare and effective social distancing. 

A total of
over 5 500 applicants across India to part in this particular ideathon, where
the Parul University team also participated and earned a position amongst the
top 6, with a prize money of Rs 10 000, under the category of educators and
researchers.

The idea
which team Toodle formulated was centred around making use of aero technology
to create a drone aircraft to be utilised within the medical field. “In a
pandemic like COVID-19, attendants, caretakers and health care workers spend a
lot of time in close proximity with the patients, performing high risk duties
such as providing food and medicine to the infected patients along with the
regular sanitization of the quarantine area. We proposed a Small Size Unmanned
Aerial Vehicle (UAV) which is a type of aircraft (drone) that has no pilot or
passenger on board, it has autonomous multi-point delivery of medicine, food
and other essentials without human intervention. It can also do sanitization
and surveillance”, said Dr. Harshal Shah and Prof. Rutvik Metha, Mentor of the
Team who led them to the victory under the Educator and Research Category.

Keeping in
mind the risk factors which the doctors and nurses have been exposed to
throughout this quarantine period, this idea acts as one practical digital
solution which can be used towards ensuring the safety of the healthcare
community.

”In these
pressing, i believe as Parul University we have an obligation to play, that is
to contribute our pool of innovative student and expert minds towards putting
forward practical solutions for combating this pandemic.We will continually
encourage our students and staff members to engage in such hackathons and
ideathons, so as to combat this COVID-19 crisis and the threat it poses to our
academic, social and economic institutions”, said the University President, Dr.
Devanshu Patel.