The REDX Mumbai innovation lab at the Prin. L.N. Welingkar Institute of Management Development and Research (WeSchool) in Mumbai is developing novel and affordable health technology solutions for huge social impact. The innovations can scale quickly and easily, and are applicable to other resource-constrained areas. The REDX Mumbai lab was established in May 2015.

Solutions in progress

Apnea Rest Analysis Mask (ARAM) - a wearable device to screen and monitor sleep apnea

Aurito - a mobile-phone compatible camera to image conditions and infections of the middle ear

Cardio24 - a web platform-based screening tool to screen for cardiovascular diseases

Dermato - a mobile phone clip-on with a spectrometer that aims to diagnose skin conditions

Magvue - a portable mobile clip-on that turns a smartphone into an affordable video magnifier

SenseCam - a real-time camera-based emotion detection system

DISQ (Digital Impact Square) Center, a Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) Foundation initiative, opened in March 2016. Beginning five years ago with the Kumbhathon, led by Dr. Ramesh Raskar of the MIT Media Lab and the Kumbha Foundation, DISQ crowdsources grand challenges in education and skills, health and hygiene, housing and transportation, financial and personal security, citizen empowerment and transparency, food and agriculture, energy, water and environment.

Solutions in progress

HEROES - Ensuring zero loss of life due to non-availability of blood

ReWAT - Affordable smart metering system for non-revenue water management

FARMSS - Soil health data platform to increase soil productivity

LVP MITra is hosted at the L.V. Prasad Eye Institute. The focus is on innovations for eye health. Medical professionals from major health centers, including LVPEI and Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, provide mentoring and guidance. The focus is on building and deploying the next generation of screening, diagnostic and therapeutic tools to enable all to see.

Solutions in progress

JULIA - portable screening for refractive error

Open Indirect Ophthalmoscope - open source,
portable screening for retinal diseases

Pediatric Perimeter - detects neonatal eye diseases

PUPIL+ - binocular uses machine learning to quantify and measure pupillary and neurological responses to light stimuli

The Kumbh Mela is a colorful, beautiful event. It’s a massive religious festival, a pilgrimage. In August and September 2015 30 million visitors – people from all walks of life – came to Nashik, India in 30 days. Sadhus who have very unusual lifestyles descended on pilgrimage sites. There was a lot of work to do to prepare for millions of people to show up in this relatively small and sleepy city of two million people.

In July 2013 the MIT Media Lab team ran their first camp in Hyderabad, India. In January 2014, they ran one in Mumbai. In July 2014 they ran their first camp in Nashik, Ramesh’s hometown. The program in Nashik came to be called “Kumbhathon.” The purpose is to accelerate idea creation, development and deployment.

For almost two years, the MIT team and Kumbhathon innovators worked closely with members of the broader ecosystem. Elected government officials and administrators in the City of Nashik were particularly critical to the success of the Kumbhathon and the Kumbh Mela. They helped to identify and refine Kumbhathon challenges that were of high priority to its citizens. They provided access to data, guided the development of prototypes, and facilitated the implementation on the ground, in context.

At Kumbhathon5 (the fifth Kumbhathon) in July 2015, teams worked with increasing sense of purpose to finalize their prototypes and prepare to launch them. In August, several were ready and able to be deployed “live.” The solutions addressed many of the government’s key concerns: safety, hygiene, health, food distribution, navigation and transportation, and accommodation.

At the MIT Media Lab, we look beyond the obvious to ask questions not yet asked – questions whose answers could radically improve the way people live, learn, work, and play. The world is our lab – to create, test, refine and deploy solutions to the world’s problems. In the summer of 2015, at the Kumbh Mela festival in Nashik India, we directly influenced the deployment of solutions to impact billions. This is the culture of innovation in action. – Dr. Ramesh Raskar, MIT Media Lab

The Kumbhathon is an opportunity for teams of engineers, business people and designers in order to create together with local stakeholders. Teams collaborate with government officials to understand local needs and get access to necessary data; with local academics to learn and refine their skills; with business leaders to consider market rollout; and with MIT researchers to make the solutions technically robust.