“Smart Street: Where Innovation Meets Sustainability” wins the VIVO Ignite 2023 : Technology & Innovation Awards

Vivo India unveiled the National Winners of the ‘Vivo Ignite: Technology and Innovation Awards’ in a grand event held in Delhi recently. 

A Pioneering Solution for Safer, Sustainable, and Innovative Roads in the dynamic landscape of innovation and technology, a smart project presented by the three bright school students – Arushi Ganguly, Vedanshi Mehta, and Aarav Mohanraj of Grade 9 from AM Naik School, Powai, Mumbai, have emerged as the National Winners of the prestigious Vivo Ignite Innovation and Technology Awards 2023. 

Their groundbreaking project, “Smart Street – Where Innovation Meets Sustainability,” bagged the coveted top spot at the Vivo Ignite Technology and Innovation Award 2023 Grand Finale held in Delhi on the 10th of February 2024. 

Launched in 2022 the VIVO Ignite: Technology and Innovation Awards, is a national-level award to encourage school students of 8th to 12th standards to explore the endless possibilities of technology for the betterment of society, to encourage problem-solving skills through critical thinking. It is an initiative by Vivo India, in collaboration with NCERT and iHub Divya Sampark IIT Roorkee, giving a platform that surpasses traditional boundaries, nurturing a culture of innovation and creativity among young minds in India. The theme “Tech for Good” aims to recognize and applaud innovative projects that contribute positively to society. 

Out of the  19,000 registrations and 4000 projects received nationwide, the top 25 innovative ideas were evaluated and assessed for their potential for incubation. In the Grand Finale, students of the Top 10 National Finalists (individual/group projects) were called upon to present their project prototypes along with the Project Display Board to the Grand Jury.  The competition which commenced on November 25, 2023, came to end  in February 2024, where students selected had to go through two stages. In Stage 2, students were supposed to design and develop a ‘Working Model/Prototype’ to explain their project idea in detail where the top 5 ideas were declared in presence of Mr. Geetaj Channana, Head of Corporate Strategy at vivo India, along with other dignitaries at the Grand Finale. 

The Award Winning Project : Smart Street – Where Innovation Meets Sustainability

Arushi Ganguly, Vedanshi Mehta, and Aarav Mohanraj, students of AM Naik School, Powai, Mumbai, focussed in addressing one of the most critical issues faced by India – the road safety challenge through their Smart Street project. The foundation of their innovation is rooted in the alarming statistics provided by Bosch’s Indian Pedestrian Study, revealing that 91% of road accidents result from human error, with unique pedestrian behaviours contributing significantly to fatalities.

The Smart Street project recommended certain innovative solutions: 

1. A hydraulic portal aims to reduce road accidents by safely transporting pedestrians across busy roads. This particularly will benefit people with disabilities, the elderly, and children.
2. Touch sensors, activate alarms to alert pedestrians straying towards the road and lights up to grab the attention of distracted pedestrians.

Recognizing the environmental impact of road infrastructure, the Smart Street project introduces eco-friendly elements such as streetlight shades crafted from organic mixtures. 

The Smart Street project incorporates technology to re-utilize CO2 from air into various industrial applications thus differentiating it from traditional methods that merely discard the CO2. This adds carbon footprint reduction as a goal for the smart street project.

The project by the winning team marked a significant step towards transforming India’s roads into safer, more sustainable, and energy-efficient spaces. The winners received a Prize money of Rs 7.0 Lakh.

The first runner-up Shubhashree Sahu – Project “Multi Functional Eco-Friendly Agro Machine” received Rs 5.0 Lakh.

The second runner up Shreyansh Nayak – project “Automatic Machine For Ready To Grow Oyster Mushroom Bags” received Rs 4.0 Lakh.

Sharvi Baisiwala’s project “Optimization For Cyclists’ Posture Using Real Time Embedded System And Data Analysis” won the 4th position and prize money of Rs 3.0 Lakh.

Yash Yadav’s project “Intervention for inclusion of women in STEM” won the 5th position and received prize money of Rs 2.0 Lakh.

These initiatives from young minds promise a brighter and more innovative future for the country. Team Campusutra wish them a bright and successful career ahead and thank vivo India for this noble initiative.