Bengaluru: Odisha girl, Komal Panda has been declared as the national winner of India for the James Dyson Award 2024 for her innovation, Novocarry, which is a portable cooling carrier that helps keep insulin and other liquid medication under desired temperatures, reports said.
Novocarry’s advanced cooling technology preserves insulin potency during long-distance travel. Moreover, its powerful battery technology keeps the insulin in optimum temperature even in areas with limited electricity.
Komal’s inspiration came from her father’s struggle to store and transport insulin owing to the lack of refrigeration at his office. She will be awarded a prize money of around Rs 5 lakh.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) report, around 20 per cent of temperature-sensitive healthcare products are damaged during transport owing to the lack of deficient cold chains.
Novocarry holds the potential of keeping the medicines in optimum temperature, mitigating risks of spoiling of medical products during transit. Especially, the solution can be very useful for preserving insulin for managing diabetes and other medical conditions requiring medication stability and confidence in their storage.
The jury of James Dyson Award also announced Krea Limb and HydroChurn as the first and second runners-up respectively, for India.
Now, the top three entries will represent India in the international round. The final winners will be selected by Sir James Dyson himself, reports said.
The James Dyson Award (JDA) invited students from 30 countries to create ingenious solutions that solve specific problem statements.
For students to participate, they must be or have been within the last four years, enrolled for at least one semester in an undergraduate or graduate engineering or design-related course.