A third-year engineering student from KCG College of Technology has been recognised for her attempt to close one of India’s most persistent healthcare gaps: delayed diagnosis. Rithika S. K.’s project, a solar-powered medical kiosk named HEKIO, has earned her the prestigious national scholarship awarded by IET India, the country arm of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET).
Rithika’s design stems from a simple observation common in Chennai and across India—people often seek medical help only when symptoms have worsened. Preventive care, though widely advocated, remains inaccessible or underutilised, especially in semi-urban and underserved regions. Her solution attempts to bridge this behavioural and infrastructural gap by placing basic screenings directly in public spaces.
The HEKIO kiosk is designed as a self-sustaining unit running on solar power. It conducts essential tests—pulse rate, blood pressure and temperature—and incorporates a breath-analysis system called EXHALORA, which screens for early indicators of respiratory conditions, anxiety, depression and other treatable health issues. Test results are stored digitally, and automatic alerts are issued when readings require follow-up, lowering barriers to early detection.
Rithika explained the motivation behind her innovation: “There are conditions such as respiratory issues, alcohol influence, metabolic imbalance, or early disease markers that can be detected through breath analysis, but currently this requires clinical visits. This is the exact reason why we need HEKIO… Often, diseases are detected at an advanced stage, even though they could have been treated if diagnosed earlier.”
The scholarship from IET India recognises student engineers whose work addresses real-world challenges. Now in its tenth edition, the award is regarded as one of India’s leading platforms for engineering talent, offering a total prize of ₹10 lakh and emphasising academic merit, leadership and social impact.
By spotlighting projects like HEKIO, the programme underscores a larger question facing India’s health system: whether decentralised, technology-driven screening can meaningfully strengthen public health in communities where access remains uneven.
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