Experts Help Students Shape up Ideas in Palliative Care

THRISSUR:
The three-day workshop on generating and promoting innovative ideas and prototypes in palliative and elderly care, organised by Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) and Creativiti Council, concluded here on Saturday, with experts helping students shape up their ideas.

The workshop, ‘Creative I –Makeathon’, focussed on improving life through innovations in palliative care, with emphasis on more than 20 pressing needs , including transfer and mobility. These issues were identified and documented from various districts of Kerala.

At the workshop, held at Thompson’s Enterprises, Industrial Estate, Athani, students made models and prototypes with the support and guidance of innovators and experts. Experts helped students to mould their ideas of a motorised back rest for beds in hospitals, movable toilet seat and a system to drink water and read newspapers for the elderly. The products are completed and they will be followed up with patent search, economic viability and business plans.

Dr Jippu Jacob, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Amaljyothi College of Engineering, Kanjirappally, Kottayam, and inventor of coconut dehusker ‘Keramitra’ and Augustine Thompson, entrepreneur and national award-winning innovator, mentored the participants who came with creative ideas.

Dr Jose Babu, Medical Director, Alpha Pain and Palliatve Care Centre , Dr Unnikrishnan Muthoot Enginnering College ,Kozhenchery, Bobby Issac , Co-founder Creativiti Council , James TJ, Senior Fellow KSUM, Arun S Chandran , Technical Manager Creativiti Council, Tom Thomas, Project Director KSUM and Sandhya Seetharaman, Project Officer, RuTAG-IIT Madras also guided the team.

The workshop was inaugurated by Dr Saji Gopinath, CEO, Kerala Startup Mission. KSUM and RuTAG-IIT Madras will facilitate support for selected projects to set up their startups while Creativiti Council will offer mentoring support to them. A non-profit organization, Creativiti Council is a community partner with KSUM. KSUM is the nodal agency of Government of Kerala for entrepreneurship development and incubation activities in the state.