Chances are high that you would have heard a blaring siren from an approaching ambulance. And not very uncommon is the fact that often the siren is on while the vehicle is grounded due to a traffic snarl. While there is a hurry scurry to make way for the urgent passage, the precious minutes lost could be a crucial factor.
Unfortunately for a Vadodara-based mechanical engineering teacher, his sister’s loss was the turning point in coming up with a solution to prevent future mishaps. “We were stuck in an auto rickshaw while waiting for the signal to clear up and no amount of pleading helped,” recalls Kashyap Bhatt. The delay in treatment cost his sister her life.
Determined to reverse the situation for others, Bhatt struck upon a GPS-run navigation integrated system to clear the road “before the oncoming ambulance.”
Together with student Nishit Macwan, the idea went through brain-storming and what came up was indeed a much-needed solution. “Dhvani stands for Domestic, Hospital, Versatile, Ambulance, Navigation, Integrated System. This GPS-directed module will be installed inside the ambulance as well as on street lights using the route to the hospital. Waterproof lights and a sound bar fitted within the poles will be activated the moment the approaching module is within a 500-metre radius. Sirens and a blue-red light interplay will alert people to clear the way,” explains Bhatt.
The prototype has been readied at Rs 35,000. “However, mass production will reduce the cost. We plan to share the expertise with the government free of cost since it is for a noble cause and are not looking at a patent. Our next step is to work on a similar mobile application to help the user map a speedy transit to the nearest medical centre,” shared the duo.
Their labour took three months to actualise and though the project is still under its final coding, the response so far from the police and hospitals has been encouraging.
As a final word, they share: “If roads can be cleared ahead of VIP movement and traffic made to wait, there is no reason why a life must be lost because it was denied treatment on time.’
