Detecting premature births in advance, developing smart surgery headlight and knowing the correct extent of the spread of a tumour are among the 15 innovations that will be the focus of the Medical Device Innovation Camp (MEDIC 2019) currently underway at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay).

The real challenge for the 15 teams is to come up with solutions within the 100-hour period from September 28-October 1 at the camp organised by the Biomedical Engineering and Technology (incubation) Center (BETiC) of IIT Bombay. "Sixty participants have formed 15 teams, each comprising a doctor, product designer, electronics engineer and mechanical engineer. They will work through four days and nights to evolve novel concepts to solve the selected problems, then fabricate and test the proof-of-concepts, mentored by BETiC team," said Professor B. Ravi, Founder of BETiC.

In addition to Mumbai, participants have come from Kolkata, Pune, Bhopal, Nashik, Jodhpur, Wardha, Kurnool, Punjab, Bhimavaram, Cochin, Hyderabad, Kanpur, Trivandrum, Chennai, Bengaluru, Nagpur, Chandigarh, Guwahati, Patiala, Chandrapur, Goa and Karnataka. The innovation journey starts from defining unmet needs by doctors, developing appropriate solutions by researchers, delivering tested devices by entrepreneurs and deploying them with support from investors.

The participants will present their proof-of-concepts to a jury of doctors, professors, industry professionals and investors on the finale to be held on October 2. A concurrent exhibition will showcase medical devices developed and commercialised by participants of previous camps.

Professor Milind Atrey, Dean of Research and Development, IIT Bombay, inaugurated the camp along with Vijay Shetty, Orthopaedic Surgeon at Hiranandani Hospital in Mumbai and Vice President of the Indian Association of Sports Medicine. "Since its inception in 2014, BETiC has created a string of success stories by developing, patent filing, industrial licensing and incubating 10 start-up companies," Atrey said. As many as seven engineering and seven medical institutes across Maharashtra are part of the BETiC network, churning out medical devices and innovators.