IIT-BHU Duo Wins Top Prize for Portable Microscope at RISE 2026
The Rs.5 lakh top prize went to Arkya Jyoti Ghosh and Supratim Mahapatra, final-year biochemical engineering students from IIT (BHU), Varanasi, for their portable imaging device.
Hyderabad: A handheld micro-imaging device designed to make advanced microscopy portable and affordable has won the top prize at the first Inter-IIT Undergraduate Innovation Meet, RISE 2026, hosted by IIT Hyderabad. Student innovators showcased projects aimed at bridging real-world gaps in healthcare, rehabilitation and sustainability.
The meet, organised as part of IIT Hyderabad’s Innovation Day, drew over 100 applications from IITs nationwide, with 21 shortlisted teams pitching on campus. A prize pool of ₹15 lakh was awarded.
The ₹5 lakh top prize went to Arkya Jyoti Ghosh and Supratim Mahapatra, final-year biochemical engineering students from IIT (BHU), Varanasi, for their portable imaging device. “Traditional microscopes are expensive, bulky and confined to labs. We wanted something compact and low-cost that could deliver precise imaging in classrooms or field settings,” Ghosh said. Mahapatra added that joystick-based focusing and adjustable lighting gave users control without complex equipment.
The first runner-up award of ₹3 lakh went to Shreyas Balakarthikeyan of IIT Madras for a tool that automates SYNTAX score computation from angiogram images, supporting cardiologists with faster, more consistent decisions.
Two teams shared the second runner-up prize of ₹2 lakh each. Akshadeep Suryawanshi and Garv Jain from IIT Mandi developed FlexoGear, a lightweight wrist exosuit for physiotherapy, designed to reduce mechanical complexity and power consumption. Sri Lekha O V of IIT Hyderabad presented an eco-friendly copper recovery process from discarded printed circuit boards, avoiding toxic chemicals and high energy use.
Other notable winners included OPTMIST from IIT Guwahati, a mist-based eye-drop delivery system that improves drug absorption; VAYU, a bio-inspired drone from IIT Hyderabad with morphing wings and an independently controlled tail for manoeuvrability and efficiency; and a compact, low-cost imaging system from IIT Madras for educational and small research settings.