Teen Innovator Builds Elder Alert Device

HYDERABAD:  After his grandmother suffered a fall at home and could not reach anyone for help, 17-year-old Rubeel Mahmood from Hyderabad’s Old City set out to resolve the problem. He created Elder Alert, a life-saving emergency device using AI to help elderly, ill and specially-abled individuals connect with their families.

Rubeel, a diploma student in electronics and communication engineering, developed the hardware device and a supporting mobile app. The key feature is that it bypasses silent mode, ensuring alerts reach loved ones in emergencies. He built an ecosystem replicating WhatsApp’s core functionality to support the device.

The idea stemmed from an incident when his grandmother, after a fall, could not contact him because his phone was on silent. By the time he responded, she had suffered neck and back injuries. “I searched online for a product to bridge this communication gap but found nothing. So I decided to innovate, and that’s how Elder Alert was created,” Rubeel told Deccan Chronicle.

The device also includes a medicine reminder feature with alerts in Hindi, Telugu and English. “I realised this problem is common. Some even lost loved ones as they could not reach in time. When I showed the device to the faculty, one wanted to buy it for her mother,” he said.

Rubeel urged students to harness AI for innovation without waiting for big institutions. “Students are far behind in the race of technology. They need to keep up,” he said.

Next month, he will join the Launch X business programme, USA, to learn how to expand his idea and raise funds.