Adarsha K and Tapas Pandey invented AyuSynk before social distancing became the need of the hour. Ayu Devices was incubated under IIT Bombay’s Biomedical Engineering and Technology incubation Centre (BETiC) in 2017. After a number of iterations, their dream product, a remote electronic stethoscope, was its final stage and available in the market by the end of 2018.
The idea behind Ayu Devices has always been to help the medical fraternity with better ideas and indigenous products that they could easily source. It was towards this end that the AyuSynk was developed. It conducts accurate auscultation (listening to lung and chest sounds) to diagnose diseases based in the heart or lungs. Thanks to an app available on the iOS and Android, the data can be analysed and shared through the same platform. If attached to a medical stethoscope, it can also amplify heart murmurs, in addition to a number of features.
And when the same medical community that they had initially set out to help found themselves in distress during the COVID-19 pandemic, the AyuSynk found a new purpose. Vishesh Sinha, Chief Administrative Officer of Ayu Devices says, “When COVID-19 first broke out, the doctors themselves were under a huge risk of getting infected. We decided that during this time, our main focus would be to help out in this area.”
He continues, “Since our stethoscopes are built with Bluetooth capacity, it helps doctors maintain a distance from their patients. When they wear the Personal Protective Equipment, they are unable to wear the normal tubing of the stethoscope. So they can use our application to hold the first half in their hands and make the necessary observations.”
The next best thing about the AyuSynk is that it has been built on an Artificial Intelligence-enabled module. Following the Coronavirus outbreak, they added a few more features to maximise this specifically in order to help doctors and patients. Vishesh says, “90 per cent of Coronavirus patients have pneumonia as well. So they make certain wheezes and crackling sounds in their lungs. Our device is able to track this since there is amplification in our devices. And with the help of AI, they can visualise and put the stethoscope on the specific spot where the doctor needs with the help of assistants, this helps maximise the doctors safety. “
Currently, Ayu Devices has a 30-member team. The software itself is responsible for the application. If the app has been downloaded, you can use it to amplify heart and lung sounds and can record and share it as well. It is also helps out in the screening process by allowing general doctors to share their observations and recorded sounds with specialist doctors through platforms like WhatsApp when in need of urgent consultations.
And as word begins to spread about the invention, the medical community and ordinary people alike have received it with ope hands. Vishesh says, “We have been working to perfect this with hospitals and experts much before the pandemic broke out. We want to roll this out across the whole country.” As soon as the restrictions are eased up they hope to get their finger on the pulse of every Indian in need.
