3 techies develop non-contact baby monitor to track sleep, breathing

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy
The creators of the monitor, Raybaby, hope to help new parents
The creators of the monitor, Raybaby, hope to help new parents

Bengaluru :

Prachi (name changed), 32, a corporate professional and single mother, is sleep-deprived. So is her five-month-old son, who wakes up in the middle of the night with sudden bouts of respiratory trouble. Despite repeated visits to the paediatrician, the infant’s condition has barely improved.
“My son often wakes up as he can’t breathe. Though I always try to comfort him and put him back to sleep, I don’t know when the next episode will occur. This has been giving us sleepless nights and is affecting my son’s health,” said the exasperated mother.

To help new moms like Prachi, three city-based techies have devised a solution, Raybaby, a non-contact baby monitor which tracks activities like sleeping and breathing. Ranjana Nair, Sanchi Poovaya and Aardra Kannan Amili used their brainchild, Kickstarter — a platform helping artists, musicians, filmmakers and designers find resources and support to make their ideas a reality — to come up with the device which was launched on January 31.

Ranjana, chief executive officer (CEO), Kickstarter, said: “This baby monitor was created to bring back sanity in their lives of new moms and dads. All products in the market and hospitals require the baby to wear the battery-operated device, which is dangerous as there have been many instances of the battery exploding. Raybaby is a first-of-its-kind non-contact baby tracker which monitors the baby’s respiratory rate with 98% accuracy.”

Supported by Johnson & Johnson and HAX as part of the joint consumer health device programme, the monitor helps new parents with sleep training and tells them when the baby is awake, asleep or sleeping, via a Smart Journal app. Its artificial intelligence system tells parents how the baby is doing and whether the child is running a fever or has any respiratory ailment like asthma or bronchitis.
Explaining how the idea was born, Ranjana said: “We were visiting a friend’s baby in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and saw that in this day and age, the respiratory rate was still being tracked by placing a hand on the baby’s chest or through uncomfortable chest bands. That was when we decided to create a device to help parents. Research and discussions with doctors showed us how the respiratory rate could be used to monitor a baby’s health in a home environment. We worked with top hardware engineers to develop a safe device.”

Speaking about the safety aspect, Sanchi Poovaya, COO, Kickstarter, said: “It is a non-contact device, which rules out the possibility of explosions or other accidents. We are using the radar technology, which works on the principle of ultrasound, and FDA-approved components.”

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Bengaluru News / by Sreemoye Chatterjee / TNN / February 15th, 2017

BMCRI doctors reattach severed arm

Amazing Feats, Records, All, Science & Technology
The forearm of Subbanna, a resident of Chamrajnagar, got severed when it came under one of the wheels of a train. | Photo Credit: The Hindu
The forearm of Subbanna, a resident of Chamrajnagar, got severed when it came under one of the wheels of a train. | Photo Credit: The Hindu

First time reconstruction surgery of such complexity has been undertaken by a government hospital in the State

Bengaluru:

Doctors of Bangalore Medical College & Research Institute (BMCRI) Super Speciality Hospital successfully reattached the forearm of a 60-year-old man in a 12-hour operation. This is the first time a reconstruction surgery of such complexity has been undertaken by a government hospital in the State.

At 7.30 a.m. on January 22, Subbanna had got off a train at K.R. Puram station to visit his grandson Naveen who works in the city. But he slipped and fell. His forearm got severed when it came under one of the wheels.

“Other passengers pulled him up to the platform and called me. I took him to Bowring & Lady Curzon Hospital,” said Naveen. Doctors put the severed arm in a plastic bag, which was packed with ice.

Subbanna was then taken to BMCRI Super Speciality Hospital. The operation required expertise of the departments of plastic surgery, orthopaedics and anaesthesiology. “We had to identify arteries, veins and muscles and dissect them to identify where to attach them to the corresponding part on the severed arm,” said Smitha Segu, head of the department of plastic surgery.

“We are hoping that he will get sensation in four to six months. He will have to undergo orthopaedic procedures for another 1.5 years,” said Gautham M., associate professor, plastic surgery department, BMCRI.

Ramlingaiah, professor, orthopaedics department, BMCRI, said, “A surgery of this scale would cost between ₹6 lakh and ₹10 lakh in any private hospital in India. But our team did it for around Rs. 50,000.”

However, since it was the first such operation at the hospital, BMCRI has waived off the fee.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Staff Reporter / February 13th, 2017

City’s Kaviraj excels in Ice-Skating

Records, All, Sports, World Opinion

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Mysuru :

Kaviraj Prithvi of Mysuru recently participated in the Junior World Ice-skating Championship held in Innsburck, Austria between Jan. 26 and. 29.

The qualification criteria to participate at any ISU (International Skating Union) World Championships are based on the personal best timings in 500 mtrs.

The cut-off is 51 seconds. This is the first time any skater in junior category from our country has qualified with this timing. Kaviraj Prithvi (Mysuru) and Ashwin D’silva (Mangaluru) represented India.

Both the skaters had qualified for this event during the European Championship held in Sofia, Bulgaria during December 2016. Kaviraj trains under Srikanth Rao in Mysuru and was coached by Avaduth Tawde during his participating in World Ice-skating Championship.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Sports News / February 08th, 2017

Bengaluru’s ‘Taj Mahal’ set to blossom love across the globe

Agriculture, Business & Economy, World Opinion
Bengaluru contributes about 60% of the red rose exports from India, according to industry sources.
Bengaluru contributes about 60% of the red rose exports from India, according to industry sources.

Exports of the red rose variety expected to touch five million ahead of Valentine’s Day

Bengaluru’s ‘Taj Mahal’ will again be part of this Valentine’s Day flavour across the globe as nearly five million of this red rose variety, grown in fields in and around the city, is being shipped from here.

While Bengaluru growers exported just over 4.5 million roses in the fortnight before the Valentine’s Day last year, the exports could touch about 5 million this year, general manager of International Flower Auction Board, Bengaluru, Vijay Kulkarni, told The Hindu.

“We are expecting about 8% increase in exports this year,” he added.

This year, the ‘Taj Mahal’ variety has been produced much more than the earlier popular variety ‘First Red’, sources said.

Bengaluru and Pune are the largest exporters of red roses from India during Valentine’s Day, and Bengaluru contributes about 60% of the exports, industry sources said. Roses from here are being airlifted to Malayasia, Singapore, West Asian countries, Australia, New Zealand, and several European countries.

While the average price for a rose stem hovers between ₹5 and ₹6 during normal days, it is expected to double over the next couple of days.

Bridging the shortfall

“Taj Mahal has larger bud and longer shelf life than other red rose varieties cultivated here. In fact, this year Taj Mahal will be accounting for about 95% of the exports while the First Red variety will account for a small portion,” said general secretary of the South India Floriculture Association Jayaprakash Rao. He said Kenya and Ethiopia are the largest suppliers of roses, and the Indian roses only bridge the shortfall, which explains a modest year-on-year growth in exports.

The IFAB, which is the largest flower auction house in the country, handling about 1.5 lakh roses daily, has been handling nearly 5 lakh roses every day during this season that is expected to last till February 11.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Special Correspondent / Bengaluru – February 11th, 2017

Chemistry prof aka karate trainer

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Sports

KarateBF13feb2017

 

Bengaluru :

An assistant professor who doubles as a Karate trainer is teaching women self-defence on the campus, has been recognised by the Karate Association of India for promoting the martial art.

MathewsBF13feb2017

Mathews P Raj, 29, an assistant professor of the department of Life Sciences at Jain University, Bengaluru has been conducting self-defence classes for the university’s students, as well as staff on the JC Road campus since 2012.

While a few students are trained only for competitive karate to participate in tournaments, many girls and women are trained in self-defence, which includes a lot of mental training too. “The course lasts from six months to an year. Basically we train their minds and teach them how to act and behave in critical situations. They are even taught to defend themselves while wearing a saree,” says Mathews, who himself began learning Karate in 1992, when he was in class II.

At the university, about 15 girls, 10 boys, five staff members and 10 sports students attend the training every day from 3.30 pm to 5 pm. The girls are also taught gymnastics. Regarding the mental training, Mathews says, “Everyone has this thing that once you join karate you can defend yourself. But in training, they are taught the concept of fighting without a fight. Even calling out for help is a part of self-defence.”
In 2015, Jain University signed an MoU with the Karate Association of India, by which the varsity’s team gets direct entry in national karate competitions and competes as a special team. As of now, Jain is the only Indian varsity to promote Karate and self-defence.
Mathews’ organisation – Wakayama Karate Do India, has conducted corporate training programmes, self-defence camps on the occasions of women’s day, one-off workshops lasting three to four hour in corporate sectors and schools.

A CD of a video demo for women was made by the TCS group and the CDs were distributed to all women employees of TCS in India.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Tushar Kaushik / by Express News Service / February 12th, 2017

Bengaluru’s first delivery girl flies with wings of fire

Amazing Feats, Business & Economy, Records, All

VendaBF11feb2017

Crimes against women may be rising in the city, but Bengaluru’s first food delivery girl who juggles two jobs to make ends meet says she has nothing to fear.

At 23, Venda works as a home nurse in the morning and night and delivers food on her bike for five hours during the day. Not one to give up her passion, she is pursuing studies to become a history teacher.

“Things at home turned bad five years ago as the Rs 10,000 my father and mother earned was not sufficient. After marrying off my elder sister, they needed my support. I finished pre-university and decided to join my mother by becoming a home nurse,” she said.

Venda, who grew up with a love for biking, worked three years to buy her Honda Activa. She attached her vehicle to Rapido, an app-based bike taxi aggregator. She looked for more opportunities to work as her bike taxi did not get many hires.

A city-based food aggregator rejected her application. “They were worried about safety and said they ‘did not want to take risk’,” Venda said.

By the time she got a call from rival Jugnoo, a Chandigarh-based aggregator providing services ranging from last mile transportation to food delivery, Venda had travelled across the bylanes of Bengaluru searching for a job.

“Searching for jobs helped discover shortcuts in the city. I avoid traffic to save time for studies. I am pursuing BA to study history, Tamil and English. I want to become a history teacher,” Venda said.

Sabarish Nambiar, the Bengaluru operations manager of Jugnoo, said he came to know about Venda through her work in Rapido. “It’s been a month since we hired her and we have received a positive response from both the hotels and the customers,” he said.

“Women have entered all kinds of fields today. Why can’t I do more? (Former President) Abdul Kalam said dreams are those that keep you awake. It doesn’t matter how much work I do. I will reach my goal,” she said.

When asked about safety, Venda she has not faced risks as she works outdoors during the day. “I hope there will come a time when women can work anytime,” she added.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> City / by Chiranjeevi Kulkarni / DHNS – Bengaluru, February 11th, 2017

Kolekar steals the show

Records, All, Sports

General State Games: BUDAA athlete breaks 30-year-old record in men’s 800M

KolekarBF11feb2017

Vishwambhar Kolekar was undoubtedly the star performer of the day after he took down a 30-year-old State record en route to the men’s 800 metres gold here on the opening day of the athletics competitions of the State Games on Wednesday.

In the first event of the day at the RN Shetty stadium, Vishwambhar, representing Bangalore Urban District Athletic Association (BUDAA), powered to gold in 1:47.5 seconds.

The 26-year-old’s superb effort erased the long-standing State record of 1:50.4 seconds set by Damodara Gowda in the National Open Athletics Championship in Mangaluru in 1986. Gowda had won the silver then.

Such was the dominance of Vishwambhar that he eased past the finish line ten seconds ahead of the silver medallist Kumaraswamy BK (BUDAA), who clocked 1:57.5.

Vishwambhar, who had won the 800 and 1500 metres in the State Championhips in Bagalkot in October last, started as the favourite in an average field. He took the lead from the 400-metre mark and increased his pace to widen the gap. With no one to push him, Vishwambhar crossed the finish line with ease.

“I was aware of the State record but my goal was to improve upon my personal best. I am delighted to have set a new State mark. I was confident of winning the gold but to have done it with a record is something special,” Vishwambhar, who is employed in the Indian Railways, said.

In the men’s 200 metres final, Vidyasagar finished first in 21.3 seconds.

The Mysuru athlete, winner of a silver medal at the South Asian Games last year, finished just ahead of Manish (Udupi), who timed 21.4 seconds to come second while Bengaluru’s Kiran settled for bronze in 22.0 seconds.

In the corresponding women’s event, the experienced H M Jyothi of Bengaluru cruised to victory in 24.30.

In women’s long jump, Dakshina Kannada’s Sneha SS emerged winner with a jump of 5.65 metres. Dakshina Kannada’s Aishwarya RB (5.56M) pipped Praneetha Pradeep (5.55) for silver.

Kodagu triumph

Meanwhile, Kodagu clicnhed the men’s hockey gold with a comfortable 2-0 win over Rail Wheel Factory in the final.

Kunjappa opened the scoring for Kodagu in the 18th minute, while Rathan Muth­anna added the second in the 27th minute.

Results: Athletics: Men: 200M: Vidyasagar (Mysuru) 21.3, 1; Manish (Udupi) 21.4, 2; Kiran M (Bengaluru) 22.0, 3.

800M: Vishwambhar K (BUDDA) 1:47, 1 (State record. Old: 1:50.4, Damodara Gowda, 1986); Kumaraswamy BK (BUDDA) 1:57, 2; Devaiah TH (BUDDA) 1:58, 3.

5000M: Immanual (Bengaluru) 15:46.08, 1; Saidappa (Belagavi) 15:50.9, 2; Chetana GJ (Mysuru) 16:62, 3.

400M hurdles: Nagabushan (DK) 53.2, 1; Akshay D (Bengaluru) 54.3, 2; Bhakshith Salian (DK) 54.9, 3.

Long jump: Siddarth Naik (Dakshina Kannada) 7.55M, 1; Anil Biju (BUDDA) 7.21M, 2; 7.17M, 3.

High jump: Nithin K (DK) 1.95M, 1; Pramod SS (Shivamogga) 1.79, 2; Karthik ER (Mandya) 1.73, 3.

Shot put: Suryaprakash M (Bengaluru) 13.00m, 1; Shantharam T (Bengaluru) 12.18M, 2; Yashas Aiyappa (Bengaluru) 12.18M, 3.

Javelin throw: Anand VH (Bengaluru) 67.52, 1; Thippanna (MEG) 58.54, 2; AVG Krishnamma Naidu (Belagavi) 57.90, 3.

Women: 200M: HM Jyothi (Bengaluru) 24.30, 1; Sneha PJ (Bengaluru) 25.0, 2; Vishwa CH (DK) 25.6, 3.

800M: Maanya KM (Bengaluru) 2:30.04, 1; Kamalaxi K (Bengaluru) 2:30.05, 2; Navyashree C (Bengaluru) 2:33.00, 3.

5000M: Thippavva Sannakki (Mysuru) 18:39.8, 1; Supritha (Hassan) 19:53.7, 2; Suma (Udupi) 20:10.2, 3.

High jump: Abhinaya Shetty (DK) 1.61M, 1; Chaitra RV (DK) 1.61M, 2; Supriya (DK) 1.55M, 3.

Javelin throw: Shahajahani (Mysuru) 44.59M, 1; Karishma Sahil (Udupi) 37.47M, 2; Kanika M (DK) 35.08, 3.

Long jump: Sneha SS (DK) 5.65M, 1; Aishwarya B (DK) 5.56M, 2; Praneeta Pradeep (Bengaluru) 5.55M, 3.

Shot put: Uma PS (Bengaluru) 13.15M, 1; Nivetha T (Bengaluru) 12.76, 2; Chinnavva S (DK) 11.77, 3.

Hockey: Final: Men: Kodagu: 2 (Kunjappa 18th, Rathan Muthanna 27th) bt RWF: 0. Third-fourth: SAI, Bengaluru: 4 (Kariappa 12th. Machaiah 18th, 29th, Rahul M 34th) bt Hubballi-Dharwad: 0.

Women: Final: DYES, Mysuru: 6 (Sandhya 7th, Rashmi 20th, 39th, Kruthika 28th, Neha 31st, Bhavya 37th) bt Bellary: 0. Third-fourth: Hassan: 6 (Sushma 9th, 34th, Chandana 21st, 44th, Devi 26th, Avinashree 27th) bt Hubballi-Dharwad:0.

Kabaddi: All finals: Men: Vijaya Bank: 22 bt BMTC: 11.

Women: Karnataka State Police: 29 bt GKC: 10.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Sports / by Vivek MV, Dharwad / DHNS – February 09th, 2017

The curtain falls on 9th edition of Biffes

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All, World Opinion
Mysuru Karnataka: 09-02-2017: Mysuru Karnataka: 09-02-2017: Nirupana Rajendra and her troupe giving a performance at the closing ceremony of Bengaluru International Film Festival in Mysuru on Thursday. PHOTO: M.A.SRIRAM | Photo Credit: M_A_SRIRAM ;M_A_SRIRAM -
Mysuru Karnataka: 09-02-2017: Mysuru Karnataka: 09-02-2017: Nirupana Rajendra and her troupe giving a performance at the closing ceremony of Bengaluru International Film Festival in Mysuru on Thursday. PHOTO: M.A.SRIRAM | Photo Credit: M_A_SRIRAM ;M_A_SRIRAM –

Kyrgz movie A Father’s Will wins best film in Asian cinema competition category

The curtains came down on the 9th edition of Bengaluru International Film Festival (Biffes) at a dazzling event held against the backdrop of an illuminated Mysuru palace on Thursday.

Mysuru co-hosted Biffes that featured over 180 Indian and foreign films. While many Sandalwood stars gave the closing ceremony a miss, only a few film-makers from the industry attended. The event saw participation of some foreign film-makers.

Governor Vajubhai R. Vala presented the awards to the best films listed under various competitions.

In attendence

H.C. Mahadevappa, Minister in charge of Mysuru district; M. Lakshminarayan, Principal Secretary, Information and Public Relations and PWD; N.R. Vishukumar, Director, Department of Information and Public Relations; S.V. Rajendra Singh Babu, Chairman, Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy; M.K. Somashekar, MLA; Ravi Kumar, Mayor; and D. Randeep, Deputy Commissioner, were present.

The films were judged by a jury comprising eminent film-makers from India and abroad. A Father’s Will, a film from Kyrgyzstan, won the best film in the Asian cinema competition. The award carried a cash prize of $10,000 and a citation.

This year, the segment Award for Popular Entertainment Kannada cinema was added. Kotigobba-2 bagged the first prize while Jaggudada and Dodmane Huduga received the second and third prizes respectively.

Vala: Waive tax on all language films

Mr. Vala said movies in all languages should get entertainment tax exemption like Kannada films in the State.

Speaking at the closing ceremony of the 9th edition of the Bengaluru International Film Festival (Biffes), Mr. Vala also suggested giving subsidy of ₹50 lakh each to the best three Kannada films to promote cinema and its making.

He said films highlight so many characteristics such as art, culture, literature and so on. “Moreover, film-makers work really hard and I personally witnessed this while watching the shooting of Aamir Khan-starrer Lagaan in Gujarat,” Mr. Vala said. He called upon people to watch and encourage films.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Shankar Bennur / Mysuru – February 10th, 2017

Photographer TNA Perumal passes away

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All

Bengaluru :

Eminent wildlife photographer TNA Perumal passed away at his Shantinagar residence on Tuesday night. He was 84. He is survived by his wife, two sons and two daughters.

Thanjavur Nateshacharya Ayyam Perumal took to the camera in 1955 when photography was very nascent and experimented with macro photography much before the dawn of digital camera era. His knowledge of animal psychology was extraordinary and his black and white shots of the wildlife are evident for the same.

Perumal’s son T A Natarajan said he started suffering breathlessness on Tuesday evening and gradually, heart rate dropped. “Though he suffered a stroke in June that had left him partially paralysed, he had almost recovered. He spoke to me two days ago as well,” he added.

Perumal, known for his quiet and humble nature, is the recipient of more than 200 awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award for Wildlife Photography and the Karnataka Lalit Kala Academy award for Nature Photography. The book, ‘Reminiscences of a Wildlife Photographer’ contains most of his best photographs. He has also co-edited many books that go a long way in guiding amateur photographers.

He will be cremated at Wilson Garden crematorium on Thursday at 10.30am

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Bangalore News / TNN / February 09th, 2017

A bus takes space dreams to rural pupils

Education, Records, All, Science & Technology

It will traverse 11 States over the next 12 months and interact with children in rural and semi-urban schools

Bengaluru:

As many as 36,000 students of government schools will get to see, feel and learn all about space expeditions, including the upcoming Indian private lunar mission of TeamIndus. Thanks to Moonshot Wheels, which is a snazzy looking bus carrying spacecraft models and 16 experiments.

It was flagged off by Ratan Tata, chairman emeritus of Tata Sons Ltd, on Tuesday.

Space startup TeamIndus is sending a lander and rover to Moon towards the end of this year on an Indian PSLV rocket. It is one of the five teams contesting in a $ 2-million global race called the Google Lunar X Prize.

The bus, of TeamIndus Foundation, will traverse 11 States and 12,500 km over the next 12 months and interact with children in rural and semi-urban schools along the route.

They will be encouraged to imagine what they would like to send to space and present the concepts to the expedition team. These ideas and dreams will be sent up in a concrete form on TeamIndus’s actual Moon capsule.

A few scientists will also travel on the bus. It will carry a model of the Moonshot capsule which, according to TeamIndus, “will be filled with the aspirations of the children whom the bus meets on its journey. These aspirations will then fly aboard the spacecraft to Moon.”

The foundation said Moonshot Wheels will excite the next generation and inspire it about science and technology. TeamIndus has tied up with Agastya International Foundation for the venture.

The bus will educate the children about space through immersive technologies, live satellite tracking, the Moon rover, a spacecraft model and an experience zone.

Each child will get an opportunity to experience and understand the making of a space mission and its technologies. They can interact with rocket scientists and the team behind India’s first private Moon mission, Rahul Narayan of TeamIndus and Ramji Raghavan of Agastya Foundation said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Special Correspondent / February 08th, 2017