Out-of-Door Academy student Manav Pulluru recently received the 2024 Congressional App Challenge Award for Florida's 16th Congressional District. Pulluru, a junior, designed a software application to help older adults determine if there are falling risks in their living environment.
The app, SafeHavenAI , uses AI and image recognition from uploaded photos, along with an algorithm and questions approved by doctors, to screen for potential fall risks within a home. Pulluru was inspired to create the app after his great-grandfather broke his hip in a fall.
"After seeing how a fall changed the life of my own great-grandfather, I knew something had to be done," said Pulluru, a junior. "I hope this app will be able to eliminate preventable falls from seniors, helping families like mine save money and ensuring their loved ones are safer in their living environment."
Pulluru designed the app with Ashni Singh, a ninth-grade student at Choate Rosemary Hall in Connecticut.
"I am heartened to see this young student using his abilities to help our aging population," U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan said. "With nearly 200,000 seniors in my district and millions throughout the state of Florida, this app has the potential to help lower fall risks and keep people safe."
The app will be featured on House.gov for one year. Pulluru will also receive waived copyright registration application fees through the ARTS Act.
The Congressional App Challenge was created by the U.S. House of Representatives in 2015 and allows students to compete against their peers across the country by creating an app for desktop/PC, web, tablet, mobile, raspberry Pi or other devices. The challenge is designed to promote innovation and engagement in computer science.
Submitted by Josh Gregory
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Bradenton student honored for app that helps keep older adults safe
