Neeti Kailas won the Rolex Award for Enterprise 2014 for her design and ongoing efforts to set up an associated network of healthcare professionals in India who can diagnose and treat deafness in infants.
"Another of the device's major advantages over other testing systems is our patented, in-built algorithm that filters out ambient noise from the test signal. This was really important for us because, if you have ever been to health clinics in India, you will know how incredibly crowded and noisy they are," said the 29-year-old National Institute of Design (NID) graduate, who received the award at a ceremony at the Royal Society in London.
The existing tests are expensive and require skilled healthcare workers.
Early screening is vital because, if left un-addressed, a hearing impairment can impede the development of speech, language, and cognition by the time a baby is six months old.
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Kailas' device works by measuring auditory brainstem response - three electrodes are placed on the baby's head to detect electrical responses generated by the brain's auditory system when stimulated.
If the brain does not respond to these aural stimuli, the child cannot hear. The device is battery-operated and non-invasive, which means babies do not need to be sedated, as some tests in the past have required.
The Rolex Awards for Enterprise, set up in 1976, are awarded to a new or ongoing project anywhere in the world which is aimed at improving lives or protecting the world's natural and cultural heritage and come with a cash prize of 33,000 pounds each.