In a remarkable milestone for student-led innovation in India, a 19-year-old second-year engineering student has won national acclaim after developing an AI-powered assistive device designed to empower individuals with complete blindness. Tushar Shaw, a student at the Scaler School of Technology (SST), has been declared the national winner of Samsung’s prestigious Solve for Tomorrow 2025 competition one of the country’s most competitive technology and innovation challenges.
The young innovator’s creation, Percevia, is an affordable, AI-powered smart glasses system designed to help blind individuals navigate their surroundings with greater independence. With a vision rooted in accessibility and a strong focus on real-world impact, Tushar’s project stood out among thousands of entries across India.
Samsung awarded him the top prize of ₹25 lakh, along with an additional ₹1 lakh Goodwill Award recognizing Percevia’s significant potential for social impact. The feat marks not only a major moment in Tushar’s journey but also a shining example of India’s rapidly growing culture of deep-tech innovation among young learners.
A Student Reinventing Assistive Technology
At an age when most students are still exploring academic pathways, Tushar Shaw has already stepped into the world of transformative engineering. His passion for solving real societal challenges led him to develop Percevia, a device that blends artificial intelligence, computer vision, and human-centered design.
Percevia is built to be intuitive, lightweight and affordable key barriers that have limited the adoption of advanced assistive technologies in India. Unlike many expensive solutions available globally, the device aims to bring high-quality functionality at a cost accessible to the Indian population, where millions live with varying degrees of blindness.
Tushar developed the project at SST, which has become known for its emphasis on practical, project-led learning. The institution nurtures problem-solving skills through industry-backed mentorship, giving students the opportunity to work on meaningful, real-world challenges from early on.
What Makes Percevia Stand Out
According to Samsung, Percevia impressed the evaluation panel primarily because of its engineering clarity, precision, and user-centric design philosophy.
The glasses use AI to detect surrounding objects, obstacles, and pathways, converting visual data into real-time audio cues that the user can instantly interpret. The system also includes smart alerts that help the wearer understand complex environments whether navigating a busy street, entering a room, or identifying everyday items.
Unlike traditional assistive tools that often rely on tactile or manual feedback, Percevia integrates multiple advanced technologies into one seamless experience. Its AI models run efficiently on low-power hardware, making the device portable and energy-efficient two crucial factors for everyday usability.
Samsung’s judges also praised Tushar for ensuring that the device addresses the diverse challenges faced by completely blind individuals, rather than focusing solely on partial visual impairment.
A Landmark Win at Solve for Tomorrow 2025
Launched by Samsung, Solve for Tomorrow is a nationwide competition aimed at discovering and supporting innovative ideas from students across India. The contest invites participants to solve problems across social, environmental, and technological domains using STEM principles.
The 2025 edition witnessed a massive number of participants from high-school and undergraduate students to early-stage researchers each pitching breakthrough ideas. Yet Percevia emerged as the winner for its clarity of purpose, scalability, and potential to transform millions of lives.
Tushar’s gripping pitch, strong technical execution, and detailed prototyping helped Percevia stand out during the final showcase. The judges highlighted that the project demonstrates a rare combination of affordability and advanced engineering an equation that could redefine the future of assistive tech in India.
Recognising Young Innovators With Real-World Impact
Samsung’s additional ₹1 lakh Goodwill Award usually reserved for projects demonstrating exceptional potential for societal benefit reinforced the significance of Percevia’s vision. With India being home to one of the world’s largest populations of blind and visually impaired individuals, the need for scalable assistive solutions is urgent.
Millions struggle with day-to-day mobility, dependence on helpers, limited access to advanced devices, and the economic burden of traditional navigation tools. Percevia offers renewed hope by presenting a low-cost yet high-performance alternative that can be produced and adopted at scale.
Tushar expressed that his motivation behind building Percevia came from observing the daily challenges faced by visually impaired individuals, especially in crowded urban environments. He hopes to take the device to production, making it available to institutions, NGOs, and families across India.
A New Milestone for India’s Deep-Tech Student Culture
Tushar’s achievement reflects the rapid rise of India’s youth-driven tech ecosystem. Institutions like the Scaler School of Technology are playing a crucial role in nurturing next-generation innovators by encouraging research, experimentation, and hands-on collaboration.
The win is also a testament to how young minds are not only adopting emerging technologies like AI and machine learning but also applying them to solve urgent problems in healthcare, accessibility, and social welfare.
As SST celebrates this milestone, Percevia now stands as a symbol of what happens when engineering education meets empathy and creativity. The achievement reinforces the idea that India’s next wave of technological disruption may very well be led by its youngest learners.
What Comes Next for Percevia
With financial support from Samsung and growing recognition in the innovation community, Percevia is expected to move toward advanced development and large-scale testing. Tushar aims to refine the AI models, enhance wearable comfort, and collaborate with organizations serving visually impaired individuals for real-world trials.
Industry experts believe that Percevia could become a flagship example of India’s potential to create global-class assistive devices. The combination of affordability and sophistication may enable mass adoption not just in India but also internationally.
Early interest from accessibility-focused start-ups and NGOs suggests that once Percevia enters production, it could become one of the most impactful innovations emerging from India’s student ecosystem in recent years.
At 19, Tushar Shaw has already demonstrated what vision, empathy, and determination can achieve. By building Percevia, he has not only earned one of the country’s top innovation awards but has also taken a significant step toward transforming millions of lives.
Samsung’s recognition marks the beginning of what could be a groundbreaking journey in assistive technology. And as India’s young innovators continue to push boundaries, stories like Tushar’s will inspire countless others to pursue ideas that combine technological excellence with human impact.
