IIM-Kashipur Innovator Wins Dyson Award for JivaScope: ₹3,000 AI Device Revolutionizing Rural Healthcare

In a remarkable stride toward equitable healthcare access, IIM-Kashipur graduate Tunir Sahoo has won the James Dyson Award India 2025 for his groundbreaking innovation — JivaScope, a compact, AI-powered diagnostic device that detects heart and lung conditions without requiring electricity, internet, or a doctor. Priced at just ₹3,000, the device has the potential to transform rural healthcare delivery across India.

JivaScope’s recognition marks a major milestone in India’s push toward accessible, tech-driven medical innovation. Built through more than 20 design iterations, the device empowers frontline health workers, particularly ASHA workers, to perform accurate screenings in remote regions. In areas where basic diagnostic tools are scarce, JivaScope serves as a lifeline for early detection of diseases like pneumonia, asthma, and heart failure.

Innovation Born from Rural Reality

Sahoo’s inspiration stemmed from a moment of helplessness in a rural Bihar clinic, where a doctor suspected pneumonia in a young boy but lacked diagnostic tools to confirm it. “That experience showed me how deep the healthcare gap runs,” Sahoo shared. Determined to create a scalable solution, he began working on an AI-based device that functions entirely offline, ensuring no community is left behind due to connectivity or power constraints.

How JivaScope Works

The palm-sized device uses AI algorithms and infrared-guided placement to record chest sounds and detect abnormalities within minutes. Unlike telemedicine tools that depend on cloud connectivity, JivaScope runs its AI models on-device, allowing instant diagnosis in the most resource-limited areas. This innovation eliminates dependence on network access and external hardware, ensuring uninterrupted functionality in rural India.

Design, Accessibility, and Affordability

Developed with affordability as a core principle, JivaScope is intentionally priced at around ₹3,000. The design incorporates off-the-shelf components and simplified circuitry to reduce costs without compromising clinical accuracy. “Affordability was non-negotiable,” says Sahoo. “If rural health workers can’t afford it, innovation loses its purpose.”

The team plans to further bring down costs to below ₹2,000 through local manufacturing and optimization. With minimal training, ASHA and primary healthcare workers can operate JivaScope, expanding its reach to thousands of villages nationwide.

Recognition and Road Ahead

Winning the James Dyson Award India 2025 has given JivaScope both visibility and validation. The award recognizes student inventors who solve real-world challenges through engineering and design. With this recognition, Sahoo has gained access to mentorship, global networks, and funding opportunities to scale production.

Over the next two years, the startup aims to partner with state health missions, NGOs, and public health programs to deploy JivaScope across 10+ states. Integration with eSanjeevani and other national telehealth platforms is also on the roadmap, ensuring seamless inclusion into India’s healthcare infrastructure.

Redefining Innovation in Rural Medicine

What makes JivaScope transformative isn’t just its technology—it’s the empowerment it brings. For many rural health workers, the device represents the ability to deliver answers rather than referrals. “For the first time, I can tell patients what’s wrong,” one ASHA worker said during field trials, reflecting the emotional and social impact of the invention.

Sahoo believes true innovation lies not in complexity, but in creating dignity and trust in healthcare delivery. JivaScope, he says, is more than a diagnostic device—it’s a promise that medical care in India’s remotest corners will no longer depend on privilege or geography.