57 mins ago
Engineering Student Develops Smart Goggles for Visually Impaired Swimmers
Pasupuleti Ruthvik is an engineering student who likes swimming.
He made a prototype called Untethered to help visually impaired swimmers know when they are near the end of a pool.
The goggles use sound-based sensors to estimate how far away the wall is.
They then give the swimmer a physical alert, such as a vibration.
Ruthvik began thinking about safety after a friend was injured in an accident.
A programme with mentoring helped him think more about what swimmers need, not just whether he could build the technology.
The project was chosen as one of the Top 20 teams in Samsung Solve for Tomorrow 2026.
The prototype still needs more development and testing in real swimming environments.
Twenty-year-old engineering student Pasupuleti Ruthvik from Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh, developed a prototype called Untethered.
The goggles use ultrasonic sensing to estimate how close a swimmer is to the pool wall.
A haptic alert is designed to warn swimmers as they approach the wall without relying on visual information.
Untethered was selected among the Top 20 teams for Samsung Solve for Tomorrow 2026.
Further development and testing are planned to assess performance in different pools and user comfort.
- Who
- Pasupuleti Ruthvik, a 20-year-old engineering student from Chittoor, developed the prototype.
- What
- Untethered is a prototype of smart goggles that uses ultrasonic sensing and haptic alerts to warn swimmers as they approach a pool wall.
- Where
- Ruthvik is from Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh; the goggles are designed for use in swimming pools.
- When
- The project was selected for Samsung Solve for Tomorrow 2026; the article does not give a development date.
- Why
- Ruthvik aims to help visually impaired swimmers receive a warning near the pool wall and participate with greater independence.
Key facts
- Developer
- Pasupuleti Ruthvik
- Age
- 20
- Prototype name
- Untethered
- Sensing method
- Ultrasonic sensing estimates distance from the pool wall.
- Alert method
- Haptic feedback provides a physical warning.
- Programme selection
- Selected among the Top 20 teams for Samsung Solve for Tomorrow 2026.
- Next stage
- Further development and testing in different swimming environments, including assessment of user comfort.
Quotes
Pasupuleti Ruthvik
Engineering student who developed the Untethered smart-goggles prototype
“Earlier, I was asking, ‘Can I make this technology work?’ The Bootcamp made me ask, ‘Who will use it? What problem are they actually facing? Will it make their lives better, and would they want to use it?’”
thehansindia.com
“I started thinking about how technology could prevent injuries and help people participate in activities without constantly depending on someone else.”
thehansindia.com
Sources
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