Engineering students from across Kerala have come forward with creative solutions to make daily life easier for people facing physical and mental challenges. These innovations were showcased at Makethon 2025, a major event held in Kochi as part of the ‘Stride’ initiative. The goal of this project is to transform Kerala into India’s first inclusive innovation hub.
Ideas Rooted in Real-Life Observations
Each team developed their prototypes after closely studying the actual struggles of differently-abled individuals. These innovations stood out for being low-cost, user-friendly, and practically viable. In the second stage of the competition, each team included a person facing physical challenges to make their ideas more grounded and effective. Students shared that this collaboration significantly improved their products.
Joint Initiative for Social Impact
The Stride project is led by the Kerala Development and Innovation Strategic Council (K-DISC), in partnership with Kudumbashree, IEEE, Kerala Startup Mission, and Kerala Technological University. Out of nearly 300 teams from engineering colleges across the state, 32 were selected for the final round of the competition.
A Call for Responsible Innovation
At the inauguration, Mini Ulanat, Chairperson of IEEE Kerala Section, reminded students about their duty to society. She emphasized that nothing brings more satisfaction than knowing your work has helped someone else.
True Transformation Through Inclusion
Robin Tommy, Executive Director of K-DISC, explained that Stride is not just about building solutions for the differently-abled but with them. “Real transformation happens when communities facing challenges become the creators of their own freedom,” he said. He added that Kerala is taking a bold step towards becoming the first inclusive innovation hub in the country.
A Collaborative and Inclusive Stage
Along with student innovators, their faculty mentors and team members with physical disabilities were also present at the event. Judges and chief guests included Amit G. Nair (Lecturer, NISH), George Sebastian (Assistant Engineer, KAMCO Ltd.), Jim Zeelan (Principal Innovation Evangelist, TCS), Ajith Sreenivasan (KSUM Creative Residency Fellow), and Janish U. (Research Scientist, NISH).
This gathering of student talent and inclusive design marks a significant step in reimagining innovation as a tool for empowerment and equality.
