What if navigating the world didn’t have to depend on a walking stick — or another person’s guidance? In a country where millions of visually impaired individuals still move through daily life with caution and constraint, a quiet shift is taking shape in Hyderabad. At the centre of it is innovator and founder of Alien Innovations, Tagire Ravi Kiran, who is reimagining mobility not as assistance, but as independence. His invention, Navinaut — a compact, torch-like device that detects obstacles like stairs and drop-offs and translates them into intuitive haptic feedback, enabling users to move with greater confidence and awareness. What makes this journey even more compelling is the scale it has already reached. From a student innovator nurtured under the Atal Innovation Mission to becoming the first and only Indian to win the imaGen Ventures Award by Generation Unlimited and UNICEF, Ravi Kiran has emerged as one of the youngest global voices in inclusive innovation. A 16-time national award winner and a member of the Global Leadership Council at Generation Unlimited, his work has already impacted over 1,000 visually impaired individuals across countries — from India to Turkey, South Africa, and beyond. In an exclusive chat with CE, he shares the inspiration of Navinaut, working for the disabled, and more.
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Can you start by telling us a little about Alien Innovations?
Alien Innovations is an architect-based startup in Hyderabad where we build compact, affordable, and accessible devices for the visually impaired community. We are mainly focused on making devices easy to access in terms of mobility, and ensuring they are affordable. Our first product is called Navinaut, which replaces the use of a cane interface. The startup has been active since November 2022.
What gap did you notice in existing tools that led to the creation of Navinaut?
Initially, I was not focused on solving anything specifically for the visually impaired community. My journey began in 2017–2018 as part of the first batch of Atal Tinkering Labs, where my school was among the first 100 selected. I was simply learning and building IoT devices.
I built a random device that helped a blind person detect obstacles using simple sensors and coding. That project was awarded twice at IIT competitions and got published. Later, the Telangana Innovation Cell identified me and connected me to T-Works. At that time, T-Works was a small setup with a few engineers, but they trained me in engineering, coding, 3D printing and electronics.
During this process, I started developing algorithms to reduce latency and improve response time. Before COVID, I built a small device and tested it to help visually impaired people read and recognise objects.
The turning point came during the pandemic, when three visually impaired individuals in my district wanted to purchase a bulky, VR-like device. I was curious why they would want something so impractical. When I researched further, I found that assistive devices like smart canes existed, but they cost lakhs. The Indian visually impaired community cannot afford that, and most products are designed for government or CSR distribution — not for individual users.
There was no accurate and affordable device in the market. That’s what triggered me. I decided to build something accessible directly for users, without dependency on government or CSR, focusing on affordability and accuracy.
How does Navinaut differentiate between obstacles like stairs, drop-offs, and flat surfaces within such a short range?
Navinaut was not my initial product — I was originally working on smart glasses. But in 2023, while interacting with visually impaired users across India, I realised that no innovation had replaced the cane. The only two major tools are still the cane and Braille. Users told me they didn’t want to carry a cane but needed a replacement that worked similarly. That’s when I started building Navinaut. It took 20–30 versions to develop.
When I worked with LV Prasad Eye Institute, they guided me that if I wanted to replace a cane, I had to align the user experience with how a cane is used. If I introduced an entirely new way of using the device, it would be difficult for users to adapt.
Even after 15 to 17 versions, I had to rework it significantly. The final version is a handheld device, like a torch, with a high-accuracy LiDAR sensor. The training is based on movement angles — just like a cane, users move it up and down, left to right. The device gives vibration feedback when obstacles are detected, and users can easily understand it after about 10 days of use.
What challenges did you face in ensuring accuracy and reliability in real-world environments?
From a technical perspective, building the product was not very difficult for me. I was trained by engineers who were already building products. The device includes a compact design, no need for a cane, 90 days of battery backup on a single charge, and a high-accuracy LiDAR sensor. The main challenge was that I was building for a visually impaired community while not being visually impaired myself. I didn’t fully understand their needs initially. It took around one and a half years and 27–28 iterations just for Navinaut.
I had to rely entirely on user feedback from pilots. Whatever changes they suggested, I had to implement, because I couldn’t assume their requirements.
The second challenge was manufacturing. I couldn’t find manufacturers willing to produce in small quantities. Most required orders in the thousands, while I needed only 50 to 100 units. It took about 4 months after the pilot to find a suitable manufacturer. Now, both issues are resolved. We have a community of over 4,000 visually impaired users who actively participate in pilots, and we handle about 70% of manufacturing in-house, with plans to expand further.
Navinaut has a detection limit of one metre. Was that a technical constraint?
The sensor can accurately detect up to four metres. However, during testing with users and consultations with professionals and ophthalmologists at LV Prasad Eye Institute, the recommended effective range was between one to 1.5 metres.
Some approaches like varying vibration intensity based on distance caused confusion and misinterpretation. So we standardised the detection to one metre, which allows users to detect obstacles comfortably and in advance without confusion.
How do you see assistive technology in India evolving over the next decade?
India is one of the largest homes for visually impaired people, projected to reach 2.77 billion by 2030. However, the biggest issue is that companies — both Indian and global — are not building for customers. They are building for governments and CSR initiatives.
The industry will only evolve if products are built for actual users, not just for distribution. Another major drawback is the lack of a proper certification or validation body for assistive technology. Unlike other sectors, there is no standardised authority to verify usability and technical reliability.
As a result, many products are built and distributed without proper validation. Since visually impaired users rely completely on these devices, even small errors can lead to serious consequences, including accidents.
The future will improve only if there is a government-backed authentication system ensuring that only validated, user-tested products reach the market.
What is the roadmap ahead for Alien Innovations?
Currently, Navinaut is our only product in the market. We have another product that has been tested, validated, and is almost ready for production. It is designed for visually impaired employees who prefer not to carry anything in their hands, and we plan to launch it in the next couple of months.
We also have two more products in the pipeline. One of them, Blind Eye, was recognised by the United Nations Generation Unlimited in 2024 as one of the top 10 global innovations — the first from India to receive this recognition. We are planning to launch it in January 2027 on International Braille Day.
Additionally, we are developing a product for people with both hearing and speech impairments. Our goal is to make the world more accessible for people with disabilities, focusing on affordability and accuracy.