KOCHI: Personal experiences often inspire people to come up with ideas that prove beneficial to many. Kochi-native Vibin Varghese had such a story to tell. He had suffered from a speech impediment during his childhood.
“In those days, there were no facilities to identify such problems in the early stages. It was identified only in a later stage when the problem was severe. In these situations, it would take long periods of therapies to rectify it,” said Vibin, who is a technopreneur. “My childhood memories are filled with my struggles with speech impediment and the therapy sessions that I had to undergo to rectify the disorder,” he added.
This prompted Vibin to come up with a solution with the help of technology. “I wanted to develop an application that would aid in detecting Neuro Development Disorders (NDDs) in children even in early stages. Once these disorders are detected early, therapy can be started immediately and the problem could be rectified,” he added. The innovative mobile application called Metanoa identifies early symptoms of NDD in a child by analysing their comprehensive growth.
Vibin, who developed the mobile application along with his wife Susan Varghese, said, “What makes the application unique is that it helps parents to conduct the therapy sessions for their children at home, with the help of trained therapists and doctors.”
“Another feature is that its Artificial Intelligence engine will notify the therapist, doctor and the parent if the prescribed therapy is not effective or making progress. It will then suggest the next best possible therapies or solutions for the child,” said Vibin.
The mobile application has been so successful that it recently got the prestigious Mohammed Bin Rashid Innovation Fund (MBRIF) instituted by the UAE Government. “Besides speech delays, the app helps early identification of autism, learning disorders and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD),” he added. Besides, parents and hospitals, and schools too can use this app to identify the NDDs among their students, he added.
According to him, the startup was founded in 2019. “Over the years, we have been successful in bringing about a lasting and meaningful impact in the lives of children and parents we work with,” said Vibin. He said the UAE government has expressed interest in using this application in the country.