Arushi Tandon

Biomedical Engineering, Natural + Applied Sciences

Thesis: Seamless Transitions: From Disability to Dignity

Introduce yourself:

I am a dreamer, thinker, and do-er. I am a Master's student in Biomedical Engineering, and have built many inventions from the needs I have noticed around me. I plan on continuing to make affordable, disruptive innovations, so that they can improve the quanlity of life for their users, just like my bed-wheelchair did for my grandma.

What are you researching and what do you hope comes out of your research?

I am researching affordable and innovative solutions for large scale biomedical problems in hospital, clinical and caregiving settings. These are real problems affecting daily lives of patients and caregivers. My research hopes to create simple and affordable solutions to improve their quality of life.

How does presenting a Three Minute Thesis (3MT) help you to explain your research to the public?

3MT provides a platform for me to present, explain and demonstrate both the need as well as my solution invention. This will allow the public to notice the problem as well as help them decide if they want my solution.

What inspires you to do research?

A lot of my devices are built to help those around me. Not all of them have huge profitable markets, and may only sell to a handful people. But they end up solving huge problems in their daily lives. This social satisfaction is a huge motivator for me that my research has real world impact.

What are three key words important to your 3MT?

invention, patented, high-impact

How does your research impact local, provincial, or global communities?

This has a very high potential to help every immobile person be independent and use the restroom, instead of relieving themselves on their beds. This can be used by geriatric population, people in hospitals, this in old age homes as well as people recovering from accidents.

If you had to dedicate your research to anyone from the past, present, or future, who would it be and why?

It has to be my grandmother. This was built to help deal with her immobility and allow her to use the restroom. This wheelchair already has a high impact, because when she couldn't even walk, it allowed her to be independent and confident in living her life.