Armed with a crisp new suit and a wheelchair, electrical engineering graduate students Darshan Karnawat and Tapan Khilnani set off for the LeadingAge Hackfest competition last October in Nashville, Tennessee. They were looking for a way to get more involved with extracurricular activities; what they got was more life-changing than they could have imagined.
Having completed undergraduate studies in electronics and telecommunications in their native Mumbai, India, Karnawat and Khilnani had much in common when they met as students at Penn State Harrisburg, including the desire to enhance their career prospects with extracurricular activities.
While brainstorming, sometimes into the wee hours of the morning, the two friends looked at computer competitions to which they could apply and came across LeadingAge Hackfest. The two-day, worldwide competition challenges teams to “Engage with Age” by creating a technology-driven tool aimed at improving the lives of older adults. Tools may include software applications, websites, interactive online experiences, or devices.
After an extensive application process, including submitting their résumés and taking an aptitude test, they were selected.
Karnawat, who had forgotten his suit in India, quickly got a new one in New York City and Khilnani, who had recently broken his leg, had to depend on a wheelchair and crutches to get around.
Hackfest competitors came from around the world and from prestigious schools including Duke and Harvard. Karnawat and Khilnani weren’t sure what to expect — other than a chance to hone their coding skills — but they were eager to participate.
Before arriving at the competition, they were randomly assigned into a five-member team representing different disciplines. The two engineers were joined by a business management master’s student from George Washington University, an undergraduate computer science student from Rice University, and a computer programming teacher. Dr. Robert E. Burke, the Gordon A. Friesen professor of health care administration at George Washington University, mentored the team.
Because the competition focused on improving the lives of older adults, the group also had two Council of Elders consultants helping out. According to Khilnani, the team was like a family.
After an intense and exhilarating weekend, Karnawat and Khilnani’s team proudly came away with the top prize. Yet, the most inspiring and rewarding part for them came early in the competition at a group activity in which they had to experience what it was like to be elderly.
To mimic physical issues that come with advanced age, competitors were outfitted in glasses that were shaded but for two small holes, earplugs, a drinking straw in one nostril and cotton in the other. One knee was tightly bandaged so it wouldn’t bend, lentils were put in their shoes for instability, and several fingers were bound together. They then had to sign out, leave the room, use the bathroom, get a drink of water, and return.
Khilnani, whose broken leg hampered his efforts, was unable to complete the task. “I couldn’t do it, I couldn’t make it to the water fountain alone,” he said. “I had to have one of the elderly people there hold my hand and assist me. I was so touched, it brought tears to my eyes.”
Karnawat and Khilnani said they gained a new respect for what the elderly experience. “People tend not to know what’s happening with the elderly. We got a chance to experience it,” Karnawat said. “We realized how much pain and suffering they go through.”
That experience inspired the students and their teammates. They brainstormed different project ideas, debating heavily, their emotions driven by the early group activity. Settling on one idea was a challenge, they said, but they were determined to find a tool to help people.
After discarding many ideas, including an automatic turn-off stove, the group decided on a software tool they dubbed “GaitMaster,” which works with the Xbox Kinect gaming console to measure gait and gait velocity via sensors on three different points on the hips, knees and ankles.
Their tool was designed to assess risk factors related to falls with the ultimate goal of reducing hospital re-admissions and providing higher quality care. The team envisioned the tool being used by physicians, physical therapists and discharge planners, among others, to assess the progression of therapy.
Karnawat and Khilnani asserted that the Xbox Kinect is a great platform for hacking into other uses.
“People are doing a lot of research with the Kinect,” Karnawat said. “It is a good platform that is easy to develop applications on. It can be used in science, agriculture, engineering.”
For the next 48 hours, they coded non-stop. Karnawat’s fancy new suit was thrown by the wayside as they rolled up their sleeves, furiously developing their idea — an idea that, once developed, became their personal property.
Khilnani, with his broken leg, provided for an excellent test subject. They tested their product more than 100 times before presenting to the competition judges. Having a prototype enabled them to do a live presentation, giving them a significant edge over their competition.
The students had to catch an early flight back to Pennsylvania so they couldn’t stay for the results. Karnawat happened to turn on his phone for a few moments before takeoff and discovered that they had won. They exuberantly expressed their excitement at winning, to the surprise and consternation of other passengers.
For their efforts, the team shared $5,000 and prequalifies for this year’s Hackfest in Boston, Massachusetts. Karnawat said that his cut of the prize money was spent quickly, helping to pay for the new suit.
While winning this international competition was definitely an achievement, the students said that the networking and the chance to develop something to help others was significant.
“We went into this competition with an open mind and no expectations,” Karnawat said. “What we got was one heck of an experience. A great first experience in America. It was a chance to ‘do something different,’ as my dad always used to say.”
Khilnani, whose uncle attempted to encourage him to stay on campus and work on his thesis instead of going to Hackfest, said, “We’ve learned that while classroom work is definitely necessary, what you do outside of the classroom can have a big impact as well."
Since the competition, Karnawat and Khilnani have continued to perfect their GaitMaster, adopting the design for one of their classes, and have participated in “hack-a-thons” in New York City. They say they are definitely planning to return to the LeadingAge Hackfest, this year.
Khilnani said that the experience opened doors for them and job interviews came as a result of winning the competition. He is currently working for Visa in Texas.
Karnawat, who spent the summer working at Starkey Hearing Technologies in Minnesota, a biomedical company which manufactures hearing aids compatible with iOS smart phones, said, “When they hear that we have won Hackfest, their interest is immediately piqued and they want to hear all about that experience. It turns the conversation.”