TorchIt

About This Project

In India, more than 90% of persons with disabilities (PwDs) live in low-income households, many of whom have very limited or no access to necessary assistive devices. With minimal chances of finding gainful employment, these individuals are often forced to live in dependency on their families, trapped in a cycle of ruthless poverty.

Torchit, a startup based in Ahmedabad, is working to address the basic needs of visually impaired individuals by providing a simple and affordable device. Their flagship product, Saarthi, is a portable smart cane with intelligent detection features that help visually impaired individuals identify obstacles in their physical environment. Saarthi, a bright invention by 24-year-old Bhagchandani, is priced at 2,500 INR.

Hunny Bhagchandani, the founder of Torchit, is second from the right in the picture. He is an alumnus of Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University in Gandhinagar and an Industrial Engineer. Hunny is also a member of the Royal Academy of Engineering in the UK and the MIT Media Lab.

India hosts the largest population of visually impaired individuals in the world, with more than 5 million according to the 2011 census. The country also has the highest number of people suffering from corneal blindness. The startup’s mission is to empower a community with diverse abilities by providing ‘independence power’ through the use of Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI).