6 Groundbreaking Indian AI Innovations That Are Revolutionising Healthcare, Education, and Public Safety

This article was originally published on the NITI Frontier Tech Respository.

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Innovation in India often emerges from a simple problem that feels personal – how to help a friend navigate a city, how to keep a school open during a lockdown, or how to trace infections in a crowded factory. What transforms these problems into solutions is a convergence of context-aware design and dependable technological support. 

These AI-powered tools weren’t born in boardrooms – they were shaped in labs, hospitals, and classrooms by people building for the world around them. And with the right infrastructure and mentorship, they’ve gone on to reach thousands.

1. Visual navigation through an AI-powered backpack

Created by Jagadish K Mahendran to help a friend, this innovation combines a voice-activated AI assistant with spatial recognition technology to assist visually impaired users in navigating urban environments. 

Housed in a backpack, the system uses an OAK-D spatial AI camera, a computing unit, and an 8-hour battery pack to identify crosswalks, traffic signs, moving objects, and elevation changes. Connected via Bluetooth to the user’s earphones, the device guides them through voice prompts, helping bridge the gap between independence and accessibility.

2. Smart video surveillance for pandemic protocols

Founded by Dr Tinku Acharya, Videonetics developed ‘SAJAG’ is an AI-powered pandemic management suite that enables continuous surveillance across cityscapes, IT parks, hospitals, and more. 

The platform uses video analytics to monitor COVID-19 protocols like social distancing, mask usage, and lockdown compliance. SAJAG has helped civic authorities maintain public safety with precision and real-time alert systems.

3. Reinventing English learning in government schools

English Helper’s ‘RightToRead’ initiative, started by Venkat Srinivasan and Sanjay Gupta, brings AI-enabled multisensory reading software to classrooms. With editions for schools, virtual classrooms, and students, the software reads out English textbooks, aiding comprehension through both sight and sound. 

Currently deployed in over 28,000 schools, the initiative has helped bridge learning gaps for millions of students, particularly during remote learning phases of the pandemic.

4. COVID-19 protocol monitoring using smart ID tags

Vacus Tech, co-founded by Pratik Magar and Venugopal, developed indoor positioning technology embedded in employee ID cards to track compliance with COVID-19 protocols in factories and offices. 

Initially focused on smart buildings, the company pivoted during the pandemic, scaling production from 4,000 to over 10,000 tags with real-time social distancing alerts and simplified contact tracing, ensuring workplace safety in industries critical to economic continuity.

5. Fast-tracking diabetic retinopathy diagnosis with NETRA.AI

India’s growing diabetic population faces a high risk of retinopathy-induced blindness. In response, Sankara Eye Foundation and Leben Care collaborated with Intel to create NETRA.AI, a deep learning tool that screens retinal images in under a minute. 

The system has already screened 3,293 patients and identified 812 at-risk individuals, offering early interventions where ophthalmologist access is limited.

6. Accelerating genome sequencing with haystack analytics

To tackle the COVID-19 pandemic through genomic insights, Haystack Analytics developed a sequencing dashboard in collaboration with IIT Bombay. Deployed for Mumbai’s municipal body, the tool condenses a traditionally 72-hour–15-day genome sequencing process to under 36 hours. 

Haystack also reduced analytics time from an hour to just 15 minutes, helping public health authorities understand virus mutations faster and cheaper.

Unlocking potential through systems of support

These AI-driven innovations are an integral step forward towards the goals of the National Digital Health Mission, Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan and NEP 2020 objectives of equitable, technology-enabled learning across geographies. Workplace safety tools and pandemic monitoring systems align with Digital India and Smart Cities Mission priorities by promoting responsive governance and tech-enabled infrastructure. 

Together, these solutions advance the broader vision of Viksit Bharat@2047 by reinforcing inclusion, digital empowerment, and evidence-based public service delivery.

These innovations underscore a deeper truth: India’s AI transformation is not just about individual genius, but rather about platforms that nurture problem-solving at scale. While each of these AI innovations addresses a different problem, together they point to a shift in how technology is being developed and used — not for novelty, but for necessity. 

These solutions are scalable, responsive, and mindful of infrastructure limitations. They show how AI, when paired with domain insight and grounded design, can extend the reach of healthcare, improve learning outcomes, and make public systems more resilient. And while these AI solutions span varied domains, they are united by a single ambition: making access, diagnosis, learning, and safety more equitable.

In a world recalibrating its priorities post-pandemic, such tools are not just clever—they are essential to building resilient public systems, advancing digital governance, and expanding the boundaries of inclusion.

To read more such stories, visit NITI Frontier Tech Repository.