Susant Pattnaik (bottom) demonstrates his breathing sensor to President Pratibha Patil. Telegraph pictures

Bhubaneswar, Oct. 1: Seventeen-year-old Susant Pattnaik has literally breathed new life into people suffering from disabilities with his amazing invention called Susant’s Breathing Sensor Apparatus.

A student of Class XI of DAV Public School, Unit VIII, Susant, said his creation would help people who use wheelchairs.

The device, attached with a breath sensor, would enable them to communicate with others by converting their breath into electromagnetic energy.

Susant hit upon the idea of inventing a device two years ago when he visited a hospital and saw a paralysed person who was struggling to convey his feelings to his family members.

Around two years later and after investing Rs 3 lakhs for his project, Sushant invented the technology-enabled gadget with guidance from his physics teacher Ajaya Samantaray. Sushant was provided financial assistance by his parents Narasimha Pattnaik, a veterinary doctor, and Rajashree, a housewife.

The battery-operated breathing sensor, which is worn as a headphone, is attached to a transmitter while the receiver device receives wireless signals in the form of breath. The sensor detects the breath and gives a signal. The controller in the wheelchair has LED bulbs that blink every two seconds. As the user breathes, the transmitter transmits the signal and the receiver receives it.

“With a bit of forceful breathing, one can operate all electrical and electronic appliances, move the wheel chair, call and type alphabets through a specially designed mobile phone attached to the headphone. It takes a little longer time than normal communication, but feelings can be conveyed through this method,” said Susant.

President Pratibha Patil and former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam have felicitated Susant for his innovation. He is also the only student from the state to have been shortlisted for the Intel IRIS science fair to be held in Mumbai this November.

The National Innovation Foundation, which has applied for a patent of the technology in Susant’s name, is attempting to develop a prototype of the device.