Team Blume excels in Microsoft’s Asia contest

NEW DELHI — A student team from India has emerged as the runners-up at Microsoft’s annual Imagine Cup Asia regional finals for developing an Android app that allows patients to scan the RFID tag on prescription medication to ensure its authenticity and allergen-compatibility with the patient.

The Team Blume-India members are from the Vellore Institute of Technology in Tamil Nadu and the Ramaiah Institute of Technology in Bengaluru who met through college connections, Microsoft said in a statement.

Team Blume, together with fellow runners-up Tulibot from Indonesia and Zest from Singapore will receive $2,500 each for their projects.

This year’s Imagine Cup Asia Finals was held via Microsoft Teams and saw the 10 finalists from seven countries virtually present their inventions to secure a place in the World Championships in May.

“We’re glad to see student teams from across Asia showcase their unique solutions that have the potential to create lasting impact,” said Jennifer Ritzinger, general manager, Audience Evangelism, Microsoft.

The Team Blume-India includes VR Karthik, an Android developer with a knack for blockchain development; Hemant Joshi, a backend programmer whose core skills are website and blockchain development; and Hemant H Kumar, an electronics enthusiast with a passion for UI/UX design, video making, and marketing.

The 10 finalist student teams — from Japan, Singapore, Nepal, Indonesia, India, China and Hong Kong — were selected from various rounds of the competition online or through inperson events. —