17-year-old Pranet Khetan, a Class 11 student from India, has created a powerful device called Paraspeak. It helps people who suffer from paralysis or neurological disorders like Parkinson’s and dysarthria (a condition that affects speaking ability).

The idea came to Pranet during a school visit to a paralysis care centre, where he saw how patients struggled to communicate even their basic needs. This moved him deeply, and he wanted to create something that could help them.

Paraspeak is an AI-powered device that understands slurred or unclear speech and turns it into understandable words. It is India’s first open-source speech recognition tool made especially for Hindi-speaking patients.

The best part? The device is low-cost and easy to access, making it helpful for hospitals and homes that don’t have expensive tools.

Pranet’s innovation has been recognised at top science fairs like IRIS National Fair and the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) 2025.

With this, Pranet has shown how young minds can use technology to change lives.