SAHIWAL: Three students of the Sahiwal Comsats Institute of Information Technology have developed an environment pollution detector.

The students -- Sohaib Hanif, Umairullah and Nadia Karim -- briefed the local people about the wearable detector on Friday.

They say the detector won the innovation award at the HEC-Microsoft sponsored Imagine Cup of 2016.

The trio, BS Computer Science final year students, began work on the project in September 2015. The gadget can detect the level of air pollution at any location.

Ms Karim said the World Health Organisation declared air pollution one of the world biggest killers and in such scenario, such devices should be available to warn individual about the pollution.

She said increase in carbon dioxide could create hypo ventilation, asthma and unconsciousness.

Mr Hanif said they would present the detector in an online worldwide competition being hosted by Microsoft Company. In case they win a semi-final, the trio will be invited to the US to attend the final.

He said they were improving the device along with Microsoft professionals and its final version would also read the percentage of gases, light, heat motion, moisture, humidity and air pressure.

“The device can convert all sensors into readable displays,” Mr Umairullah added. At a later stage, the device could be sent to social networks through a global App, centrally connected with Microsoft Azure Cloud App.

The estimated cost will be around Rs7,000, Mr Hanif said, adding the outreach of the device would be global.

That’s not enough for the proud trio, who say they want develop such a gadget which meet the needs of different people in different regions.

Published in Dawn, May 14th, 2016