Anirudh Sharma

Why you should listen

Anirudh Sharma's interest lies in deep-tech, science-based social entrepreneurship. He fuses cutting-edge sensor, wearable and man-machine interface technology. In 2010, Sharma invented a haptic shoe called "Lechal" to guide the blind. Lechal was the earliest wearable innovation designed for the visually challenged. During his tenure at Fluid Interfaces Group at the MIT Media Lab, Sharma worked on future fabrication and augmented reality with futuristic displays. After returning from MIT, he co-led the nonprofit consortium MIT Media Lab India Initiative with the goal of remodeling and perpetuating self-organized, design-led innovation into the grassroots in India.

Sharma also cofounded Graviky Labs to evolve his side project KAALINK, a retrofit technology which captures particulate carbon emissions from chimneys or diesel engines (without affecting the performance of the engine) before they enter the atmosphere. The captured pollutants are then recycled into inks, called AIR-INK. Forty-five minutes of automotive emissions is equivalent to produce 30 milliliters of black AIR-INK. The company has found its niche globally, replacing conventional black inks applied to arts, printing and fashion industry as a means to offset carbon. To date, Graviky has recycled roughly 250 kilograms of PM2.5 air pollution waste, which has produced 1,200 liters of AIR-INK. Sharma also loves folk, magic and indie artforms.