Buchanan Honors Bradenton Student Who Invented App to Help Older Adults

BRADENTON, Fla. - Today, Congressman Vern Buchanan recognized Manav Pulluru as the winner of the 2024 Congressional App Challenge for Florida's 16^th District. Pulluru, a junior who attends The Out-of-Door Academy, designed a software application to help older adults over the age of 65 determine if there are falling risks in their living environment.

Buchanan commended Pulluru for his app and his commitment to serving older Americans. "I am very impressed and heartened to see this young student using his abilities to help our aging population," said Buchanan. "Falls are the leading cause of injury for adults ages 65 and older, with over 14 million older adults reporting a fall every year. With nearly two hundred thousand seniors in my district and millions throughout the state of Florida, this app has the potential to help lower these risks and keep people safe."

"STEM education gives students the tools they need to succeed and help the U.S. compete in an increasingly global 21^st century economy," Buchanan continued. "Children are 25 percent of the population, but 100 percent of the future, and the future is in good hands with students like Manav."

The winning entry, SafeHavenAI, uses AI and image recognition from uploaded photos, along with a sophisticated algorithm and questions approved by doctors, to screen for potential fall risks within a home. Pulluru was inspired to create this app after having a great-grandfather fall and break his hip, causing him to be bedridden. He is hoping to ensure others do not suffer or lose their lives from preventable falls.

"After seeing how a fall changed the life of my own great-grandfather, I knew something had to be done," said Pulluru. "With one in four older adults falling each year, my partner and I created SafeHavenAI to prevent these accidents. I hope that this app will be able to eliminate preventable falls from seniors, helping families like mine save money and ensuring their loved ones are safer in their living environment."

Pulluru designed the app in tandem with Ashni Singh, a ninth-grade student at Choate Rosemary Hall in San Fransisco, California.

The app will be featured on House.gov for one year and additionally will be housed on CongressionalAppChallenge.us for the foreseeable future. Pulluru will also receive waived copyright registration application fees through the ARTS Act.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts overall employment in the economy to grow by 4.0 percent between 2023 and 2033, while jobs in STEM fields are expected to grow by 10.4 percent.

The Congressional App Challenge was created by the U.S. House of Representatives in 2015 and allows students to compete against their peers across the country by creating an app for desktop/PC, web, tablet, mobile, raspberry Pi or other devices. The challenge is designed to promote innovation and engagement in computer science.