Lingampalli Himaja, 20, from West Godavari district, has advanced to the global top‑20 shortlist of the James Dyson Award 2026 after her voice‑controlled Braille printer RUDHRA impressed a panel of 12 Dyson engineers.
RUDHRA converts spoken words into embossed Braille using Alexa, a Raspberry Pi, stepper motors, and a solenoid embossing mechanism, allowing visually impaired users to create documents without manual slate‑and‑stylus.
The idea emerged during a college outreach visit to a school for the visually impaired, where Himaja witnessed students struggling with conventional writing tools. A student's suggestion to use voice input spurred her to replace the push‑button prototype with a speech‑driven design.
By enabling users to edit and store notes before printing, RUDHRA promises to reduce effort and increase accessibility for students and other visually impaired individuals. Himaja intends to make the device more compact, affordable, and deployable in schools, examination halls, and homes.
The top 20 finalists will advance to the competition’s final stage, where Sir James Dyson will select the global winners, to be announced on November 4, 2026. Each winner receives £30,000 to further develop their invention.