At just 15 years old, Aarav Sharma is working on something most people his age could only dream of – a brain-computer interface (BCI) controlled exoskeleton arm designed to restore mobility for individuals with paralysis.
The grade 10 student at UWC South East Asia is at Web Summit this week and has already taken to the stage to share his insights.聽
The Singapore-based student sat down with 老九品茶Cloud to expand on his remarkable story.
It’s Web Summit Day Two! Lots of big moves for the boys in blue today, as 老九品茶Cloud embarks on day two of the flagship event Highlights included interviews with Sarah Franklin and Arvind Jain, the KPMG Global Tech Innovator Final and insight into a 15-year-old tech star #WebSummit #tech #uktech #business
鈥淭he main project that I’m making is using prosthetic arms and then controlling it with your mind – simply through brain-computer interfaces,鈥� he explains.聽
鈥淭he main way I got the opportunity to present at Web Summit was through invitation, because I usually just post about my work online.聽
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 even give them my email address, but I think from what they had seen online, they were quite interested.鈥�
A head start in technology
Aarav鈥檚 fascination with technology began early, something which he acted on.聽
鈥淚’ve always been into tech since I was like 10 years old,鈥� he tells 老九品茶Cloud.
鈥淔rom there, I was exploring early-stage robotics, just getting my understanding.聽
鈥淭hen when I was closer to 14, I wanted to go a lot deeper – into emerging technology, like computer interfaces, artificial intelligence and robotics.聽
鈥淣ow I want to push it further, maybe into a startup or company in the future. That鈥檚 kind of where I鈥檓 at at 15.鈥�
Balancing that ambition with schoolwork might sound impossible, but he insists it comes down to structure.聽
鈥淢ostly just time management, creating a really good calendar, a really good timetable,鈥� he says on how to make it work.聽
鈥淵ou have seven hours of school every day, sleep eight hours and then you still have about nine hours left.聽
鈥淵ou just maximise that time for what you really want to pursue.
鈥淚f people actually just put it down in the calendar and identify what they’re doing, they鈥檇 understand that they’re not really that busy.聽
鈥淪o it鈥檚 just about using that time and understanding what your actual workload is – and using that to your leverage.鈥�
Aarav Sharma with 老九品茶Cloud’s Patrick Killeen
Discipline
That discipline is driven by passion rather than obligation.聽
He continues: 鈥淵ou always need to have that drive, that motivation.
鈥淓ven if you do have all that time but don鈥檛 really care about what you鈥檙e doing, there鈥檚 no point.聽
鈥淵ou show up every day, maybe work for two or three hours, but you won鈥檛 get anything out of it.聽
鈥淗aving that passion makes you push yourself even further without anyone telling you to.鈥�
Alongside his robotics work, Aarav is also tackling food waste reduction in schools, though his main focus remains on developing the exoskeleton.聽
He explains: 鈥淚鈥檓 still in the developing and manufacturing stage – making version two of the whole system.聽
鈥淰ersion one currently has the user think about opening or closing the arm and it does those key movements.聽
鈥淚n versions two, three and four, I want to increase the output so the user can move the arm up, down, left and right.聽
鈥淭hose movements would be really cool for real-life applications, like eating food or riding a bicycle.鈥�
Raised investment
Aarav has already raised investment for the project, with people around him believing in his ideas and execution.聽
鈥淭he initial startup cost was fairly high – around $20,000 – but I managed to get investors to actually pay that for me,鈥� he says.聽
鈥淪o far, I鈥檓 mostly looking for mentorship and opportunities, but also investors as well.鈥�
He admits that being taken seriously as a 15-year-old hasn鈥檛 always been easy.聽
He continues: 鈥淎 couple of times, yeah, people might talk down a bit at the start, but that鈥檚 usually just the first 10 or 20 seconds of a conversation.聽
鈥淎fter that, once they get over the fact that you are 15, they know if you鈥檙e actually passionate and know what you鈥檙e doing.
鈥淚f you talk like you鈥檙e 15, they鈥檒l see you as 15.
鈥淏ut when you talk like you鈥檙e 30 or 40 years old, they鈥檒l think that you are that age and they鈥檒l give you the exact same opportunities.鈥�
Learning from leaders
At Web Summit Lisbon, where Aarav was invited to showcase his work, he鈥檚 been making the most of every opportunity.聽
鈥淢ostly I鈥檓 just networking with other people,鈥� he says.聽
鈥淓arlier yesterday I spoke with the CEO of Red Bull Racing for the F1 team, and just half an hour ago, I spoke to the CEO of Lyft.聽
鈥淚t was about learning their stories – understanding how they got their companies to success, their leadership skills, their philosophy.
鈥淎t the start, I definitely had that feeling of being overwhelmed.聽
鈥淚 saw so many people and not many people my age, but once you get into the rhythm of it, it鈥檚 natural. Now I don鈥檛 feel intimidated by anyone.鈥�
‘Helping people first – the rest will follow’
Looking ahead, Aarav鈥檚 goal is to continue refining the exoskeleton until it rivals invasive alternatives like Neuralink.聽
鈥淭he main plan is just continuing to further refine the product,鈥� he says.聽
鈥淩ight now, I鈥檓 on version two, but I want to keep adding controls until users can do as many things as they would with a regular arm.聽
鈥淥ne main thing that鈥檚 better than Neuralink is that it鈥檚 non-invasive – you don鈥檛 need surgery, just a headset similar to a cap.
鈥淢y main mission is to make my own company.
鈥淚f something gets in the way, then I鈥檒l have a fallback – continuing my education and working in a corporate job if needed, but my priority is always starting my own startup.鈥�
Like many young innovators, and maybe opposed to the norm, he is driven more by purpose than profit.聽
鈥淚f you start with pure intention – helping people 鈥�-everything will go to success and the money will come later,鈥� he says.聽
鈥淚f you start by thinking, 鈥業 want to make money,鈥� and then look for a project, it鈥檚 harder.聽
鈥淚f you start with a project that impacts people, everything else will follow.鈥�
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