A mobile app to find blood donor at the right time
One can download Bloodline Android app from the Google Play Store or register with Bloodlinelabs.com to join the network.
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CHENNAI: Thanks to an initiative by a group of IIT-Madras students, all you have to do to become a hero is roll up your sleeve. Technology will handle the rest.
The five-member team has developed a mobile app and a website to match people who need blood with those willing to give it, instantly. One can download Bloodline Android app from the Google Play Store or register with Bloodlinelabs.com to join the network. Once a request is placed, Bloodline runs algorithms to match potential donors based on location and blood group and notifies only them.
The country has a blood deficit of between 30% and 35% every year. In a land of 1.2 billion people it's ridiculous to say we can't meet the requirement, said Ashwin Krishnamoorthy, one of the founders. "The problem is not insufficient number of donors, but finding a willing donor at the right time. We want to build a network of people who can help each other during an emergency."
Instead of just providing people who need blood with an outdated list of regular donors who may or may not be available to help, Bloodline contacts the right people the moment they find out about the need, say its founders.
Ashwin said the thought struck him when he was contacting relatives and friends to find replacement donors for the blood used for his grandmother while undergoing cancer treatment.
The project has won recognition in the country and outside. It was among the six finalists in the Transform Urban India competition of the Indian Institute of Human Settlements. It was selected as one of the top three socially relevant ideas from India to look forward to in the Nasscom Social Innovation Honours 2013 competition. Vasant Sridhar, one of the founders, was invited to Stanford University to present the idea at the Stanford Innovation Expo, held as part of an entrepreneurship boot camp.
The students plan to keep the registration free and tie up with healthcare facilities and blood banks, who can reach out to willing donors on behalf of their patients. "The identity of the donor will not be revealed to the hospital or individual in need of blood till the potential donor gives the final verification that he is willing to donate blood," said Vasant.
In less than 10 days of the launch, on August 12, there were 340 web registrations, 323 app downloads and 510 likes on their Facebook page, say the students who plan to create a network among residents of Bangalore and Mumbai soon.
The five-member team has developed a mobile app and a website to match people who need blood with those willing to give it, instantly. One can download Bloodline Android app from the Google Play Store or register with Bloodlinelabs.com to join the network. Once a request is placed, Bloodline runs algorithms to match potential donors based on location and blood group and notifies only them.
The country has a blood deficit of between 30% and 35% every year. In a land of 1.2 billion people it's ridiculous to say we can't meet the requirement, said Ashwin Krishnamoorthy, one of the founders. "The problem is not insufficient number of donors, but finding a willing donor at the right time. We want to build a network of people who can help each other during an emergency."
Instead of just providing people who need blood with an outdated list of regular donors who may or may not be available to help, Bloodline contacts the right people the moment they find out about the need, say its founders.
Ashwin said the thought struck him when he was contacting relatives and friends to find replacement donors for the blood used for his grandmother while undergoing cancer treatment.
The project has won recognition in the country and outside. It was among the six finalists in the Transform Urban India competition of the Indian Institute of Human Settlements. It was selected as one of the top three socially relevant ideas from India to look forward to in the Nasscom Social Innovation Honours 2013 competition. Vasant Sridhar, one of the founders, was invited to Stanford University to present the idea at the Stanford Innovation Expo, held as part of an entrepreneurship boot camp.
The students plan to keep the registration free and tie up with healthcare facilities and blood banks, who can reach out to willing donors on behalf of their patients. "The identity of the donor will not be revealed to the hospital or individual in need of blood till the potential donor gives the final verification that he is willing to donate blood," said Vasant.
In less than 10 days of the launch, on August 12, there were 340 web registrations, 323 app downloads and 510 likes on their Facebook page, say the students who plan to create a network among residents of Bangalore and Mumbai soon.
