Sirish Subash
Nowadays, pesticides are widely used in agriculture to protect crops from other creatures devouring them, ensuring there’s a bigger bounty that can reach more people’s tables. However, they can also have very bad effects on your health. While this seems to be mostly solved by washing your produce, 14-year-old Sirish Subash couldn’t help but wonder if there was a way to make sure there were no harmful residues on food after rinsing. Now, his breakthrough invention has earned him the title of America’s Top Young Scientist.
“My parents always insist that I wash my produce before consuming it. I wondered, how necessary is this really, and how effective is the washing,” Subash told MPR News. “Does it really work to ensure that your produce is clean?” This inspired him to create Pestiscand, an AI-based handheld pesticide detector.
Pestiscand works via spectrophotometry, measuring how light of different wavelengths bounces off the surface of produce. With the help of a sensor, a power supply, a display screen, and a processor, a machine learning model analyzes the data to determine the presence of pesticides. To use it, one must download a phone app, point Pestiscand at the fruit or vegetable, and tap the scan button to check if it needs another rinse. During testing, Pestiscand had an accuracy rate of identifying pesticide residues on spinach and tomatoes of greater than 85%.
“Oftentimes there are these residues from pesticides that are found on produce. If we could detect them, then we could ensure that we weren’t really consuming them,” Subash says. “That’s the main goal of Pestiscand, to help people ensure that they aren’t consuming pesticides used so they can avoid any associated health risks.”
Subash had the support of mentor Aditya Banerji, a senior research engineer in 3M’s Corporate Research Process Laboratory. As the grand prize winner, Subash was awarded a $25,000 cash prize. “This year’s Young Scientist Challenge finalists have demonstrated an incredible ability to develop creative solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges,” says Torie Clarke, EVP & chief public affairs officer at 3M. “I am beyond impressed and inspired by their intelligence and their scientific minds.
While Subash isn’t sure where life will take him next, he is sure of his love for science—particularly physics. “In 15 years, I hope to be designing and building devices that can help make the world a better place,” says the young scientist, “especially with climate change and environmental issues.”
14-year-old Sirish Subash was named America’s Top Young Scientist for creating Pestiscand, a device that spots traces of pesticides on produce.
Sirish Subash
Pestiscand works via spectrophotometry, measuring how light of different wavelengths bounces off the surface of produce.
Sirish Subash, Torie Clarke, and Brian Shaw
During testing, Pestiscand had an accuracy rate of identifying pesticide residues on spinach and tomatoes of greater than 85%.
Sirish Subash and mentor Aditya Banerji
As the grand prize winner, Subash was awarded a $25,000 cash prize.
Sirish Subash
Young Scientist Lab: Website
h/t: [MPR News]
All images via 3M.
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