Samsung has announced that 16-year-old Pranet Khetan of Shiv Nadar School in Gurugram has won the national Samsung Solve for Tomorrow 2025 competition for developing Paraspeak, an AI device that translates slurred Hindi speech into clear audio for people with speech issues. Pranet developed a customised dataset by recording the speech of over 30 patients in a paralysis care centre, then trained a cloud-based AI model to analyse dysarthric speech in real time. Paraspeak plans to enhance its support for more users and Indian languages. Samsung’s innovation initiative provided ₹1 crore incubation funding to the top four teams at IIT Delhi.
In a highly competitive academic atmosphere, sixteen-year-old Pranet Khetan of Shiv Nadar School, Gurugram, stands out for his unconventional approach to communication rather than traditional competition. Unlike other students who prioritise grades, he focuses on effective communication. Paraspeak is an innovative, matchbox-sized gadget that uses artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to help stroke and Parkinson’s sufferers speak clearly even if their voices are impaired. Pranet’s idea, Paraspeak, was selected as one of four winners in the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow 2025 competition. This unique gadget records the user’s voice, processes it using a cloud-based AI model, and delivers a translated output in fluent Hindi.
Samsung Solve for Tomorrow is a well-known education program by Samsung that aims to enable young people to tackle real-world difficulties using technology. The current year’s national technology competition is centred on four important themes: AI for a Safer, Smarter, and Inclusive Bharat; the Future of Health, Hygiene, and Well-being in India; Environmental Sustainability via Technology; and Social Change through Sport and Technology. Four teams won the competition and received ₹1 crore in incubation support at IIT Delhi.
Pranet plans to grow Paraspeak by improving its accuracy and collaborating with assistive technology companies to install the device in hospitals and homes across India. He intends to broaden its ability to incorporate other Indian languages, which are frequently missed by global AI systems. The notion for this technology came from a 16-year-old asking at his school’s IT lab about the lack of gadgets capable of interpreting Hindi speech, particularly for individuals who struggle to express themselves. Pranet’s original idea led to his being named a national champion in the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow 2025 competition.
Pranet came up with the idea for Paraspeak in May 2024, while visiting a paralysis treatment centre in New Delhi. During his visit, he saw patients who were having difficulty communicating, including stroke survivors, those with cerebral palsy, and people living with Parkinson’s. He spent the following year on automated speech recognition (ASR) systems. Recognising the lack of a comprehensive database on dysarthric Hindi speech caused by neurological illnesses, he decided to develop one himself.
