A former Bahrain resident has earned a prestigious award for his innovative creation – a wearable glove designed to make Braille learning more accessible.
Aditya Bhandari, a former student of the Indian School Bahrain (class of 2023) and a third-year student at Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology, Delhi, has secured second place at the flagship YUVAI Global Youth Startup Challenge, held during the AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi.
The event, conducted on February 19 and 20, reflected a shared vision to ensure that the development and deployment of AI systems are aligned with equity, cultural diversity and real-world needs across the world.
Mr Bhandari’s project – Wearable Assistive for Your Vision (WAYV) – stood out among participants from various countries, including India, Thailand and Vietnam, earning him a cash prize of INR10 lakhs (approximately BD4,150). He and fellow student Manya Chaturvedi received the award from India’s Union Minister for Electronics and IT Ashwini Vaishnaw.
Speaking to the GDN, Mr Bhandari explained that he and Ms Chaturvedi came up with the idea for the glove after recognising the need for technology that could bridge the gap between teaching and learning Braille.
Reports indicate that Braille textbooks and educational materials are often costly, slow to produce, and not delivered quickly enough to meet learners’ needs, especially in mainstream classrooms, under‑resourced schools and developing regions.
For students, learning Braille can also be a challenging and emotionally demanding process. Newly blind learners may struggle with trauma and adjustment, while adult learners may face stigma or self‑consciousness. These factors create a strong need for specialised, engaging and patient teaching approaches tailored to diverse learners.
“It is a one-of-a-kind glove with unique capabilities,” Mr Bhandari explained.
“We have been working on this project for the past year and a half. The glove we presented at the competition was the third prototype.
“I noticed that there was a huge market gap when it came to teaching Braille, which I think hindered the growth of real education.
“Learning needs a lot of effort and attention, made more difficult by a huge gap in the faculties as well in the Braille education domain.
“Once we noticed the gap, we decided to fill it in, and came up with WAYV.”
WAYV is a pair of wearable gloves that have flex sensors, button vibrators, a buzzer, and an interactive dashboard that speaks in the user’s native language. The current prototype features English and Bharati Braille, with provisions for Arabic Braille, to serve the significant Middle Eastern diaspora in the region.
The interface shows the users the alphabets that are mapped to each gesture, and it comes with two modes – Learning Mode, where the user learns the alphabet and Practice Mode, where they learn words, phrases and even complete sentences.
Instructors can also download report cards, and assess where the student is struggling.
During the user study phase, Mr Bhandari and Ms Chaturvedi achieved an ‘80 per cent increase in retention rates’ compared with traditional methods.
Mr Bhandari said they have already secured a patent for the glove and expect to release it for public use in the near future.
“We will be the first in the market to have this glove,” he said.
“There are plans to distribute overseas, with interest already being shown from Japan.
“In the next two years or so, we aim to distribute this to the Middle East, and if possible, Bahrain will be the priority market.
“I have always had a special connection with the kingdom, so I would like to contribute to the country that I lived in for a good portion of my life.
“When the time comes, I want to be able to make Bahrain the first country in the region to receive such a technology.”
nader@gdnmedia.bh
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