PV Sindhu to raise awareness on breast cancer with Augmented Reality

Do you want to take a video selfie or a velfie with current Badminton sensation PV Sindhu, that too from the comfort of your home or office? Now you can, thanks to Augmented Reality (AR). Sindhu has taken up a unique AR initiative to raise awareness about the importance of early detection of breast cancer. All you have to do is download the app named 'ABCs of Breast Health' by Avantari Apps from Google Playstore or Apple App Store and a life-size video of Sindhu would appear right in front of you where she will explain the importance of breast cancer awareness. 

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Breast Cancer Awareness 

This unique AR initiative has been promulgated by Padma Shri awardee Dr Raghuram, who is the founder of Ushalakshmi Breast Cancer Foundation. With 1,62,000 new cases being diagnosed every year, breast cancer is the commonest cancer affecting women in India. Due to lack of awareness about cancer's early detection, more than 70 per cent of the present cases are in the advanced stages. Consequently, every ten minutes, a woman succumbs to breast cancer in India. It is not just Sindhu. The idea of using augmented reality in this app is to have a one-on-one interaction with a doctor, without him or her being physically present being there. You can even take a selfie with the doctor in your own surroundings.

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Speaking about the initiative, Sindhu said, "Dr Raghu Ram and I were conferred the Padma Shri on the same day in 2015 and over the past several years, I have been actively associated with the Pink Ribbon Campaign that he has been championing in India. I commend Ushalakshmi Breast Cancer Foundation for championing this unique initiative that aims to take the message of ‘Early Detection of Breast Cancer' into people’s homes through life-size augmented reality technology.  I sincerely hope that many more lives would be saved through this remarkable technology. If my celebrity status can help achieve this goal, I would consider it my good fortune to have been associated with this very noble campaign,”

Explaining how he would utilise the AR technology, Dr Raghu Ram said, “Over the past 12 years, the foundation has been working with missionary zeal through a number of unique initiatives in an endeavour to transform breast cancer from a taboo issue to a much commonly discussed. My main focus is to take life-size augmented reality technology to rural India where 70 per cent of our population resides. Starting with my adopted village, Ibrahimpur, which is located in the remotest part of Medak district in Telangana, Ushalakshmi Breast Cancer Foundation would be using this revolutionary technology to empower people in the villages about the importance of early detection and create the much needed awareness amongst the underprivileged section of the population, which hopefully would save scores of lives through early detection. I would be seeking the assistance of the Telangana government in utilising this technology to empower people in every village all across Telangana. I shall also be writing to our Prime Minister to explore opportunities to replicate this initiative in all the villages all over India. I have no words to express gratitude to a dear friend, P V Sindhu for standing shoulder to shoulder with the foundation in this landmark initiative,”

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