Venkatesh Dempo may not be a household name in the US, but he's making waves in his native India.
The 17-year-old is the youngest-ever winner of the prestigious FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Tech Challenge, which is meant to promote science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education, reports the New York Times.
Dempo, who is from the coastal state of Goa, took home the gold medal in the "helping hands" category for his team, GoAtronics, which built an app called Tourism De Goa to promote the state, reports the Gomantak Times.
He also took home a gold medal in the "Builder" category for his team's robot, which had to navigate a "three-dimensional obstacle course" using only its arms, per the Times.
Dempo, who plans to attend MIT in the fall, also took home a gold medal in the "App Inventor" category for an app designed to empower rural children with knowledge, per the Gomantak Times.
" Venkatesh's journey in robotics and innovation in Goa has been remarkable," his father, Yatish Dempo, tells the Times.
"In the captivating world of innovation and robotics in Goa, one outstanding
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