Kaavya Tatavarty

Researcher | Maker | Robotics

Research intern at UC Berkeley developing communication devices for deaf-blind individuals and medical diagnostic tools. Team Captain of Gunn Robotics Team, 3rd Place Grand Prize at ISEF 2025, published researcher focused on accessibility and healthcare innovation.

I build devices that bridge critical gaps in healthcare and accessibility. My work includes an internal bleeding detection device using electromagnetic phase-shift spectroscopy to monitor tissue properties, a 9ft tall elevator driven by chain and cascading rigging with a worm gearbox and spring-loaded bearings, and a glove that enables deafblind communication over long distances by reading forearm muscle activations using sEMG sensors and translating them to gestures through ML models.

LinkedIn GitHub

Researcher

UC Berkeley Bio-Thermal Laboratory

Research Intern | March 2024 - Present

Communication Device for Usher Syndrome: Developing a wearable platform that translates sign language (sEMG signals) into haptic feedback, enabling deaf-blind individuals to communicate. Built custom hardware with sensors and haptic motors, trained personalized neural networks achieving 94% accuracy.

Post-Partum Hemorrhage Detection: Researching low-cost medical device using bio-impedance and Maxwell's equations to detect post-partum hemorrhaging, addressing a critical maternal health challenge in resource-limited settings.

Recognition

→ 3rd Grand Prize - Regeneron ISEF 2025 (Biomedical Engineering, 1700 finalists from 67 countries)
→ 3rd Place Student Poster Presentation - ICEBI/EIT Conference 2025 (International Conference on Electrical BioImpedance and Electrical Impedance Tomography)
→ Grand Prize Winner - Synopsys Science Fair 2025

Publications

Tatavarty, K., Johnson, M., & Rubinsky, B. (2025). Cloud-Based Personalized sEMG Classification Using Lightweight CNNs for Long-Term Haptic Communication in Deaf-Blind Individuals. Bioengineering, 12(11), 1167.

https://doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering12111167 →

Tatavarty, K., Johnson, M., & Rubinsky, B. (2025). Personalized Cloud-Based sEMG-to-Haptic System to Enable Long-Distance Communication for Usher Syndrome. Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 3014(1), 012005.

International Conference on Electrical BioImpedance and Electrical Impedance Tomography (ICEBI 2025)

https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/3014/1/012005 →

Maker

Glove for Deafblind Communication

UC Berkeley Research | 2024-Present

Enables deafblind communication over long distances by reading forearm muscle activations using surface-electromyography (sEMG) sensors, translating them to gestures using ML models, and conveying messages through haptic vibrations. Independently designed and built the entire system including all hardware and software components.

Mentor: Dr. Rubinsky introduced me to Usher Syndrome, guided design criteria, helped obtain UC Berkeley IRB for human testing, and provided funding for tools.

sEMG Sensors Machine Learning Haptic Feedback

Internal Bleeding Detection Device

WIP

UC Berkeley Research | 2025

Detection device using electromagnetic phase-shift spectroscopy to monitor tissue properties. By tracking phase-shift over time, it alerts users when internal bleeding is present. Designed and built independently from home makerspace.

Mentor: Dr. Rubinsky introduced me to magnetic induction spectroscopy and the electrical properties of tissues, and purchased components for my design.

RF Circuits Magnetic Induction Signal Generator Inductive Coils

9ft Multi-Stage Elevator Mechanism

Gunn Robotics Team 192 | 2025

Driven by chain and cascading string rigging with a worm gearbox and spring-loaded bearings to prevent derailing. Designed all CAD models with hands-on machining and led the elevator mechanism team, making all design decisions.

Team: Teammates contributed to design discussions and fabrication.

Cascading Rigging Worm Gear Gearbox Lathe Machining Mill Machining

UnSugared - AI Nutrition Analysis

Congressional App Challenge | 2023

Mobile application leveraging computer vision and OpenAI API to analyze nutritional content and provide personalized health recommendations. Congressional App Challenge Recognition.

GitHub →

Habit Master

Congressional App Challenge | 2022

Mobile app designed to help veterans transition to civilian life through habit formation and goal tracking. Features personalized triggers, behavior tracking, and positive reinforcement system. Won first place from Rep. Brad Wenstrup.

Mobile Development Behavioral Psychology UX Design

Hear Me Out - Assistive Voice System

3M Young Scientist Challenge | 2022

Personalized voice communication platform for individuals with speech impairments. Custom ML models trained on Raspberry Pi for real-time speech generation. State Winner recognition.

Python Machine Learning Raspberry Pi

Tools & Technologies

Python PyTorch Streamlit Java Onshape CAD 3D Printing Raspberry Pi Arduino Milling & Lathe OpenAI API LangChain

Leadership

Team Captain - Gunn Robotics Team 192

January 2025 - Present

Leading 50 students through the design, build, and competition cycle of FIRST Robotics. Coordinated cross-functional teams (mechanical, electrical, programming, business) to deliver a competitive robot in six weeks.

2024 Season (as team member): 1st Place at Idaho Regional, qualified for World Championships in Houston. Personally contributed 200+ hours designing custom drivetrains and elevator mechanisms.

President, Youth Council - Inventurous

June 2023 - Present

Leading youth initiatives at this nonprofit focused on sustainability and community engagement. Created a public art installation at Cupertino Library with an interactive website promoting environmental awareness. Designed eco-friendly products and led community outreach programs.

Community Engagement

Vista Center for the Visually Impaired

Volunteer | 2025-Present

Working directly with visually impaired individuals to understand accessibility challenges. This hands-on experience informs the design and development of assistive communication technologies in research work.

Special Needs Robotics Coach

Gunn Robotics Team 192 | 2023

Established and coached robotics team for special needs middle school students. Developed inclusive curriculum and learning environment enabling all students to engage with engineering fundamentals and competitive robotics.

Public Art & Sustainability Initiative

Inventurous Nonprofit | 2023

Led creation of interactive public art installation at Cupertino Library addressing environmental sustainability. Designed complementary educational website and eco-friendly product line for community outreach.

Women's Basketball

All-Star Player | 2023

Santa Clara County JV Basketball All-Star. Applied principles of teamwork, strategic thinking, and perseverance from competitive athletics to collaborative engineering environments.

Personal

Background

Senior at Henry M. Gunn High School in Palo Alto, California. My work centers on developing accessible technology and medical devices that address critical needs in underserved communities, with particular focus on assistive communication systems and diagnostic tools for resource-limited settings.

Research interests span biomedical engineering, machine learning applications in healthcare, and human-computer interaction. Currently investigating sEMG signal processing for communication devices and bio-impedance sensing for medical diagnostics through work at UC Berkeley.

Education

Henry M. Gunn High School
Palo Alto, California
Coursework: Multivariable Calculus, AP Physics C, AP Computer Science A, Engineering Design

Languages & Interests

English (proficient), Hindi (fluent), Chinese (elementary)
Interests: Biomedical devices, accessibility technology, competitive robotics, basketball

Connect

LinkedIn GitHub