RHS Sophomore Wins 2025 Congressional App Challenge

The Richland School District is proud to announce that Richland High School sophomore Akshath Motkuri has been named the 2025 Congressional App Challenge winner for Washington’s Fourth District by Rep. Dan Newhouse.

Akshath’s winning app, GlucoBone, is a simple, affordable health-monitoring system designed to help detect the early onset of diabetes and bone-related conditions such as arthritis, diabetic foot, foot ulcers, and varicose veins. The system is non-invasive and does not rely on costly lab tests or expensive insurance, making it more accessible to a wide range of users.

The idea for GlucoBone was inspired by Akshath’s personal experiences with his family in India. During visits with his grandparents, Akshath witnessed his grandfather managing diabetes through traditional blood sugar testing methods that required repeated finger pricks. Seeing the physical discomfort and emotional toll of this process motivated Akshath to explore a more humane and accessible approach to health monitoring.

GlucoBone is an AI-powered diagnostic tool that uses three sensors—the MPU6050, flex sensor, and piezoelectric sensor—to collect data related to movement, bone pressure, and foot health. By monitoring indicators such as irregular motion, weight imbalance, and abnormal joint activity, the system can identify early warning signs of diabetes or bone disorders.

To analyze the data, Akshath implemented a K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN) machine learning algorithm, which classifies results into three categories: Diabetic, Bone Disorder Detected, or Normal. The model was trained using an 80/20 split of training and testing data to ensure accuracy and reliability.

What sets GlucoBone apart is its accessibility. The compact, user-friendly system is designed for use in rural clinics, low-resource communities, or even at home. Akshath’s work reflects a vision of preventative healthcare that is proactive, affordable, and centered on improving quality of life.

The Congressional App Challenge is an official initiative of the U.S. House of Representatives that encourages middle and high school students to explore computer science and develop practical technology solutions for their communities. Winners from each district are invited to showcase their work to Members of Congress, staff, and industry leaders at the annual #HouseOfCode celebration on Capitol Hill.