Abhishek Appaji, associate professor of medical electronics engineering at B.M.S. College of Engineering in Bengaluru, India, created the Smart Eye Kiosk, an AI-powered device that scans retinal vascular patterns to monitor mental health and stress levels. The system measures vessel curvature, branching angles, thickness and dimensions as biomarkers for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, according to the IEEE Spectrum profile. Appaji holds an IEEE senior member grade and earned degrees from B.M.S. College of Engineering, University of Visvesvaraya and Maastricht University.

Appaji's doctoral thesis at Maastricht University examined computational methods to identify retinal vascular patterns that mirror neurovascular changes in the brain. The retina is the only location where the central nervous system and vascular system can be visualized directly and noninvasively. He collaborated with an ophthalmologist, a psychiatrist and engineering colleagues to develop and train the AI models; the project included a study funded by India's Cognitive Science Research Initiative, Department of Science & Technology, that collected data from patients and their relatives.

Appaji previously developed an AI-powered retina scanner for diabetic retinopathy and other conditions plus a smart bed for continuous vital-signs monitoring, both deployed in remote Indian areas. He co-founded Glucotek in Brisbane after the MIT Global Entrepreneurship Bootcamp to commercialize a noninvasive blood glucose device for gestational diabetes. Appaji received the 2024 IEEE Theodore W. Hissey Outstanding Young Professional Award for contributions to accessible AI-driven health care solutions.