Hyderabad National Shooter Turns Personal Injury Experience Into Wearable Sports Tech

A Hyderabad-based national-level shooter is turning her personal experience with sports injuries into a technology-driven solution aimed at helping athletes understand how their bodies move during training.

Homanshika Reddy Pullagurla, 21, is developing Somatrace, an IoT-enabled wearable system that uses sensors to track spinal movement and physical load in real time. Initially being explored for rifle shooters, the technology is designed to provide athletes and coaches with insights into posture, movement patterns and physical strain that may be associated with injury risks.

Homanshika first picked up a rifle as a hobby at the age of 12. The sport later became a serious pursuit, with her competing at the national level and earning medals. Her interest in injury prevention developed partly from her own experience with injuries and from seeing a friend leave sport because of one.

“I wanted to solve this for others as well. I have seen how an injury can change an athlete’s journey,” she said.

The idea behind Somatrace is to make movements and physical strain that may not be visible to the naked eye measurable during training. By tracking spinal movement in real time, the system aims to help athletes better understand how their bodies respond to different movements and give coaches additional information while planning training.

The project has also gained recognition through Samsung Solve for Tomorrow 2026, where Homanshika and her team have reached the Top 20. The programme has provided mentorship, prototyping guidance and exposure to technical and business perspectives as the innovators work to develop their ideas further.

Homanshika's journey highlights the growing intersection of competitive sport, wearable technology and injury monitoring, as young innovators explore ways to use data to improve athletes' training and safety.