How to hack world viewpoint?
How to hack
world viewpoint?
Global brands and universities have been holding hackathons for many years and quite frequently. Why? Because they are a shortcut to the future. Hackathons are, contrary to linguistic appearances, not secret hacker fraternities ;) but are programming marathons. The term 'hack' is used here in the sense of exploratory programming, not the ability to break network and computer security.
Hackathons are events that bring together people from the IT industry, programmers and other professionals involved in software development, such as graphic designers, computer scientists, managers, tech-leaders, researchers, mathematicians, or those involved in statistical data analysis, big data or artificial intelligence.
These events, which have the character of a competition, are a breeding ground for talented and dedicated teams, who work for several days on projects creating new solutions or improving existing ones.
The recipe for a successful hackathon is quite simple: put brilliant minds in front of a weighty difficulty facing the world, add an element of competition, promise a valuable prize and a place in the annals of science. The result? Instantly changing the world for the better - which is what we like best about INVISIBLE!
So you won't be surprised to learn that we're already planning to organize our periodic hackathon for accessibility. We're already looking forward to it - but we promise to tell you more about the details another time. While we're at it, we'd like to show you how others are doing it, and how many amazing tools and benefits to the invisible world have just been born during supportive and enabling technology hackathons.
Every person experiences some form of disability
The benefit that comes from organizing hackathons is the chance to solve specific problems during the course of the event. Participants take on challenges from a particular area of life - and there is something to do in virtually all sensitive areas of our civilization: from ecology, economics, energy, sustainable urban development, the development of civil societies, or the issues of accessibility and inclusion; which are of most interest to us here.
The causal potential of a hackathon is enormous and can work proverbial wonders. Let's see it through specific examples of a Microsoft-branded hackathon. Of the many, we want to look at this particular one not only because of the scale and momentum of the event, but moved by the words of Pratima Amonkar, President of Diversity and Innovation and Accessibility at Microsoft in the APAC region:
"Accessibility is a journey into the future that everyone will be able to participate in. Today, more than a billion people in the world identify with a disability, but at some point in their lives, everyone experiences some form of disability. Whether it's temporary like a broken arm, or situational like carrying an infant, or permanent."
The shortcut to accessibility for all
AI for Accessibility (AI4A for short) is Microsoft's annual virtual hackathon for teams in the Asia-Pacific region to solve problems and develop solutions for a more inclusive and accessible society. It's a huge undertaking: in 2023. 119 teams of students from 7 universities created applications during AI4A to address challenges faced by people with disabilities in their daily lives.
The challenges were divided into categories: Everyday Life, Employment, Communication and Education, while students were provided with authentic scenarios and situations faced by people with disabilities. Closely related to daily life, they included obstacles that cannot be detected by white canes, use of ATMs, digital apps, cooking and personal hygiene devices.
For example in the Employment area, statements included job matching, training, assessment, interview support and navigating the workplace. In the Communication section, students examined how to explain facial expressions during video conferencing, automating speech therapy, and in Education, how to make learning accessible to rural communities.
The winning teams in each country demonstrated a deep understanding of accessibility, designed innovative, original solutions and showed a willingness to take risks in an effort to create value for people with disabilities. To implement their solutions, the students had to demonstrate real-world impact, business models and go-to-market plans.
Let's admire the top seven projects and, of course, keep our fingers crossed for the fastest possible implementations.
Say AI
The Indonesian Prambanan team at Telkom University has developed the Katakan AI (which in Indonesian means 'say AI') project. It is a one-of-a-kind solution that enables people who are deaf or hard of hearing to communicate more effectively virtually. Combining features from Azure Cognitive Services, Microsoft Translator and the AI chat window, the team designed a standalone application for desktop and mobile platforms, as well as a browser plug-in for other tools such as virtual meetings.
Smart bracelet
In the Philippines, the Cognitics team at the University of the Philippines Batangas has invented a smart wristband for proactive drug delivery. Combining artificial intelligence with psychometric technology, the wristband is used to respond to emergencies, providing a quick way to detect emergency parameters and administer necessary medications.
Watchful eye
The A-EYE team from the University of Technology Malaysia has developed a prototype application to help people who are blind or visually impaired navigate the roads safely. Using the Azure Custom Vision service, this functional prototype warns of nearby objects, preventing possible collisions.
Sensitive navigation
The WRAP team from the National University of Singapore has developed NAVI, a navigation app designed to enable people who are blind or visually impaired to travel safely. NAVI offers audible route guidance and uses artificial intelligence to detect obstacles and street markings in real time using a smartphone's camera.
What's more, the app accepts speech input for convenient control and provides a user-friendly interface with a large display and audio cues for ease of use.
More than by ear
A team representing Sri Lanka's Institute of Information Technology presented the Hear Me project. It is an AR (augmented reality) based application for self-learning for children who are deaf or hard of hearing. This interactive platform provides a rich learning environment that improves communication skills and cognitive development, providing an invaluable resource for children who communicate through sign language.
Smart presentation
In Thailand, the DEVA team from King Mongkut University of Technology in Thonburi presented Neon, an artificial intelligence-enabled presentation generator that helps people who are blind or visually impaired, highlighting the profound impact of technology in enhancing their independence and quality of life.
Pronunciation Companion
The ATP team from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Vietnam has unveiled AI Speech Companion (freely translated as Pronunciation Companion), an application that supports people who stutter. The solution provides a personalized experience tailored to each person's abilities, allowing them to take notes, practice speaking and receive encouragement. This will help people who stutter become more confident, which will strengthen them in their daily lives.
A marathon is not just a journey - it's always good news
Ancient history continues to inspire to this day, doesn't it? The challenge of hackathons, today's programming marathons, is always a journey to better understand disabilities. While creating a new assistive technology or solving an accessibility barrier faced by people with any disability is good news for all the invisible.
Hackathon organizers always encourage teams to consider projects that will remove their own accessibility barriers - if they have people with disabilities on the team - or to engage with people with disabilities to learn firsthand about what will make the world more accessible to them. Engaging in conversations with people with disabilities, learning about their experiences, and providing feedback and prototyping in close collaboration with the invisible is a prerequisite for a successful project.
We will tell you about other hackathons and brilliant ideas in future articles, for more reading!
