A team from the Lyceum of the Philippines University (LPU) – Batangas is among the winners in the Microsoft AI for Accessibility (AI4A) Hackathon 2023.
Team Cognitics from LPU-Batangas invented a smart wristband to proactively administer medication via psychometrics technology. Their winning application is called Cognitics Coordinated Security. Fusing AI with psychometrics technology, their emergency response product provides a rapid means to detect emergencies and administer necessary medication.
The members of Team Cognitics are Bavie A. Bunyi Jr., Charlize Gian A. Belarmino, Elmar Johann E. Boniel, Leandre E. Basit, and Ravie Rafael E. Fetizanan, all students from LPU-Batangas’ College of Computer Studies.
AI4A Hackathon 2023 is an annual event for teams in Asia Pacific to tackle problem statements and build solutions for a more inclusive and accessible society. This year, 119 teams of undergraduates from universities in Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam created applications that addressed real-life challenges for people with disabilities.
Here are the other winners from other countries:
- Indonesia. Prambanan from Telkom University developed Katakan AI (which translates to ‘Say AI’ in Bahasa Indonesia), a one-of-its-kind solution to empower persons who are hard of hearing to communicate more effectively virtually.
- Malaysia. Team A-EYE from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia developed an application prototype to help visually impaired pedestrians traverse roads and navigate traffic safely.
- Singapore. National University of Singapore’s School of Computing Team WRAP developed NAVI, a navigation app designed to empower individuals with visual impairments to travel confidently.
- Sri Lanka. Team Hear Me from Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology introduced Hear Me, an AR-based self-learning application for children with hard of hearing.
- Thailand. Team DEVA from King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi presented Neon, an AI-enabled presentation generator to assist people with visual impairments.
- Vietnam. Team ATP from Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Vietnam introduced AI SpeechCompanion, an application that supports people who stutter.
“Inclusive AI empowers individuals with disabilities, enabling them to fully participate in various aspects of life, including education, employment, and social interactions,” said Pratima Amonkar, Chair for D&I and Accessibility for Microsoft Asia Pacific.
Amonkar noted that there are more than 1.3 billion PWDs in the world, 690 million of them in Asia Pacific.
See last year’s winners and read more about AI4A here.
