Two teams of students--one from Brazil,
the other from India--competed for Microsoft's prestigious
Imagine Cup with inventions that help blind people move around
safely and reach their destination. The Imagine Cup challenges
technology students to try to solve the world's toughest
problems. This year's contest on the theme, "Imagine a world
where technology enables us to live healthier lives," attracted
about 65,000 participants from more than 100 countries.
The three Brazilian students (calling themselves the Trivial
Team) came in second in the Software section and won $15,000 for
VEye ("virtual eye"), a wrist-worn device that directs its wearer
to a destination. It uses speech recognition software, radio
frequency identification, global positioning software, Bluetooth
and other technologies.
The Indian team, from the Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of
Information and Communication Technology, Gandhinagar, were among
finalists with their mobility software that enables blind people
to perceive their surroundings and move around safely. Based on
a Pocket PC running Windows Mobile 5.0, it uses ultrasonic
sensors to map the space around the user and provides real-time
3D sound feedback of the environment. It was tested at the Blind
People's Association of Ahmedabad. The team estimates it will
cost about $100. (From Imaginecup.com, Oct. 9, 2006;
EFYTimes.com, Aug. 11, 2006; Computerworld.com.au, Aug. 14, 2006)
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