Announcing Microsoft AI for Accessibility Hackathon APAC winners: Thailand, Singapore, and Philippines accelerate inclusive innovation

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 13 May 2022 – Teams from Thailand, Singapore and Philippines are winners of the Microsoft AI for Accessibility (AI4A) Hackathon in APAC. In its third yr, the AI4A Hackathon options groups who’re deeply dedicated to fixing real-world challenges confronted by individuals with disabilities (PwD). The hackathon acts as a springboard for creators and builders to launch their purposes, with money prizes, entry to Microsoft Technical specialists to co-build their options on Microsoft Azure and continued mentoring assist to construct out their answer.

Drawing on real-life challenges confronted by PwDs, 14 non-profit organizations (NPOs) shared downside statements that the 75 groups within the AI4A Hackathon used to construct revolutionary options across the themes of transport, wearable gadgets and language instruments.

Team Asclepius from Thailand, Team SWIFT Responders from Singapore and Team EIA from Philippines created options to bridge the incapacity divide, which embrace constructing an AI-enabled communication assist for people who find themselves deaf, a sensible system that permits individuals with bodily disabilities to stay independently, in addition to inclusive banking for people who find themselves blind.

In addition to those winners, two further groups from Indonesia (Arabic Braille Converter) and Singapore (MeetMeHear) will obtain teaching by Microsoft and its companions, together with entry to cloud architects, enterprise session steerage to develop their answer, from a proof-of-concept to an software hosted on Microsoft Azure.

“We are inspired to see the continued enthusiasm of submissions this year for the hackathon to improve the lives of PwDs and congratulate the winners who so passionately brought their solutions to fruition,” mentioned Pratima Amonkar, Chair for D&I and Accessibility for Microsoft Asia Pacific. “The month of May will be an important time for us to see the tremendous possibility of the contribution of PwDs as we roll out exciting awareness, training and mentorship programs with our customers, partners and wider community across the region.”

With greater than 1 billion individuals with disabilities on the planet, and 650 million in Asia, Microsoft believes that accessibility is crucial to delivering on our mission to “empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.” Accessibility is the car to allow inclusion of individuals with disabilities. To spotlight how know-how can unlock options that empower individuals with disabilities and allow transformative change inside communities in APAC, Microsoft has devoted the month of May in 2022 to Accessibility Awareness Month, with a sequence of workshops, trainings and occasions in addition to awarding and celebrating winners of the AI for Accessibility Hackathon winners.

Thailand: Team Asclepius

To assist people who find themselves deaf or laborious of listening to, Team Asclepius from Thailand, developed a sign-to-text software that makes use of AI deep studying fashions to seize motion sequences and physique postures that predicts alphabets, phrases and numbers primarily based on American Sign Language. This group of passionate highschool college students from Thailand have bold plans to incorporate different generally used signal languages comparable to British and French Sign Language and improve it for wider tech purposes comparable to stay internet occasions.

Singapore: Team SWIFT Responders

From Singapore, Team SWIFT Responders designed an AI-enabled answer that helps the impartial dwelling of grownup individuals with muscular dystrophy who use motorized wheelchairs for mobility. The Support Wheelchair-user Independence Fall Tracker (SWIFT) sensible system that they’ve developed renders quick help to a wheelchair consumer who falls off-balance from their practical place. This conjures up confidence for wheelchair customers, and assures their caretakers, that they’ll stay independently and have interaction in significant exercise as their security is assured.

Philippines: Team EIA

To construct a extra inclusive banking expertise for the blind and the aged, Team EIA from the Philippines developed an Accessibility and Vision Assistant (AVA), powered by AI and machine studying, that works as a sensible monetary assistant and cell pockets for the blind and aged that makes digital banking accessible and clear. This drives monetary inclusion for these teams of individuals and permits them to entry funds and banking providers shortly and securely.

Two further excellent groups have received teaching by Microsoft and its companions to deliver their tasks into totally operating purposes hosted on Microsoft Azure:

1. Arabic Braille Converter (Indonesia): an app that might scan and convert Arabic textual content or graphics into Indonesian Braille format which could be learn by display readers or braille shows. It additionally has the perform to back-translate from Arabic Braille into Arabic textual content.