SINGAPORE - Media OutReach Newswire - 29 February 2024 - Samsung Electronics Singapore today announced Team Blahaj from NUS High School of Mathematics and Science as the grand winner of the seventh edition Solve for Tomorrow competition in Singapore. Launched in August 2023, this program is designed to encourage secondary school students to think deeply about the social issues affecting their community and pioneer positive social change through technology and innovation. Team Blahaj comprising of students Wang Zerui, Vincent Kwok, Christian Tan and David Chik will walk away with a total of $10,000 worth of Samsung products and $6,000 cash prize. NUS High School of Mathematics and Science will also be receiving a Samsung interactive digital whiteboard – the 55" Flip Pro. With the aim of revolutionising sensory experiences for visually impaired individuals, Team Blahaj has proposed a two-part solution that leverages advanced technologies such as AI to offer visually impaired individuals a detailed understanding of surroundings through auditory and tactile cues.

• Software Solution: LiDAR and Object Detection - Utilising LiDAR and AI-driven object detection in smartphones, the solution can create an "obstacle map" with tactile representation and multisensory instructions. This enables users to navigate their environment seamlessly.
• Hardware Solution: Real-time Tactile Interface - This interface translates the visual data captured by the device into tactile feedback, allowing users to "read" their surroundings through touch.

As many as 1.1 billion people were thought to have vision impairment in 2020, and this figure is predicted to increase by as much as 55% in the next 30 years, according to a report by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB). The solution aims to transform the reality for visually impaired individuals and improve their overall quality of life by enhancing their ability to navigate their world independently and safely. Sharing the inspiration behind their solution, Wang Zerui, Team Leader of Blahaj said: "Our inspiration stems from the desire to help enhance the quality of life for the visually impaired and even seniors in our community, including our own grandparents who are grappling with vision challenges. By leveraging modern technologies like AI, we hope to address the needs of these individuals and help forge a more inclusive society for everyone." "The ingenuity we see in this year's Solve for Tomorrow competition reflects the limitless potential of our youths. Their dedication to addressing real-world challenges is inspiring and Samsung is proud to champion their efforts. We will continue to nurture our youths' passion and creativity and provide them with the opportunities to transform their ideas into reality," said Dennis Jang, President of Samsung Electronics Singapore. Dennis was one of three judges who evaluated the students' submissions in the final round of the competition. The other judges were Mock Yi Jun, Co-Founder and President of Advisory Singapore, and Kelvin Leung, Vice President of Openspace Ventures. Driving Positive Social and Environment Changes with Technology and Passion Other entries that stood out in this competition were the deep water culture-based hydroponics system by Team Glacial Planters from Pei Hwa Secondary School and the ElderGuard Innovations, a smart fall detection technology by Team Senior Safety Solutions from the School of Science and Technology, Singapore. Team Glacial Planters and Team Senior Safety Solutions won the 2nd and 3rd prizes, respectively. Team Work for Youths from Pei Hwa Secondary School with their Work For Youths Web idea to improve the financial situation of lower-income families also won the People's Choice Award. "These secondary school teams have truly exceeded my expectations. Despite their youth, they've displayed outstanding maturity, awareness, and critical thinking in identifying and tackling the different issues in our community. Their remarkable solutions underscore the influential role of youth and technology in driving positive societal change. Congratulations to all the winning teams for their outstanding ideas," said Kelvin Leung, Vice President of Openspace Ventures. Preparing the Next Generations for the Future Digital Economy The World Economic Forum recently reported that 1.1 billion jobs are likely to be radically transformed by technology in the next decade[1]. It is crucial to prepare the younger generations for the future by ensuring that they stay on top of relevant technical skills and competencies from a...