Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Singapore uncovers health and environmental innovators
Teams Hearable from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and SHMID.CO from ITE College Central took home the top honours at the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow competition in Singapore recently, presenting innovative solutions that address health and environmental issues.
One solution utilizes AI and AR to help the hard-of-hearing visualize spoken words in real-time, while the other promotes safer use of personal mobility devices and electrical devices through a smart plug that reduces carbon emissions caused by overcharging.
Post-secondary category winner: SHMID.CO from ITE College Central
From left: Miguel Antonio Gutierrez Escanan, Shing Foo Chuan Zheng, Dominic Chow Shi Fu and Mohamed Hariz Mohamed Ridzah
The team from ITE College Central conceptualised a low-cost monitoring device that leveraged the Internet of Things (IoT) to allow users to monitor and remotely turn off batteries once it is fully charged, or is detected to be overheating. The smart plug and sensor can be used with most household devices, such as mobile phones, personal mobility devices (PMDs) and any other electrical appliances.
Users will be alerted by an alarm through a buzzer and receive an SMS alert on their mobile phones if the device is overheating. The sensor also turns off the charger automatically when the battery is fully charged. This helps to prevent unnecessary overcharging of batteries, prevent fire hazards and save electricity, thereby reducing carbon emissions.
“With many of my friends, family and myself being PMD users, the number of household fires caused by overheated charging batteries are a cause for concern,” said Shing, Team Leader of SHMID.CO. “This sparked the idea to create a solution which will make it safer for users of PMDs and other electrical devices which rely on rechargeable batteries. With the assistance of my teammates Miguel, Dominic and Hariz, we were able to integrate what we have learnt in school from a course module on Aircraft Fire Prevention System together with other STEM disciplines such as computer programming through enrichment workshops to develop a working prototype. We hope that our fire prevention system using IoT and the use of a smart plug can create a safer operating environment for PMDs and other electrical devices for households here and beyond, while contributing a small part to the fight against climate change and keeping in line the Singapore's Green Plan 2030,” he added.
University category winner: Team Hearable from Nanyang Technological University (NTU)
From left: Michael Santoso and Christopher Angelo with Dennis Jang, President, Samsung Electronics Singapore
The team from Nanyang Technological University developed a two-part solution that enables hard-of-hearing individuals to communicate using a pair of augmented reality (AR) glasses that can transcribe speech in real-time by leveraging artificial intelligence (AI). The mobile application also allows users to turn type-written speech into spoken words, allowing for faster and more seamless communication between hard-of-hearing individuals and people around them who may not understand sign language.
According to Christopher, team leader of Team Hearable, “Hard-of-hearing individuals can sometimes face social exclusion due to communication issues with other people. Inspired by my own grandfather who struggled with hearing difficulties, I wanted to create a solution that allow hard-of-hearing users to ‘see’ words and be able to communicate more easily with people around them.”
“Solve for Tomorrow was a catalyst which sparked the innovation journey for me and my team mate Michael. The competition process allowed us to go beyond what we’ve learnt in the classroom and apply our creative ideas to try and solve real-world problems. I am grateful for this opportunity and highly recommend this competition to budding innovators out there,” he added.
Did the above ideas spark any innovative ideas in you? Check out the post-event highlights video below, and do keep a lookout on our socials for details for the upcoming edition of Samsung Solve for Tomorrow.
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