IMPORTANT: Mentor Meeting1 on 10th September, Friday 4:00pm
The EMPOWER Student Design Challenge is back with a new format. A list of problems in the disability domain have been compiled directly from the stakeholders and a panel of mentors is assembled to guide the participating teams through their design journey. We invite students and innovators to tackle the challenges mentioned below
Eligibility: Teams of 4 persons are eligible. Multidisciplinary and inclusive teams are strongly encouraged to apply.
Expression of interest: Submit your interest to take part in the challenge before July 25, 2021 .
Awards: The winning team will receive a cash prize of Rs 50,000 and two runner-up teams will receive a prize of Rs 25,000 each. In addition to the prize money, incubation support may also be provided to productize the solutions.
Problem Statements: There are 7 problem statements provided below. A team can choose to work on multiple problems. There will be mentors for each case studies. Prototyping support will be provided in selected cities across India.
Expression of interest to participate in the design challenge: 25 July 2021
Online meet-up to describe problem statements: : 31st July & August 1st 2021
Final deadline for proposal submission August 20, 2021
Mentoring meet I : 10 September
Mentoring meet II : October 6, 2021
Mentoring meet III : October 1-4, 2021
Presentation and shortlisting of finalists : October 15, 2021
Presentation and demonstration by the finalists: October 28-30, 2021
Judging and awarding of winners: October 28-30, 2021
PROBLEM STATEMENT #1
PROBLEM STATEMENT #2
PROBLEM STATEMENT #3
PROBLEM STATEMENT #4
PROBLEM STATEMENT #5
PROBLEM STATEMENT #6
PROBLEM STATEMENT #7
Expression of interest to participate in the design challenge: 20 July 2021
Online meet-up to describe problem statements: July 22-25, 2021
Final deadline for proposal submission August 10, 2021
Mentoring meet I : August 27-30, 2021
Mentoring meet II : October 6, 2021
Mentoring meet III : October 1-4, 2021
Presentation and shortlisting of finalists : October 15, 2021
Presentation and demonstration by the finalists: October 28-30, 2021
Judging and awarding of winners: October 28-30, 2021
PROBLEM STATEMENT #1
Children with disabilities who use apps on Android devices to communicate or regulate themselves, may need to carry the device with them all the time. There is a risk of damage to the device, especially if the child has intellectual disability. Hence parents hesitate to give independent use of the device to the child, which may result in abandonment of AAC altogether. A kid-friendly, rugged case that is easy for the kid to carry and which has a transparent screen, to directly access the device, is not available currently in the market. The case has to be compatible with different models.
Mentor: Centre for Assistive Technology & Innovation (CATI), NISH, Trivandrum
PROBLEM STATEMENT #2
Persons for whom natural speech or writing is insufficient to meet their communication needs require support or replacement of the conventional methods. Such persons can benefit from an Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) system. In India, AAC adoption has been very low because of the stigma against it in the society. This can be addressed by creating more awareness as well as by making available a low-cost, entry-level AAC device that could be used for training the kid in cause-and-effect relationship in communication. Such a device may lead to quick, initial results in improvement of communication, which may, in turn, motivate the various stakeholders to continue AAC intervention. The device should be able to record a message and then play back by activating (activation force of 45 to 145 gm) a switch at the top surface (activation surface diameter 10 to 14 cm). There should be at least 2-minutes of record time in each level and three recording levels. It should have a switch input to provide an option for activation through any other type of switch, if required by the user and one Toy/Appliance/Extended Output so that the device will serve as a switch to operate any smart device or to activate any battery-powered toy. There should be loud, clear speaker output during playback and freedom from ambient noise while recording. The device has to weigh less (<400g), be water-proof and suitable for rugged use by children. Accessory includes a universal mounting solution preferably made up of loc-line, with clamp on one side to attach to table or wheelchair and holder at the other end, to mount the device. It should be flexible for angular adjustments and rigid enough, so that the
Mentor: Centre for Assistive Technology & Innovation (CATI), NISH, Trivandrum
PROBLEM STATEMENT #3
With technology and handy devices , everyone loves to play online games . While most people play video games for fun, some people have adopted this as a profession. It is not only one of the fastest growing markets in India, but also a popular career option for talented young minds. From game art professionals to game animation, game testing and professional gamers, there are huge career opportunities that are set to influence the online gaming industry in 2021. One of the key trends in the online gaming industry will be the continued expansion of mobile gaming. Even the State of Online Gaming 2020 report reveals that mobile phones continue to be the most preferred gaming device followed by computers, gaming consoles and tablets.
If you observe , unlike any other software – gaming software requires multiple senses by individuals e.g. – voice , motion , haptics . The user also interact with multiple modalities , in several games people use more than one or modality . For PWD , one or more modalities might not be functional . So it’s difficult for PWD to play many games that require multiple senses to be involved. Every modality in gaming should have alternate modality to be use , so player does not depend on one modality for input or for information and hence they are not depended and one sense and can play game as mainstream user. We can choose any one game as use case and introduce this as requirement to see all kind of disability and mainstream can play at same pace. You might know some games already or ask your friends , or choose some popular online games which use multiple mode as input or as controls.
Mentor: Dr Charudutta Jadhav, Accessibility Centre of Excellence, TCS, Mumbai.
PROBLEM STATEMENT #4
Chess is the only game where blind person can play at par with sighted person , without modification of rules. This game has given a sense of equality and self-confidence to blind chess player. Blind chess players today are professionally competing with sighted player and demonstrated excellence performance at world level. Blind player has also achieved a title like Grandmaster, International Masters , FIDE masters with the same rules. However on the blind chess player are equal as sighted , but at infrastructure level its far behind . As you know , chess is a studious game which require lots of study , there are theories involved , lots of books have been published. Thousands of pages are published on chess literature , unfortunately this is not accessible to blind person and it has dependency on sighter person to read for them. This hampers the overall progress of the blind chess player. Here we would like to solve this problem , applying the image processing algorithm to covert the chess diagram in chess notation. Chess board has 64 square and every square has respective identifier. Each square of the chessboard is identified by a unique coordinate pair—a letter and a number—from White’s point of view. The vertical columns of squares, called files, are labeled a through h from White’s left (the queenside) to right (the kingside). The horizontal rows of squares, called ranks, are numbered 1 to 8 starting from White’s side of the board. Thus each square has a unique identification of file letter followed by rank number. For example, the initial square of White’s king is designated as “e1”.Each piece type (other than pawns) is identified by an uppercase letter. English-speaking players use the letters K for king, Q for queen, R for rook, B for bishop, and N for knight (since K is already used). Every position is converted to algebraic chess position with this image processing algorithm .For Eg , initial setup of board white king is fifth column , which is e and row 1. So we can convert chess diagram in chess notation. That will help blind person to understand these notation in the book. I will explain this entire problem statement in detail in a call.
Mentor: Dr Charudutta Jadhav, Accessibility Centre of Excellence, TCS, Mumbai.
PROBLEM STATEMENT #5
Design a low cost untethered access switch for a tablet or mobile, adhering to the human interface device (HID) standard. You can use either Bluetooth or BLE, as these are now commonly available in mobile devices. The device must be rechargeable, sustain a charge of at least 3 hours during continuous use, and be chargeable using a standard USB-C connector. These switches are commonly used by persons with motor disability, and hence the switch must respond to a light touch or can even be touch free. Mechanical design features such as flexibility in mounting the switch for access through different body parts will add significant value.
Mentor: Prof Anil Prabhakar, CREATE, IIT-Madras
PROBLEM STATEMENT #6
Research shows that independent mobility at an early stage helps avoid development of the ‘learned helplessness’ that is typically associated with persons with disability. There are very few kid-friendly wheelchairs in the market (manual and powered), probably due to the stigma that parents attach to wheelchair usage by their children.
Mentor: Nekram Upadhyay, Head, Department of Assistive Technology, Indian Spinal Injuries Centre
PROBLEM STATEMENT #7
Powered wheelchairs that can be controlled by parts of the body, other than hand. For example, with head or leg or sip-and-puff. Or that which requires very less force to activate, than with the traditional joystick.
Mentor: Nekram Upadhyay, Head, Department of Assistive Technology, Indian Spinal Injuries Centre