TechGenius competition promotes youth technological innovation

Tiếng Việt

TechGenius competition promotes youth technological innovation

More than 250 high school students in Vietnam have joined the TechGenius competition organised by RMIT University and Hoa Hoc Tro magazine to pitch their ideas to solve real-world problems and make positive impacts on the society with technology.

The top ten teams in both Information Technology (IT) and Engineering categories recently presented their solutions to a judging panel of industry experts in the virtual Grand Final. They explored the application of technology to tackle today’s issues in environment, health, and online learning and teaching.

Impactful solutions to help people with disabilities

The two first prizes in the IT category were presented to HDK from Nguyen Tat Thanh high school for the gifted, Kon Tum province, and Anonymous from the High School for Gifted Students, Hanoi University of Science, Vietnam National University.

HDK’s idea was to develop a technical assistance device which can translates sign language into text to support those who are deaf or have hearing loss to communicate effectively. According to the team, current translation products are not user-friendly with hard-of-hearing people as they rely on light and have large size.

HDK team developed a technical assistance device which can translate sign language into text to support those who have hearing loss.

Inspired by a foreign language learning mobile application, the Anonymous team with three female students developed the A-Eye application, which can detect objects, distance, text and human expressions.

“We hope that the application can become alternative eyes to support visually impaired people and help them in their daily activities. All features are coded on Android studio with Java programming language and can be easily downloaded,” Nguyen Ngoc Anh, one of the Anonymous team members said.

Anonymous team with three female students developed the A-Eye application which can detect objects, distance, text and human expressions.

Innovative engineering solutions for sustainability and safety issues

Two teams from Hanoi including WP from Son Tay high school and The Invincibles from Nguyen Tat Thanh secondary and high school took the first prizes for the Engineering solutions.

With the initiative of preventing water pollution, three students from the WP team self-assembled a robot prototype which can collect and remove trash from water surfaces. The solar-powered product is equipped with radar sensors to detect waste and avoid obstacles during its operation.

WP team initiated a robot prototype which can collect and remove trash from water surfaces.

The WP team’s aspiration is to develop their robot further in future.

“We hope to be able to develop more features to measure water pollution levels and filter microplastic particles to ensure the safety of aquatic organisms”, Nguyen Thi Minh Huyen from the WP team members added. “Thanks to joining the competition, we learned how to develop a website, make 3D simulated products and present ideas.”

The Invincibles, meanwhile, initiated a sustainable solution called CASS (Computer vision, Assisted, Safety, and Signal) to prevent road users from the risk of crashing, which involves identifying red lights, road signs, detecting dangers potentially causing accidents, and warning users by sounds.

“Our team’s solution aims to create a device that applies advanced machine learning algorithms and various types of sensors as data heads to identify and predict road accidents in order to enhance the road traffic safety measures in Vietnam,” said Duc Anh from The Invincibles.

The Invincibles presented a sustainable solution called CASS (Computer vision, Assisted, Safety, and Signal) to prevent road users from the risk of crashing.

Other solutions addressed at the competition included a learning application designed to replace textbooks, a website for searching mentorship and managing timetable, a light pollution app, and a device to protect students’ eyesight when studying online for a long time.

According to Deputy Secretary General of the Vietnam Internet Association and TechGenius judge Hoang Viet Tien, most of the solutions were presented as complete products that are ready to apply in real life. “I’m also amazed at how they displayed their leadership, agility and resilience during the competition, especially when all rounds were conducted online.”

RMIT Dean of School of Science, Engineering & Technology and one of TechGenius judges Professor Brett Kirk emphasises the importance of students gaining teamwork and creative thinking skills from the competition.

RMIT Dean of School of Science, Engineering & Technology and one of the competition judges Professor Brett Kirk emphasises the importance of students gaining teamwork and creative thinking skills from the competition.

“TechGenius focuses on creative solutions for real-world problems and creates the opportunities for young innovators to practise teamwork and presentation skills - the key qualities of future tech leaders,” Professor Kirk said.

The nine-month competition saw nearly 100 creative ideas of Vietnamese students from 60 high schools from 17 cities and provinces in Vietnam.

Story: Thuy Le

Science and technology

14 December 2021