Rudransh Goyal, Vinayak Maheshwari, and Mustafa Zahid make up Team Guiding Eyes, which was recently named one of the five finalists of the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow contest. The contest asks Canadians between the ages of 16 and 25 to solve problems in their communities using STEM skills.
What was the inspiration for Guiding Eyes?
The first seed for the idea came when Goyal spent part of last summer working with the Canadian National Institute for the Blind. He noticed how long it takes to train guide dogs and how expensive it can be for the owner.
What is one of the goals of the project?
One of the goals of the project is to create a product that is affordable and practical for the user.
What does the current prototype look like?
The team decided to make goggles that uses AI technology to analyze the user’s environment and provide real-time feedback through a headset describing your surroundings.
What is the final prototype expected to look like?
The final prototype is going to look like normal glasses with a headset that has microprocessors and the AI. The team wants to make the prototype visually appealing so the user doesn’t feel uncomfortable or insecure about it.
The perks of innovation
A benefit of being one of the five finalists for the contest is access to resources from Samsung. Not only has the Guiding Eyes team been gifted a $5,000 prize pack, including tech that will help them bring their idea to life, but Samsung also provides around-the-clock communication and advice from some of the tech industry’s greatest minds.
What is the future for Guiding Eyes?
If Team Guiding Eyes is named the winner of this year’s contest, they will not only be rewarded with an additional $8,000 worth of Samsung technology, but they will also receive a $20,000 grand prize.
They plan to invest their winnings into hiring more employees and expanding their marketing so that the word about guiding eyes reaches the people who need it most.
