Malta team takes software for visually impaired to Imagine Cup

A software-based system to assist people with visual impairment represented Malta in the 2012 edition of the Imagine Cup.

Microsoft’s annual competition promotes software development with a social theme across the globe. This year’s final in Australia earlier this month saw a team from Ukraine winning the coveted prize.

The Maltese team, named TDGS (The Digital Guide System) was composed of Adrian Duca, Paul Felice, Kurt Portelli and Kyle Pullicino, University students in Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence.

TDGS tackles issues blind and visually impaired people are challenged with daily. It consists of two main features: an obstacle detector and an environment information retrieval system.

Using a pair of cameras, the system is able to measure the distance of nearby objects and alerts the user if they are too close to an obstacle. These alerts take the form of three distinct audio pitches that represent both the direction and the distance of the objects to the user. This supplements other tools used by blind people (such as a guide stick or a guide dog) and can help avoid hazards when these other tools do not work.

Blind people find it difficult to interact with their surroundings since much of our environment is built specifically for people who can see. Good examples are road signs or bus timetables. They are easy to read, provided you can actually see. This feature of the TDGS system brings this information to life to people who are blind or visually impaired through a QR code that can be placed next to significant points of interest.

The system will detect these codes and speak out the relevant information. An example where this can be used is in a supermarket. The different sections of the supermarket can be marked using QR codes and the user can easily know their location as the system speaks it out.

Though the system is relatively simple to explain and envisage, it needed some good thinking and hard work to develop.

“The greatest challenge was making the system as simple as possible to operate for our users,” Mr Pullicino explained. “Our method of conveying the information to the user (i.e. audio tones) took a great deal of research and testing until we settled on the final version. We are grateful to Joseph Stafrace, president of the Malta Guide Dog Foundation and a blind person, for his help in designing and fine-tuning the system for its intended users.”

Interesting ideas realised by University students which are submitted as part of their studies are often shelved but it seems this project could be an exception.

“We took care to make the system commercially viable when we designed it,” Mr Pullicino continued. “It is meant to provide improved accessibility out-of-the-box for blind users. Despite this, we also offer to make an establishment friendlier to the visually impaired. Our revenue would be derived from us integrating the QR technology on a company’s premises. Our idea is to make this technology an international standard for accessibility – just like Braille or sign language – and so increase its demand on the market.”

Mr Pullicino explained how the Imagine Cup was a good opportunity for students to learn about the latest technology. This, coupled with the chance of giving back to society, motivated them to give it a try.

Now in its 10th year, the concept behind Microsoft’s Imagine Cup competition revolves around encouraging today’s students to use technology to generate ideas, products and solutions which improve lives. The competition brings together students from around the world who are stepping up to the challenge of leading global change. Using Microsoft tools and technology, competitors unleash their ideas and technical talent to create cutting-edge software applications. Students develop, test, and build their ideas into applications that can help solve some of the world’s toughest problems such as poverty, hunger, gender inequality, environmental sustainability, and access to education and health care.

Maltese students have been participating in the Imagine Cup since 2005 with different ideas, including a software-based car-pooling system and a system for teachers to create interactive lessons. They have never won.

A YouTube video showcasing TDGS’s system is available at http://youtube/iYUBTLXcwnQ .