In fact, our Editor-in-Chief, Vijay, was also part of the James Dyson Award's judging panel back in 2020.
Despite being in different universities, the four boys came together to develop yaR, a small, wearable pendant taps on artificial intelligence (AI) to help the visually impaired understand their surroundings and navigate their environment.
As a team, the yaR boys ended up as the "National Runner-up, Singapore" in this year's iteration of the James Dyson Award.
What inspired you to develop vaR?
Ajay, a visually impaired consultant at Deloitte, was the source of inspiration behind yaR. His daily challenges of navigating a world not designed for the visually impaired, to do things that many do seamlessly without a second thought opened our eyes to new problems we never considered before.
We were fortunate to be introduced to Ajay through Yajat's mother, who happens to work at the same firm as him. What really impressed us about Ajay was his role as a passionate advocate for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) at their company.
When we decided to work on yaR, Ajay was one of the first people we thought to reach out to. His unique perspective has been invaluable in helping us ensure our designs are accessible and inclusive for all users.
It's been amazing to have someone like Ajay to bounce ideas off of and to help validate our designs from an inclusivity standpoint.
The goal was straightforward - we wanted to enhance independence and quality of life for people like Ajay. We called it yaR, which means "friend" in Hindi. It felt right as we wanted to create a trusted companion, not just another gadget.
How do you balance your roles as students and developers?
Denne historien er fra October 2024-utgaven av HWM Singapore.
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Denne historien er fra October 2024-utgaven av HWM Singapore.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
It's Upgrade Time
As the tenth anniversary of the Apple Watch approached, rumours about a revolutionary device with a dramatic design change swirled-the Apple Watch X. But as it turns out, we got the Apple Watch Series 10 instead.
Ryzen AI Enters The Fray
This review covers the flagship processor in the lineup, the Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, which features a powerful 12-core, 24-thread configuration, 36MB of cache, and Radeon 890M graphics.
Intel Core Ultra 2 Shines
With a week of hands-on experience with the ASUS Zenbook S 14 powered by Intel's Core Ultra 7 258V, it's clear that Intel has created a chip that's a serious contender in the ultraportable space.
Smaller, Lighter, Smarter
When it comes to second-generation products, you expect improvements, and the Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 certainly delivers.
AN ATMOSPHERIC ATTEMPT
Taking on a remake of Konami's classic Silent Hill 2 was always going to be a daunting task. Enter Bloober Team, the studio behind other psychological horror titles like The Medium and Blair Witch. While those were solid efforts in their own right, Silent Hill holds a special place in the hearts of horror fans, and any attempt to update it was bound to be scrutinized.
BASIC, BUT COMPETENT
Following the success of the Nothing Phone (2) and Nothing Phone (2a), the company launched its sub-brand, CMF by Nothing, aimed squarely at the budget-conscious.
LENOVO YOGA SLIM 7X
The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x stands out in terms of build quality and design. With a thickness of just 12.9mm and weighing a mere 1.28kg, this laptop is incredibly portable.
COMFY, SECURE, AND OPEN
With the Nothing Ear (Open), the company has focused on elevating the open-fit experience with a stylish design, secure fit, and surprisingly solid audio quality.
The Emperor Of Mankind Approves
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 puts you right in the middle of the Imperium's most brutal battles, and it does so with an unapologetic embrace of its own absurdity.
Gemini Not There Yet
This year, Google launched the Pixel 9 series with three standard models. While the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro share similar dimensions and displays, the Pro model steps it up with an extra telephoto lens, more RAM, a higher brightness level, and a beefier 42MP front camera. The Pro XL adds a 6.8-inch Super Actua Display and hefty 5,060mAh battery.
