Carol Okara, Irene Gitangu, Nicholas Irungu, Tracey Ng’inja, Amanda Wangari, Immanuel Njau, JohnPaul Parasi, and Gregory Ikenye.
‘Collaboration is one of the key ingredients to fuel innovation.’
The 2024 graduates of the Neurodivergent in Tech Programme make history as @iLabAfrica’s first Neurodivergent team to take on a Global Hackathon. The team displayed exceptional brilliance and innovation at the Microsoft Global Hackathon, held at Microsoft Garage in Nairobi on September 20, 2024. In collaboration with the Next Step Foundation, the @iLabAfrica team proudly sent a talented group of six students to represent them. Nicholas Irungu, Tracey Ng’inja, JohnPaul Parasi, Amanda Wangari, Immanuel Njau, and Gregory Ikenye who showcased their groundbreaking creation, a Neurosensory Device, an inventive solution aimed at transforming lives and advancing technology.
The team of six, driven by their commitment to inclusivity create a Neurosensory Device, a programmable wearable device (helmet) designed to enhance the safety of neurodivergent children by minimizing environmental triggers such as bright lights, loud noises, and stress and providing them with the required calming effect to prevent them from engaging in repetitive behavior and self-harm while enhancing their social interactions. The helmet if worn by a child aimes to monitor stress levels through five sensors such as light, sound, heart rate, environmental, and bodily temperature. This data would then be collected and sent to caregivers’ smartphones providing them with real-time prompts such as dimming VR glasses in bright conditions or activating noise cancellation in loud environments to lower the child’s stress levels.
The team showcasing the Neuro Sensory device.
The Autism Society of Kenya (ASK) estimates that there could be one autistic child for every 25 children in Kenya. These children often experience difficulties with sensory processing and communication, making navigating everyday situations challenging. As a result, in overstimulating environments like airports or train stations, they may struggle to express their discomfort, potentially leading to meltdowns, self-injury, and a noticeable decline in their ability to function in otherwise stimulating settings. The creation of a neurosensory device will not only enhance the child’s ability to stay calm and focused, but it will also alleviate stress for caregivers, offering them greater peace of mind and reducing the emotional and physical demands of managing challenging situations in high-stress environments.
Despite the time constraints, the team worked tirelessly to brainstorm and develop their device using readily available materials. The team aimed to incorporate programming, AI, and IoT into their solution. Their hard work culminated in a functional device that connects to YouTube, providing calming sensory content for children. However, due to the limited time, they were unable to fully develop the sensors required to detect sensory overload triggers.
Nicholas Irungu presenting Neurosensory Device
Launched in 2014, The Microsoft Hackathon is the largest on the planet bringing together all Microsoft employees and various organizations to compete and foster a hacking culture.
The week-long event, running from September 16th to 20th, 2024, attracted over 54,000 global signups. Out of those, 12 organizations were selected, with 3 in the cooperation category and 9 in the Non-Governmental Organization category. In the Cooperation category were Britam, Safaricom, and Jubilee Insurance, and in the NGO category were Mawingu, Next Step Foundation, Population Services International(PSI), Nairobits, and Kenya Red Cross.
The competition evaluated the participants on Impact, Creativity, Definition, and Scalability criteria. The team excelled in creativity and impact and beguiled the audience with their innovative approach. Although they didn’t win this time,the first-time participants made a notable entrance into the tech inclusivity space armed with valuable feedback from the judges. The team is more motivated than ever to refine their project and aim for gold next year.
By Ajuna Lindah.