SUR: The World Summit on the Information Society 2024 (WSIS 2024), in an upcoming high profile event, hosted by the International Telecommunication Union annually, is set to be a platform for reviewing progress, achievements, challenges, and opportunities in sustainable development.
The forum, known as WSIS+20, is organised in collaboration with Unesco, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and UNCTAD, with participation from the International Telecommunication Union and the Swiss Confederation. Scheduled from May 27 to 31, in Geneva, this event aims to showcase advancements since the Geneva 2003 and Tunis 2005 Summit.
From Oman, four projects have been nominated, two of them with owned by Rustaq and Shinas UTAS.
The innovative project is owned by Shinas University of Technology. This project involves the creation of advanced glasses to assist the visually impaired, reducing their reliance on external aid. Equipped with modern technologies, these glasses can recognise individuals, display time, aid in reading, and offer various other functionalities.
The innovative glasses project has chosen as one of three technology projects from Oman to compete in the WSIS. Team members Alaa Al Jabri, Maisa Al Bureiki, Maha Al Zahli, and Nora Al Shuhi, expressed their excitement about the project's potential impact on enhancing the lives of the visually impaired and seniors which will add competitive value to the project.
Alaa Said Al Jabri , a team member says, “Our project idea aims at facilitating the lives of the visually impaired and elderly, allowing them to live a normal life independently with no need for assistance. This is achieved through the use of glasses embedded with various technologies.”
She emphasised that the project aims to enable these individuals to recognise people in front of them, recognise the time and date, assist in reading books by converting text into audible speech, warn them of obstacles in their way, and provide a chat feature for requesting assistance.
These functionalities enhance both their academic progress and daily life experiences and atmosphere generally.
Noura Ali Al Shuhi, showcased the developmental opportunities for the project. She commented there are plans to include several technologies, such as GPS, to guide visually impaired individuals or elderly to specific locations, utilising a system similar to Google Maps.
Also, the system will store information in a database to enable tracking and ensure their well-being.
Another idea is that ChatGPT will address their daily inquiries comprehensively. This would allow them to chat closely with detailed and efficient responses, surpassing human capabilities.
The project also utilizes the six Fab communication module for calls and text messages.
The WSIS 2024 event promises to be a milestone in celebrating global innovation and collaboration for a sustainable future. UTAS Universities have added such competitions to its strategic goals to address the role of supporting different sciences and their competitive value among other universities around the world.
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