Two engineering students of the Federal University of
Technology, Akure (FUTA), Taofeek Olalekan Afeez and Alayande Abdulwaheed
Abiola, have emerged winners of this year’s Imagine Cup national finals in
Nigeria.
The undergraduates of Physics Electronics & Electrical
Electronics who jointly formed Team TREP invented an Internet of Things (IoT)
solution called Real Drip - a device that reduces the risk of blood clot or
deep vein thrombosis.
The non-invasive device monitors the
flow of intravenous fluid during IV treatment and notifies medical staff in
real time. The device monitors the rate at which intravenous fluid drops (flow
rate) and notifies the medical staff on duty in real time, for the timely
removal of intravenous needle to prevent back flow of blood which may lead to
pulmonary embolism if necessary action is not taken on time.
Their innovation was presented to the
public at an event held at the Microsoft office in Lagos.
Speaking at the event, the General
Manager, Microsoft Nigeria, Mr Akin Banuso, said “Today’s students are the
makers and doers that will build and change the world, as we know it. At
Microsoft, we believe this new generation of innovators have the potential to
address some of humanity’s most pressing problems; from how to predict and
monitor diseases like Alzheimer’s and depression, to identifying ‘fake news’ or
increasing response times during natural disasters.”
He added: “Through Imagine Cup, the world’s young, aspiring
entrepreneurs and developers collaborate to build a technology application,
create a business plan and gain a keen understanding of what is needed to bring
a concept to market. In a cloud-first, mobile-first world, creators and makers
must work together to create a cloud for global good.”
The Team Lead for Team TREP, Taofeek
Olalekan Afeez, remarked: “We are excited about this win. We would like to
thank Microsoft for this opportunity. We look forward to competing at the global
stage and do our country proud.”
Also speaking, the Chief Judge of the
competition and Principal Azure Apps & Infrastructure Lead at Microsoft
Nigeria, Mr. Damola Solanke, said the winning idea was assessed based on four
key areas – Technology, Innovation, Concept and Feasibility.
“We would like to commend Team TREP
for satisfying the requirements of the competition. Their idea was well
articulated and we look forward to seeing more homegrown solutions to our
pressing needs as a country,” Solanke said.
It will be recalled that the Imagine
Cup competition, which is now in its 16th year, is aimed at giving young
developers the opportunity to acquire new and critical technical, business and
team-building skills — all while having fun along the way.
Organised by Microsoft subsidiaries,
the National Finals select the best teams from each participating country as
they pitch and present their ideas to experts to vie for a coveted spot at the
Imagine Cup World Finals.
The competition, according to the
organiser, is segmented into three rounds, the National Finals (round 1),
Regional finals (round 2) and World finals (round 3).
The finalist submissions from all 29
participating countries in Round 1 will be entered into round 2 - the regional
final through an online submission, which will be adjudicated by an independent
panel.
Finalists from round 2 will win an
all-expenses paid trip to the World Finals taking pace in Redmond, Seattle,
United States in July where they will compete with the best and brightest teams
from across the globe for the highly coveted title of World Champion to win
about $100,000 cash prize and a chance to take home the Imagine Cup.
Microsoft says additional three
special awards that represent the current state of digital transformation were
included this year, namely:
- Artificial Intelligence – Best use of Azure Intelligence tools and
APIs with the following technology: Azure Cognitive Services and Bot
Services
- Big Data – Best use of Azure Analytics tools and APIs with the
following technology: Azure Machine Learning, Stream Analytics, and IoT
- Mixed Reality – Best use of Windows Mixed Reality with the
following technology: HoloLens, AR, and VR
Among notable entries seen during the
history of the competition were:
- Team X.GLU of the Czech Republic who took
top honours in the World final for their innovation - a glucose meter for
children with Type 1 diabetes paired with a Microsoft Azure cloud solution
in the form of an app that rewards behaviors that keep diabetes in check,
managed through motivational in-app games.
- Team AMANDA, a 2016 finalist from
Greece, created a bullying detection and intervention solution. They
participated in WE DAY Toronto along with Judson Althoff, the leader of
our commercial business, with the purpose of spreading technology
solutions against bullying worldwide and providing inspiration to more
than 23,000 teenagers.
- Team World Opaque Media, a 2016
finalist from Australia was highlighted for their Virtual Dementia
Experience, a high-tech way to help caregivers better understand and gain
an immersive experience of people living with dementia. The Australian
team is now bringing their technology to a completely new frontier: outer
space. Two members of the team, Norman Wang and Liam McGuire, developed a
game called “Earthlight”
that combines Microsoft’s Kinect technology and a virtual reality headset
to allow users to experience the feeling of being an astronaut on a
spacewalk outside the International Space Station. The project caught
NASA’s attention, and eventually evolved into a collaboration to create
realistic simulations for astronaut training.
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