TSD Students Win USAID Science Champion Award

Two Troy School District students (Raghav Subramaniam from Athens and Krish Desai from IAE) won a US Agency for International Development Science Champion Award for their project titled “Utilizing Augmented Reality and Idiosyncratic ‘Chorded Keyboard’ Input Methods to Develop a Ubiquitous and Cost-Efficient Live Time Transcription and Speech Synthesis Aid for Individuals with Auditory and Speech Disabilities,” which was presented to the International Development Science competition at this year’s Science and Engineering Fair of Metro Detroit.

The aim of the joint project was to utilize low-cost speech synthesis and AI transcription efficiently, so the deaf can interact with society with more ease and in a more cost effective way.

The project uses an ESP32 module affixed to the side of spectacles, that can project text in real time onto the inside of a lens (a low-cost AR replacement). A BLE 5-button chorded keyboard was created, then connected via BLE to a mobile device containing the mobile app, which synthesizes speech from the input sent from the chorded keyboard. Vice versa, the mobile application can also pick up conversations, transcribe them into text, then send it to the ESP32 so that it can be projected onto the inside lens of the spectacles.

The team believed that their low cost invention (less than $27) will make it more viable for use in developing countries, as compared to alternative high-end devices with lower functionality, and garnered the following praise from the Science & Engineering Fair and the USAID: “This recognition celebrates your project's potential to make an impact on addressing international development challenges. USAID is proud to support innovators, scientists, and researchers, both in the United States and across the globe. Together, we're working to solve some of the world's most pressing challenges.

We wish you all the best, and hope you will continue to leverage your skills in science and engineering to benefit those around the world.”

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PHOTO CREDIT: TROY SCHOOL DISTRICT