SAMAR STATE UNIVERSITY, Catbalogan City, Samar. – From a college thesis, now a commercialized product in-waiting. This is the fate of a computer engineering project of Samar State University in 2013, which has received at least 5 different awards to date, from local to national competition. The biggest was the USAid-STRIDE award worth PhP 1.03M received this month of February 2017.
The device is a system which allows visually impaired people to detect and evade obstacles. It comprises a microcontroller-based embedded design that can measure the distance to the near objects through the use of ultrasonic, which generates high-frequency sound waves and evaluates the echo which is received back by the sensor. When a nearby obstacle is detected, the device notifies the user through a sound and vibration.
In 2014, Ma. Corazon Curiano, ChillaUy, Bryan Garabilis, ArwilRoyandoyan and LeeanIlao, fifth year Computer Engineering students under the advice of Engr. Jon Alvin Macariola developed an Obstacle Detection and Evasion System for Visually Impaired People. This project won as Outstanding Research Project in Samar State University in March 2014 from among the 30 projects in the competition.
In 2015, a fifth year computer engineering student then, Raven Tabiongan, also under the advice of Engr. Macariola, submitted an enhanced version of the project to the 2015 Regional Invention Contest and Exhibits (RICE 2015) under the Creative Research-Sibol Awards (College Category) of which he won.
The project was further enhanced and was submitted for the 2016 National Invention Contest and Exhibits (NICE 2015) competition as Region 8 entry in the same category. This was adjudged second among the entries from other regions. The wearable device for visually impaired people likewise won National Prize for the 2016 Alfredo M. Yao Intellectual Property Awards (AMY National IP Awards).
Late last year, the project was submitted to a technology pitching competition dubbed as SYNERGY 2016. The event was a venue where leaders/enthusiasts in science and technology research and innovation gathered to discuss current and future trends in high-impact sectors and industries. Conducted by the United States Agency for International Development – Science, Technology, Research and Innovation for Development (USAID-STRIDE) in cooperation with the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPhil), the group selected the wearable device as the second place winner.
Seeing the potential of the project for commercial application, a grant of PhP 1.03M was awarded to Samar State University (SSU) to further refine the device, specifically on its wearability. Establishment of an industry partner to manufacture said device for commercialization is among the targets of this award.
It is noted that visual impairment is a public health problem, according to World Health Organization (WHO). A 2010 study of the organization says that there are about 285 million visually impaired people, 39 million of them are totally blind. Of the total number, 12.05 million are in South East Asian Region. The study of Saaddine et.al (2003) also explains why it is considered a health problem and how people perceive it to be a threat to the public.
The report further disclosed that visual impairment contributes a large burden in terms of morbidity, quality of life and cost, thereby perceived as threat to the public. Based on the 2011-2016 National Unified Health Research Agenda (NUHRA) of the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD), studies and/or projects targeting persons with disabilities (PWD) are not yet among the priority areas for research.
Technologies designed to help ease the lives of PWDs like the wearable device for visually impaired people, are not included in the NHURA and RUHRA. There are, however, efforts to address PWD concerns by the health sector in the Philippines.
In 2013, a Medium Term Strategic Plan (2013-2017) was developed to strengthen the existing health program for PWDs, which may result the inclusion of PWD- related researches in the NUHRA.
