Mayo student wins engineering award for assistive communication technology

A secondary school from St Patrick’s Secondary School, Lacken Cross, Mayo has won first prize in the Engineering category at the SciFest’Teen-Turn event in Dublin for developing an innovative assistive communication system for people with speech disabilities. 

Aadila Aliu lyamah recieved the award at the event, which was held at Avantor in Dublin, for her project F.A.Y (Freedom to Assert Yourself). The project focuses on enabling people with speech disabilities to communicate more independently using affordable and accessible technology. As part of the award, Aadila received a laptop, part of a contribution by AMD.

The idea for the project was inspired by Aadila’s personal experiences growing up alongside family members and friends with speech disabilities.  “Seeing the daily challenges they face when trying to communicate made me realise how limited and inaccessible many assistive technologies still are,” she said. “Communication and independence of speech should be basic human rights.”

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The system is designed to be flexible, low-cost and user-friendly, combining free publicly available software with inexpensive but accurate sensors. It consists of three main components: a flex sensor glove that converts finger movements into text or speech, a camera-based sign language translator that uses computer vision and machine learning to interpret signs in real time, and a blink-detection keyboard that allows users with very limited movement to communicate using intentional blinks and winks.

Reflecting on her journey, Aadila said she was most proud of both the project’s development and her own personal growth. “What started as an undeveloped idea nearly two years ago has become a functioning, evolving system,” she said. “Joining Teen-Turn was a turning point for me. It helped me build confidence, refine my technical skills, and believe in myself.”

Aadila’s mentor, Paula Bolton, said the student showed significant growth throughout the programme, highlighting her dedication, determination and willingness to challenge herself:

“Aadila’s participation in Teen-Turn has seen her grow enormously in confidence and self-belief.” 

Teen-Turn is a non-profit organisation that supports teenage girls to explore STEM through free after-school programmes, mentoring and hands-on projects.

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