13.6.2024
Eighth Generation NOW: Best solutions for people with difficulties and/or disabilities awarded
After two months of creating projects on "Smart solutions for a world without obstacles", the winners of this year's Generation NOW program, implemented by Hrvatski Telekom in cooperation with the Institute for Youth Development and Innovation (IRIM), were selected. The project involved more than 1,500 children showing their creativity in 91 submitted projects, all of which strive to improve with technology the quality of life of people with disabilities and difficulties and help them overcome the many challenges they face in everyday life. The solutions they created range from smart canes for easier navigation of blind and visually impaired people through learning tools for children with developmental disabilities, communication tools for people on the autistic spectrum to smart wheelchairs, and digital solutions for immobile people.
All submitted works competed in three age groups - from first to fourth grade of primary school, fifth to eighth grade and high school students, and the best six from each age group presented their works live.
The best project by the decision of the expert jury in the category of first to fourth grade of elementary school is "Mi to možemo" (We can do it) - Sveti Križ Začretje Elementary School, whose students designed an entire system of aids, which included a bell for deaf people that manifests itself in a visual form, a window that opens by pressing a switch intended for immobile people, sensors that signal to blind and visually impaired people when, for example, a glass is full, and a wearable system of sensors that make it easier to navigate in space.
The project "Pametna ruka" (Smart Hand) - Association of Technical Culture Galileo Galilei, Rovinj was declared the best in the fifth to eighth-grade category. It is designed to help people who have woken up from a coma or have speech difficulties. Thanks to a solution that uses flexible sensors and bending the fingers to generate sound information, for example, I'm hungry, I'm thirsty, enabling the person to communicate with the environment.
The didactic aid "Učimo drugačije" (We learn differently) - Technical School Daruvar is the best work in the category of secondary schools and is intended for the age group of four years and older, enabling not only cognitive development and early learning of numbers but also the practice of fine motor skills. For visually impaired children to explore the insert more easily, it is made in contrasting colors of yellow and black, and for blind children, there is also a Braille print.
"It is crucial to encourage an active approach to social problems among young generations, where they become part of the solution instead of passive observers. We advocate for a world of equal opportunities, and modern technologies are an opportunity to improve society. We could see this again this year through the excellent works of students who use them in truly innovative and socially useful ways. This year's eighth Generation NOW showed not only great potential and technical knowledge but also sensibility for this burning social issue", said Igor Vukasović, Corporate Communications Director at Hrvatski Telekom and president of this year's jury.
Croatia has more than 650,000 people living with disabilities; 48% are senior citizens over 65 years of age, 41% are working age, and 11% are children and youngsters. A World Health Organization and UNICEF report estimates that by 2030, more than 2.5 billion people will need at least one assistive technology solution. Primary and secondary school students created specific solutions using assistive technological solutions with the help of Neuron, Arduino, and Dasduino kits and additional DFRobot components. All the equipment was donated to schools as part of the Generation NOW program, and Hrvatski Telekom provided free internet access for all involved.
"Generation NOW is a program that we have been implementing in cooperation with HT for many years, and every year, we are again surprised by the variety, quality, and creativity of the projects that the children create. It is interesting and motivating to see what can be achieved if children are provided with simple but very useful Internet of Things technology along with education and let them plan, build, and test their creative ideas. If we add to this the fact that Generation NOW is the largest application of Internet of Things technology in education in Croatia, the success of this project and the children participating in it are guaranteed", concluded Paolo Zenzerović, IRIM executive director and one of the jury members
The members of this year's jury were also Darijo Jurišić, ombudsman for persons with disabilities, Zlata Paštar, member of the board of Desa & Jerko Baković Foundation, Darko Rakić, president of the Suradnici u nastavi association, Marijana Šarolić Robić, vice-president of the CRO Startup association, Josipa Majić, co-founder of fintech Revuto, Ivan Rimac, Chief Information Officer (CIO), Barrage and Boris Drilo, member of the Management Board and Chief Technical and Chief Information Technology officer at Hrvatski Telekom.