Students’ smart device for the blind
They’ve built a device that can help the blind to ‘see’ – and they dream of making life simpler for others too
JOSTLED by a passing student as they were walking and chatting, Siphamandla Mqcina and Philanjalo Ndlovu were annoyed at first, then mildly embarrassed when they realised It was a blind student who’d bumped into them on campus at the Tshwane University of Technology (Tut). That chance encounter inspired the duo to invent a futuristic device that could change the way blind and visually impaired people navigate the world.
Called C4Me, the prototype looks like an oversized pair of virtual-reality goggles, but for the wearer it’s like having a talking guide dog.
The device contains several sensors that guide wearers by pinpointing their location and destination, and provides audio instructions to direct them.
It also warns them of obstacles, can identify banknotes and can be linked to cellphones to answer calls and read messages.
Siphamandla and Philanjalo’s invention earned them a trip to Toronto, Canada, where they represented South Africa at the Red Bull Basement University Global Workshop. The international event showcases creations that make a difference in people’s lives.
Student inventors from universities representing more than 20 countries took part.
“We didn’t build C4Me for us – we wanted to help blind people,” Phila (26) says. “I often hear successful people say, ‘Never do something for the money, do it for passion. Money will come eventually.’ This has been proven.”
As evidence of their dedication to serving people, when they started working on C4Me they didn’t even know about the Red Bull event. They simply wanted to help.
The pair forked out about R3 500 of their own money to build two C4Me prototypes from scratch, with some help from a 3D printer at Wits University’s Tshimologong Digital Innovation Precinct in Braamfontein.
“We made sacrifices because we believed in this,” Siphamandla (21) says. “We did it because we wanted to help blind students on campus. “For us this is personal, so we gave our time, our money and our energy,” he told TimesLive.
Now, having shown their invention to the world, they believe anything is possible.
GROWING up, he didn’t have an easy life. Phila, who’s from Mpumalanga, completed his matric in 2013 but was unable to attend university as his unemployed mother couldn’t afford the fees.
The following year he found work at a retailer. But he really wanted to further his studies, he tells us.
“Some people would tell me I was crazy for wanting to resign because having a job is a blessing in itself. I thought to myself, rather than being stuck in a job I don’t like, I should just start afresh and try to figure out how I can start studying.”
He eventually applied for a National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) bursary and in 2017 enrolled for an IT course at Tut.
He moved to Soshanguve in Pretoria to be closer to campus, and it was there
‘We made sacrifices because we believed in this’
he met Siphamandla. They were both specialising in intelligent industrial systems, the study of the application of robots and robotic systems in industry. As a child Siphamandla, who grew up in Brits in North West, was fascinated by how things work and would spend hours taking apart old TVs, stereos and other gadgets – then reassembling them. “I knew from an early age this gave me the greatest satisfaction,” he says. It was an obsession, but he had no idea it could become a career until a friend suggested he look into IT. But like Phila’s, his family couldn’t afford to send him to university. Siphamandla was orphaned at a young age and raised by his grandmother. His faith has helped him a lot, he says. “I was raised in a Christian home. When things got tough and I felt overwhelmed with how I was going to get into university, I prayed. Honestly, with how everything has turned out for me, I’d say it’s all God’s doing.” With help from relatives he was able to scrape enough money together to go to Tut, but the daily four-hour round-trip commute by taxi between Brits and Pretoria was exhausting. “I was often late for classes. The long distance was really affecting my studies, but I had to push through,” Siphamandla says. He applied for NSFAS funding. After seven months of waiting for his application to be approved, he was able to move closer to Tut and has thrived in his studies.
THE pair met in their second year when they were in the same class and were assigned a project to create a boom gate, Siphamandla recalls. “Now that was an exciting project – seeing something you created come alive,” he says.
They quickly hit it off as they saw a lot of themselves in each other. “I admired his commitment to our studies,” Phila says. “He was so dedicated to projects and he was a hard worker. In our many conversations we had similar perspectives and aspirations.”
When they found out about the Red Bull competition they jumped into action. They built their prototypes in three weeks and, just hours before entries closed, submitted a video explaining what it was.
“We couldn’t believe we were selected as finalists as we weren’t really that experienced with creating videos that would be considered for such a big opportunity,” Siphamandla says. “We doubted ourselves. When we found out we’d won [the SA leg], we went crazy. That was easily the best moment of my life.”
Travelling to Canada and meeting brilliant, like-minded inventors from other countries was an experience of a lifetime, they tell us.
“It was a dream to travel but not one I thought would come true while I was a student,” Phila says.
They didn’t make it further than the top 10 but still see their accomplishment as a victory. The guys intend to continue working on their device and are looking for sponsors and developers to help them manufacture and improve it.
Having completed their studies last year, they also hope to find internships in the automation and programming world.
“We can’t wait to start working on other projects too, specifically robotics, and projects that will simplify people’s lives,” Phila says. “That’s where the future is.” In Toronto they were offered a sixmonth Portugal-based internship, for which they’re trying to raise funds.
“We come from townships but we don’t have to have [an] ‘I can’t’ or ‘I won’t’ attitude,” Phila says. “Never focus on your background, how you were raised or where you come from. Don’t limit yourself because you’ll be creating a generational pattern for your children too.
“Sometimes you struggle through life – but keep on dreaming big because you never know if your dreams will come true. This experience for me was proof that all I dream of is possible.”