On June 24th, 2025, two student teams from Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (HCMUT) proudly participated in the 2025 Assistive Technology Innovation Competition for People with Disabilities, organized by the Youth Science and Technology Development Center. This annual event promotes innovative products and technologies that support people with disabilities, offering young developers a platform to turn creative ideas into practical solutions that contribute to a more inclusive society.
The competition encourages breakthrough ideas across diverse areas such as transportation, education, daily living, entertainment, and communication, all aiming to enhance accessibility, independence, and quality of life for people with disabilities. Open to Vietnamese citizens under 35 years old, the competition welcomes both individual and group submissions, with each team consisting of up to five members. Practical application and positive social impact remain key evaluation criteria.
At this year’s competition, the SightSeeingGemma team, led by Dinh Trac Duc Anh with members Ta Tien Tai, Trinh Huu Tri, and Hua Tue Minh, introduced an AI-powered system that enables visually impaired individuals to better perceive and navigate their surroundings. SightSeeingGemma utilizes real-time image processing and natural language generation to transform visual information into spoken descriptions. Through technologies such as YOLO for object detection, MiDaS for depth estimation, and a modular cloud-based system, users receive immediate audio feedback and hazard alerts, enhancing their safety and independence in daily life.
The competition also highlighted the Quantized URA team with members Nguyễn Song Thiên Long, Nguyễn Mạnh Khang, Lê Gia Thăng, and Lê Gia Phát — the latter two representing the Faculty of Industrial Management at HCMUT. Their project, ReHand, is an intelligent hand rehabilitation system that combines AI with Leap Motion sensors to transform traditional hand therapy exercises into engaging, interactive games. Designed for stroke survivors, the elderly, or post-surgery patients, ReHand eliminates the need for wearable devices, achieving gesture recognition accuracy of over 97%. This innovation makes hand therapy more accessible, motivating, and effective, whether used at home or in clinics.
Both teams received high praise from the judges for their creativity, technical capability, and practical focus on improving the lives of people with disabilities. SightSeeingGemma earned a Consolation Prize, while Quantized URA’s ReHand also made a strong impression for its potential to revolutionize physical rehabilitation. The projects reflect the ongoing efforts of HCMUT students to apply cutting-edge technologies in service of social good, empowering vulnerable communities through intelligent, accessible solutions.
These achievements demonstrate the importance of fostering innovation that addresses real-world challenges faced by people with disabilities. Through platforms like this competition, young innovators continue to create products that enhance independence, mobility, and quality of life — contributing to a more inclusive and compassionate society for all.
