SINGAPORE, 11 November 2015 – Student teams from Ngee Ann Polytechnic and Nanyang Technological University today clinched the top prizes at the Grand Finale of the Singapore edition of Samsung Solve for Tomorrow. Held for the second year running, the competition challenges students to come up with solutions that leverage technology to address social issues. Their innovative solutions include Eyebus, a radio-frequency identification (RFID) system to alert the visually impaired when their bus arrives, and SafeSnooze, a mobile application to keep sleepy drivers awake and alert.

 

Organised by Samsung and supported by the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA), Samsung Solve for Tomorrow aims to empower future leaders of Singapore and inspire young Singaporeans to proactively create change in the community.

 

The 6 finalist teams were shortlisted from a total of 85 teams representing 14 universities, polytechnics and Institutes of Technical Education (ITE). At the Grand Finale, the finalists presented their projects to a panel of judges who assessed the presentations based on their relevance to social issues in Singapore, practicality of the ideas, the role that innovation plays, and their overall presentation and delivery skills.

 

The judges include Elim Chew, Founder & President, 77^th Street; Georgette Tan, Group Head, Communications, Asia/Pacific, MasterCard; Ruth Beattie, Head of Squared Programs and Industry Partnerships, Google; and Eugene Goh, Vice President, IT & Mobile, Samsung Electronics Singapore.

 

Samsung Solve for Tomorrow winners (in order of final placing)

 

 

Polytechnic and ITE Category

 

1. Team Eyebus (Ngee Ann Polytechnic) – Eyebus, an RFID system enabling the visually handicapped to travel independently 
2. Team SMARTCare (Nanyang Polytechnic) – SMARTCare, an integrated solution using a wearable band, pillbox and mobile application to remind the elderly to take their medication 
3. Team Ringcation (ITE Central) – Ping, a mobile application and wearable device enabling communication with the hearing impaired

 

 

University Category

 

1. Team Sleeping Beauty (Nanyang Technological University) – SafeSnooze, a mobile application to combat fatigued driving and keep sleepy drivers awake and alert 
2. Team Beep8 (National University of Singapore) – BeepAID, a wearable healthcare companion that actively monitors the well-being of the elderly 
3. Team 2X Cactus Minds (Singapore Management University) – Sharity, a mobile application to connect volunteers to voluntary welfare organisations and their beneficiaries

 

To view the finalist teams’ videos of their projects, please visit www.solvefortomorrow.sg.

 

"It is wonderful to see today’s youth channel their knowledge, passion, energy and creativity into solving issues that affect our community," said Eugene Goh, Vice President, IT & Mobile, Samsung Electronics Singapore. "Samsung remains committed to investing in youth and providing platforms for them to harness their potential and use technology for social good, and we hope that the competition will inspire students to find innovative ways to transform Singapore for the better."

 

For more quotes from the judges and winning teams, please refer to Appendix A.

 

The winning team from each category wins $10,000 cash, a study trip to Samsung Headquarters in Korea and internships at Samsung Electronics Singapore. The first runner-up teams and second runner-up teams each win $5,000 cash and $3,000 cash respectively. All team members from the 6 finalist teams were also given a Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 (8.0").
All 6 finalist teams are eligible to apply for a $5,000 seed grant from Samsung, enabling them to take their ideas to the next stage and bringing their solutions one step closer to reality. They will also have access to IDA Labs’ facilities, equipment and industry mentors, to further develop their projects.

 

 

Samsung Solve for Tomorrow – A learning journey

 

To enrich the overall learning journey for participants in the competition, 20 shortlisted teams, 10 from each category, were given opportunities to work with mentors from various industries to refine their ideas. Each team was also given $1,500 to fine-tune their ideas and support their advancement in the competition.

 

During the public voting phase, 20 shortlisted teams also participated in the Social Media Challenge, introduced for the first time at this year’s competition. The teams lost no time in running social media campaigns to create awareness and garner support for their competition entries.

 

Team Sleeping Beauty from Nanyang Technological University and Team Locklet comprising of students from Nanyang Polytechnic, Ngee Ann Polytechnic and Singapore Polytechnic showcased their digital marketing savviness by generating the highest level of online engagement for their entries. For their efforts, each team member won a Samsung Galaxy Note 5 4G+.

 

Photos from the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Grand Finale, more information on the competition, and profiles of the judges can be found in Appendix B, C and D respectively.

 

 

About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

 

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. inspires the world and shapes the future with transformative ideas and technologies, redefining the worlds of TVs, smartphones, wearable devices, tablets, cameras, digital appliances, printers, medical equipment, network systems, and semiconductor and LED solutions. We are also leading in the Internet of Things space through, among others, our Smart Home and Digital Health initiatives. We employ 319,000 people across 84 countries with annual sales of US $196 billion. To discover more, please visit our official website at www.samsung.com/sg and our official blog at global.samsungtomorrow.com.

 

 

About IDA Labs

 

As Singapore moves towards becoming a Smart Nation, IDA is placing greater emphasis on encouraging a culture of creating and building. The IDA Labs programme was started in March 2014 to provide physical lab spaces for individuals, companies and government agencies to collaborate and innovate. It enables them to generate new ideas, develop new technologies and test out proof of concepts. The two IDA Labs are located at IDA’s headquarters in Mapletree Business City and the National Design Centre.

 

For more information, please refer to the attached press releases.

 

Students leverage technology to address social issues and create positive change in Singapore.