SEOUL:A team of Irish students are travelling to Seoul to take on the world in a technology competition. Four students from NUI Maynooth will compete in the global championships of Microsoft's Imagine Cup in the South Korean capital this August.
It's the first time an Irish team will compete in the world's largest student technology competition, which has been running since 2003. Imagine aims to encourage young people to apply their imagination and creativity to imagining technology innovations that offer solutions to real-world problems.
This year, students were challenged to imagine a world where technology enables a better education for all.The inaugural winners of the national Irish final - Dan Kelly, Eric McClean, Cathal Coffey and Mark Clerkin - are entering with InGest (Interactive Gesture), a collection of educational tools aimed at teaching sign language.
Users can choose tutorials depending on their experience and demonstrations are made through a 3D hand gesture animation interface. Users can mimic the signs via a motion capture glove or a camera. InGest also allows users to chat online using sign language.
The competition was open to all third-level colleges and universities .The winning team received a laptop each and NUI Maynooth received €1,000. InGest is now in the running to get a share of the prize money in the global final, which totals €130,000 across nine categories.
The Irish leg of the competition was sponsored by computer manufacturer Lenovo, Enterprise Ireland and venture capital firm Atlantic Bridge Ventures, so the idea may become a commercial reality.
