Disclaimer: This Inside South Florida segment is sponsored by Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision. All opinions and views are of the advertiser and does not reflect the same of WSFL-TV.
The future of innovation is here, and it’s being led by students. Inside South Florida welcomed Justin Shaifer and a group of extraordinary young inventors who are the national winners of the Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision Challenge, the largest K–12 science competition in the world.
This year’s standout project? A remarkable invention called “I Understand Glasses,” designed to improve communication between hearing and deaf individuals using cutting-edge AI.
“These glasses are made for people who use sign language,” student Rebecca Brandt explained. “There are cameras on the glasses that record hand gestures and send the video to an app, which translates the signs into words. Then, the glasses speak the words out loud.”
The inspiration came from a video one of the students saw of a father and daughter struggling to communicate due to a language barrier. The moment sparked a mission. “Only 2.8% of people in the U.S. know sign language,” student Mia Rodriguez said. “We wanted to do something to help them.”
And close the gap they did. Their invention took top honors in a field of jaw-dropping innovations, including fire-stopping hemp-based technology, wildfire-fighting drones, and pollination solutions.
“These kids are making stuff that is absolutely mind-blowing,” said Shaifer. “These are the types of skills students need to succeed: the hard research that goes into building something like this, along with the soft skills of working together and presenting their science to the world.”
To learn more about the competition or apply, visit exploravision.org.
