How these youths are leveraging tech to do good

From within the computer labs of their schools, students in Singapore are making a difference in the real world. 

Take Ethan Jin, Ceres Ooi and Myat Thu Khant from Admiralty Secondary School’s Robotics Club, for example. Their telehealth solution, PosteoPilot, uses artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms to help analyse a user’s gait, reducing the time and cost of diagnosing sports injuries, neurological conditions and fall risk. 

For their innovative approach to a healthcare challenge, the team was declared Singapore’s winner in the category of AI Impact Creators (ages 13 to 18) at the Intel AI Global Impact Festival 2022, an annual international competition for students and educators who are keen to showcase AI innovation and impact. 

It’s not just about coming out tops, however. What excites the team is their solution’s potential to do good. Said Ceres: “We are delighted to be able to create something that could help society.” 

The team of Secondary Four students was grateful to have received learning support under Intel's AI for Youth, which is part of the Intel Digital Readiness Program portfolio, conducted by Sustainable Living Lab and supported by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA). Ethan shared: “Our trainer was very engaging, and the programme was enriching as it provided the opportunity to gain knowledge that we can use in the future.” 

Myat appreciated the fact that the programme gave him a better understanding of AI and its applications in daily life, and he hopes to participate in more tech programmes through the Robotics Club. “I want to learn more about AI, and how it can be used in electric and autonomous vehicles,” he said. 

For students who are considering taking up an infocomm and media co-curricular activity (CCA) in secondary school, Ceres has this advice to share: “Don’t be afraid to try new things, even though you might not have any background or experience in tech or media. There will be teachers, trainers and seniors who are able to help you.” 

GAINING THE CONFIDENCE TO EXCEL

North Vista Secondary School’s Infocomm Club also participated in the Intel AI Global Impact Festival. The team, comprising Arsa Muhammad Naufal from Secondary Two and Crystal Tan Li En from Secondary Three, created an AI-enabled recycling bin that can recognise different types of litter, named Recycle RAIght! Working on the project enabled the team to acquire the basics of AI and Python, a programming language. 

Mr Tay Chee Thong, one of the teachers in charge of the school’s Infocomm Club, said the experience improved students’ engagement during their CCA training, and he’s keen for them to experience more tech and media-related programmes. “Tech and media clubs in schools empower students to be advocates of the use of technology in the community. This will develop the values of care, respect and resilience in our students,” he added.  

Club member and Intel AI for Youth programme participant Yew Shang Hong said that learning Python taught him to be logical when coding, while learning to create chatbots taught him to communicate with more empathy. He explained: “Python language is highly complex, hence I had to be clear-headed when writing the codes. But when it came to creating chatbots, I had to be able to empathise with the situations of others in order to make the chatbot’s language more human-like.”

Developing new skills is just one part of IMDA’s Infocomm Media Clubs Programme, which aims to provide a holistic and enriching CCA experience for students. Besides gaining knowledge, students get to hone their leadership abilities, compete in national-level tech and media competitions, serve the community through digital projects, and discover how they can apply their tech and media skills outside the classroom. 

For Shang Hong, such hands-on experiences have boosted his confidence and interest in technology. He recounted an excursion to HeadRock VR, which was the first time he experienced wearing a virtual reality headset. “It was so much more immersive than I could ever imagine,” he said.  

Being part of IMDA’s Student Leadership Conference last year, he added, also enabled him to gain insights into Singapore’s tech industry, systems and key personnel. “It made me feel more ready to take on my responsibility as head of robotics in the Infocomm Club and gave me inspiration on how I can best serve the club.” 

USING THEIR SKILLS TO SERVE THE COMMUNITY

Raffles Institution’s Computer Science Society sent a team of three students – Evan Lim, Koh Jia Hng and Christopher Cheng, all aged 17 – to participate in the Amazon Web Services Data Science Accelerator in 2021, conducted by SG Code Campus and supported by IMDA. As part of the programme, the students created SGNoise, a website that uses AI to analyse sound data in neighbourhoods collected by on-site sensors. 

“We picked the problem of ‘noise at odd hours’ because it seemed to have the greatest potential to be solved with machine learning,” said Christopher. “Noise can be detected using sensors placed at key locations, and we can then collect and analyse the data to train a model to reach a high level of accuracy.”

However, they soon realised that the real world was not as precise, or as clear cut. It was difficult to differentiate between naturally occurring loud noises – such as thunder – and noises caused by people. 

The solution? An AI-driven algorithm that can classify sounds into two categories: Noise and natural. The former considers loud sounds, such as shouting or people playing basketball in the quiet hours, as noise disturbances. 

Jia Hng explained: “If SGNoise detects noise for an extended period of time, the system files a noise complaint and notifies the town council via a Telegram bot. Personnel can then be deployed more effectively to deal with noise issues even before complaints are received.” 

Reflecting on their journey in building SGNoise, Evan said that the team learnt valuable lessons about taking an AI model out of a predictable test environment and putting it into production. “In the real world, we have to be aware of messy data and edge cases that could lead to wrong predictions. Additionally, we must remain conscious of ethical concerns about what data can be collected, and whether we should let AI make certain decisions.” 

The team remains enthusiastic about AI’s potential, especially in the fields of language and creativity. Added Evan: “It is exciting that one day, AI may be used to generate math theorems, write novels and find the cure to cancer!” 

Learn more about how you can do good for society by joining your school’s infocomm and media CCA.