Many teams have reporters from their native country exclusively following their journeys -- like, literally following them around everywhere they go.
American news organizations have bopped in and out of here, we feel the five U.S. teams aren't getting as much attention as their foreign counterparts... This kind of makes them underdogs, right? Well, Mick and I thought we'd fill you in on a couple of teams representing the land of the free and the home of the brave.
TEAM DRAGON
Get to know the Game Design team that's looking to make controlling asthma hipper and more fun.
WATCH:
TEAM LIFELENS
BY: Mick Brambilla
While Team Dragon focuses on a first world problem, there is one U.S. tackling one of the biggest problem facing developing nations.
Team Lifelens is competing in the Windows Phone 7 division with their Lifelens Project. The goal of Lifelens is to improve diagnosis of malaria in people. By improving the ability to correctly test for the disease then the medical community can more efficiently spend their resources. Ultimately their project will save the world money, but most
importantly lives.
You are probably thinking right now, "Gee whiz, this sounds pretty innovative, but how do they carry out their goal?" Well, I'm glad you are thinking that, because I am here to tell you what they created.
Lifelens is a computer assisted mobile microscopy. Big name and big idea, but it deals with something very small. They attached a lens to a Windows Phone 7 that turns it into a microscope capable of viewing a person's cells. The software to go along with the device allows any user to analyze the cells to determine if there are infecting cells. If there is a single cell infected with malaria then all the person needs to do is get a pill for treatment. It is simple, fast and efficient. The team claims that it has 94.4 percent efficiency rate compared to the current average of 60 percent. That is an astonishing decrease of error.
In their presentation, the team demonstrated how intelligent and caring they are for the project they are working on. They come from all around the US and are experts in their own unique field, but when they brought all of their ideas together they made something that can actually make a difference. Every time I attend one of the presentations, I am in awe of the sheer brilliance that these young individuals have and more importantly, how they want to use it to better the world. Corporations or money do not drive them -- they truly have a passion for the work that they are doing.
TEAM NOTE-TAKER
There's a lot of buzz around this team who developed an assistive technology helps low-vision and legally blind students take notes in the as quickly -- and with the same ease -- as their fully-sighted peers.
WATCH:
ICSQUARED
Gestation has never been so fun. This team is also competing in Game Design.
READ THIS to learn all about their game Embryonic.
SYNTAX ERROR
Having already advanced to round two in Embedded Development, this team is seeking to make it easier for first responders to help when disaster strikes.
READ THIS to learn all about it.