A US high school student has won an award for his invention that allows the blind to navigate by using the Global Positioning System (GPS).
Teenager Ameen Abdulrasool recently won a $66,000 bonanza at the International Science and Engineering Fair in Phoenix, Arizona, for the invention.
He has also been awarded an all expense paid trip to attend the International Youth Science seminar in Stockholm during the Nobel Prize ceremonies in December.
Abdulrasool's prototype allows visually impaired individuals to navigate a pre-programmed route via GPS. The prototype has a headset, two bracelets, a personal digital assistant (PDA) and a control box.
Abdulrasool told IANS he was inspired to build the prototype because he wanted to help the visually impaired he had grown up with.
Abdulrasool, whose parents migrated to the US from Karachi, seems unaffected by his achievements and fame.
"His greatest asset is his humility," said Antoinette LoBosco, assistant principal of his school. "He is always kind to his fellow students. We are very proud of him."
Building the prototype took three years - Abdulrasool had to make the parts on his own as the prototype is the first of its kind.
"The PDA was the most expensive part. The rest I could scavenge from old computers and radios," he said.
Elder brother Saleem, who is studying computers in the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, helped in the project.
The gadget's accuracy, Abdulrasool said, depends on the number of satellites it can connect to. "In tests, I have found the prototype to be most accurate in the suburbs. In downtown Chicago, there could be a problem because of the tall buildings," he said.
The gadget gives turn-by-turn verbal directions too. "In addition, the user wears braces on both hands. If one has to take a left turn, the brace on the left hand will vibrate. An infrared sensor helps the machine detect obstacles. A beep, the volume of which will depend on the obstacle's distance, alerts the user," Abdulrasool said.
It cost Abdulrasool about $1,200 to build the prototype. "If I get support from some companies, it will be easier for me to distribute the final product," he said.
Abdulrasool plans to attend the University of Illinois this fall to study electrical engineering, biomedical technology and business management.
His hobbies include tennis and football and listening to techno music, pop and occasionally Bach.
US daily calls for sustaining pressure on Musharraf
Publish Date : 3/2/2007 7:07:00 AM
With the Bush administration reportedly sending a tough message to Pakistan that US aid would be cut if it did not rein in Al Qaeda militants, a leading American daily has called for sustaining the pressure on President Pervez Musharraf .....
'Most US intelligence on Iran inaccurate'
Publish Date : 2/26/2007 9:01:00 AM
Most US intelligence on Iran shared with the United Nations nuclear watchdog agency has proved inaccurate and none has led to significant discoveries inside the country, diplomats at the IAEA have said.
UN praises India's all-female police unit deployed in Liberia
Publish Date : 2/26/2007 8:58:00 AM
The all-female police unit from India serving in Liberia has come in for high praise for its work in the peacekeeping mission from the United Nations envoy in the country.
Pentagon continuing with its "intensive planning" on Iran:rept
Publish Date : 2/26/2007 8:37:00 AM
The Pentagon is continuing its "intensive planning" for a possible bombing attack on Iran, a process that began last year at the instance of President George W Bush as Washington is focussing on Shiite Tehran in a shift .....
Nuclear terrorism a matter of time: James Goodby
Publish Date : 2/5/2007 8:40:00 AM
Accusing the Bush administration of not giving nuclear terrorism the highest priority in national goals, a former US diplomat has warned that it was only a matter of time before a terrorist organization detonated an atom bomb in an American city.
Penelope Cruz to star in new Woody Allen film
Publish Date : 2/3/2007 10:28:00 AM
Oscar-nominated Spanish actress Penelope Cruz is to star in the new Woody Allen film, to be shot this summer in Barcelona, newspaper El Pais reported on Friday.
Bush administration seeks $245B for wars
Publish Date : 2/3/2007 10:19:00 AM
The Bush administration will ask for another $100 billion for military and diplomatic operations in Iraq and Afghanistan this year and seek $145 billion for 2008, a senior administration official said Friday.
Thousands rally against Bush's Iraq war
Publish Date : 1/29/2007 8:41:00 AM
Thousands of protestors, including Hollywood stars and civil rights leaders, came out on to the streets here opposing the war in Iraq ahead of a crucial debate and vote in the US Senate on the issue.
Arms Pact violation by Israel to figure in Congress
Publish Date : 1/29/2007 8:35:00 AM
Israel's alleged violation of an arms pact with America by unleashing US-made cluster bombs into civilian-inhabited areas of south Lebanon will come up for a debate in the Congress tomorrow, with even the prospect of sanctions against Jerusalem.
No Pakistan, it's Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan in Bush's speech
Publish Date : 1/25/2007 8:19:00 AM
The State of the Union address by US President George W Bush was dominated by war on Iraq and US' present policy to justify it, in spite of the growing realisation that US marines positioned there have been entangled in a dangerous quagmire.
Total Results : 128
More News (Opens in New Window) : [1] 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Next Page
|