A young Eastern Cape innovator was lifted from his Nzamkwana backroom to the brink of the global technology stage by a promise he made to his blind grandmother when he was 11 years old.
Elile Amare Stari, 23, was shortlisted among 150 innovators from around the world for her work on smart glasses powered by artificial intelligence designed to help visually impaired people move independently in five languages (isiXhosa, English, Afrikaans, Sesotho and isiZulu).
Stari will be in Hong Kong starting July 8 to attend LEAP East, where he hopes to secure investors and manufacturing partners to help turn the software and designs into physical products.
Starry said the inspiration for Spectacles4TheBlind came from the years he spent coaching his grandmother.
He said guiding a visually impaired person requires patience, kindness and understanding of their surroundings.
“When I was 11 years old, I vowed to build a device that my grandmother could use to help her walk independently,” Stari said.
“If she were still alive, she would have the first glasses ever made.”
LEAP East will bring together world leaders, innovators, start-ups, investors and technology organizations to discuss industry challenges and explore the future of digital transformation and innovation, Alghrail Abdulaziz, vice president of government engagement and event logistics at Saudi trade fair organizer Taharf, said in a letter inviting Stari to the exhibition.
“We look forward to welcoming you to this exciting event and thank you for your participation in shaping the future of the global technology industry,” the letter reads.
Stari completed a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science at Nelson Mandela University in 2023 to equip him with the skills he needs to deliver on his promise.
I then moved to BCom in Computer Science and Information Systems in 2024.
After an unsuccessful job search earlier this year, he decided to focus on developing the project and registered the company in March.
Working on a beat-up laptop in a backroom shed, he spent months coding software, developing designs, and refining concepts.
“I took all the knowledge I learned in school into creating this project,” he said.
“When I couldn’t get funding domestically, I applied internationally for startup projects, and in May I received news that I had been selected as a finalist for the LEAP Startup Competition.
“I asked the manufacturer how I could design this, but I realized SA didn’t have some of the components I needed, like certain sensors, cameras, and frames.
“We want to make it resistant even when it rains. We received the design, but we had a hard time making a prototype, so we don’t have a prototype yet.”
Instead of relying on relatives or caregivers for guidance, users will receive voice instructions from the glasses as they move.
Stari said the device will detect obstacles and warn users of danger, and will also include features such as a panic button and facial recognition.
“The software is 90% complete. Now we need manufacturers to build it,” he said.
“The AI in the glasses is a navigator. It detects objects as you walk and advises you what to do, just like I would instruct my grandmother.”
Although Stari’s grandmother wasn’t alive when the project took shape, her influence remains at the heart of the innovation, Stari said.
“My grandmother didn’t understand the innovations I made. She’s no longer with me, but this is for everyone who lives with visual impairment.
“Here’s what you say: OK, I’ve been there. This is a device made for SA, using the South African language.”
Stali said most of the target users are subsidy beneficiaries and the long-term goal is to work with governments, hospitals, clinics and NGOs to provide free glasses to people who need them.
“We don’t want to make one pair of glasses. We want to make as many as possible,” he said.
Samaritans began donating to his travel expenses through the BackaBuddy fundraising campaign.
“I’m excited because I did this without any conviction that there might be something beyond where I am and where I come from.
“I know my market size. I know where I can serve.
“My innovation is to fulfill the promise I made to my grandmother for all people who are visually impaired.”
The Dispatch was unable to confirm whether there are any other Eastern Cape inventors who have been invited to LEAP East.
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