Enable Makeathon 2.0

Location: UK & India

Partnering with UCL and the International Committee of the Red Cross, the GDI Hub hosted the Enable Makeathon 2.0 in London. 2 co-creation camps and incubation took place in two simultaneous locations; Bengaluru, India hosted by the ICRC and London, UK hosted by the Global Disability Innovation Hub and University College London, from November 2017 to February 2018.

Photo of a young Indian girl on an oversized wheelchair being fed by her mother

Fifteen innovative ideas were shortlisted to be translated into actionable products and services by accompanying teams with fresh ideas from the ideation phase to the impact phase. Five teams were selected to come to London to develop their disability innovation ideas into new products and services over the course of a 16-day intensive ‘bootcamp' with persons with disabilities, designers, engineers, humanitarians and entrepreneurs.

The teams benefited from the intensive camp to develop a solid business plan and prototypes. 8 were further shortlisted and provide additional support out of which, three teams won EM prizes to translate their idea into action.

The winning teams were:

1. Bleetech – A low-cost version of an encyclopaedia for people with a hearing impairment. Users can ask questions on a mobile platform (either in sign language or English), where they receive answers to their queries in Indian sign language

2. GameAble – As solution to help disabled video gamers play video games on a level playing felid with their non-disabled peers. It features gesture recognition-based control software and a wearable hardware device.

3. NonSpec – A below knee prosthetic system that is dynamic, affordable, lightweight, adjustable, and mass producible. The pylon material used can be fitted to any patient of any age and at low cost.

Partners

Team Nonspec winning the third position

Parent project

Text graphic 'GDI Hub Accelerate spark' with a lightening bolt

Spark Innovation

Mechanism to kick start innovation and test proof of concept.

Sibling projects

Poster of the event, which reads: Inclusive Design Challenge 1.0 - 6th - 20th June, 2022 - Design solutions for improving access to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park for blind and partially sighted people.

Access to open spaces for blind and partially sighted people

One of the first Spark Innovation activities is an Inclusive Design Challenge, inviting young innovators to design solutions for improving access to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park for blind and partially sited people. The event takes place between 6–20 of June, 2022.

Text graphic 'GDI Hub Accelerate spark' with a lightening bolt

Creating accessible interfaces for people living with MND, ALS, or MD

GDI Hub, UCL Computer Science and The International Alliance of ALS/MND Associations will host a hackathon together to solve accessibility problems using digital devices with participation in three countries (UK, Kenya, and Korea).

Sibling projects

Poster of the event, which reads: Inclusive Design Challenge 1.0 - 6th - 20th June, 2022 - Design solutions for improving access to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park for blind and partially sighted people.

05 April 2022

Access to open spaces for blind and partially sighted people

One of the first Spark Innovation activities is an Inclusive Design Challenge, inviting young innovators to design solutions for improving access to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park for blind and partially sited people. The event takes place between 6–20 of June, 2022.

Text graphic 'GDI Hub Accelerate spark' with a lightening bolt

12 May 2022

Creating accessible interfaces for people living with MND, ALS, or MD

GDI Hub, UCL Computer Science and The International Alliance of ALS/MND Associations will host a hackathon together to solve accessibility problems using digital devices with participation in three countries (UK, Kenya, and Korea).