The famous proverb "necessity is the mother of invention" led a Pennsylvania teenager to invent AI-enabled glasses to help his blind grandmother. Read on for the details of this invention, what inspired the teen, and how he was honored by the White House and the Carnegie Young Leaders program for his spirit of innovation.

Inspired by Grandma, Teen Invests High-Tech Glasses

Alexander Du said that he was inspired to create a special pair of glasses to help out his grandmother, who was dealing with the loss of her eyesight. The 17-year-old said that he invented the IRIS glasses after he wondered, “What if there’s a way to give my grandmother her independence back?”

The wearable tech was engineered using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to help people who have lost their vision get through life a little easier. Du said that he witnessed firsthand how his grandma's vision loss impacted her everyday life when he traveled to China to visit her.

Du is a senior at North Allegheny High School in the Pittsburgh suburb of Franklin Park. He said that when he returned from the trip abroad, he began to ponder what he could do to help his loved one. Du said that blindness "can be detrimental to people’s lives. That inspired me. At home, I got more into it. I thought, ‘What if there’s a way to give my grandmother her independence back?’ ”

From there, the rest is history. Du said that the IRIS glasses are a "wearable AI-navigation assistant in the form of glasses.” He explained that the glasses work by creating a 3D map of the world. This map helps the user to locate "the path of least resistance" as they try to navigate the world without the sense of sight.

Du compared the glasses to a "virtual guide dog" that sends a signal to the wearer to go right or left using vibrations that help them to avoid obstacles in their path. The teen said that his next goal is to add a voice assistant to the glasses. This will allow the user to ask the IRIS for specific directions. Du noted that he hopes that the tech will help make it easier for residents with vision loss to travel through cities and other areas that are typically difficult to navigate.

Du Recognized for His Invention by White House and Carnegie

The inspirational teen has already received two prizes recognizing his invention. He was first honored at the Presidential Artificial Intelligence Challenge National Champion Awards Ceremony in June at the White House. First lady Melania Trump presented the honors to Du and other young Americans who used technology to help others.  

When speaking at the ceremony, the first lady said that "Today is about opening doors. When new doors open, passions flow, courage blossoms, and dreams are realized. AI inspires.”

Du told the media afterwards that his "experience at the White House was truly amazing. I’m still trying to process it.“ He went on to say, "Getting to shake the First Lady’s hand, and getting the recognition for the work I’ve spent the past months on has been really rewarding.”

One month later, Du and his teammates Rinesh Sunthar, Kavin Dassanaike-Perera, Sophie Li, and Angela Wei were honored by the Carnegie Young Leaders program. Du said that “They’re really helpful in terms of the advice and mentorship they give, as well as the stipend that comes along with this." He confirmed that the cash prize awarded to the project will be put toward further developments with IRIS as he works to expand the technology and all that it can offer to those in need.

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