Ericsson has announced the finalists in the Ericsson Innovation Awards 2016 that lets innovators develop ideas with Ericsson experts.
The four finalists are expected to participate in the EIA 2016 grand finale holding in Stockholm, Sweden on May 26.
The EIA is a global competition that gives students the opportunity to develop innovative ICT ideas in collaboration with Ericsson experts. According to Ericsson, a total of 843 teams from 72 countries entered the competition this year, compared with 270 teams and 43 countries in 2015.
Each of the four finalists has developed solutions addressing the future of city life, the theme for EIA 2016. Today, more people live in cities than in rural areas, and the United Nations forecasts that 70 percent of the world’s population will reside in urban areas by 2050.
The EIA 2016 finalists, as released by Ericsson, are as follows:
SherPak (Polytechnic University of Milan, Italy and Frederick University, Nicosia – Limassol): planar-embedded antennae that turn windows into a communication medium, supported by solar power generation capabilities.
Airscapes (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, US): a collection and augmentation solution for crowd-sourced environmental data, which provides personalised air pollution exposure metrics.
SoundVision (University of British Columbia, Canada): a mobile device that converts three-dimensional spatial information into sound so that blind individuals can identify their surroundings more effectively.
Common Spoon (Polytechnic University of Catalonia, Spain): a communal kitchen, automated grocery and eating space based on micro-transactions that boost local economies, improve environmental outcomes and strengthen social bonds.
The winning team will be selected by a jury comprising Ericsson and non-Ericsson representatives, the technology company says.