Inspired by a promise to his late blind grandmother, a 23-year-old South African computer science student has taken his AI-powered smart glasses for blind and visually impaired people to the global stage at the LEAP East technology competition in Hong Kong.

Elihle Stali tested the AI navigation system at the event which brought together more than 35,000 participants, hundreds of exhibitors and investors from around the world, giving startups a platform to secure partnerships and funding.

Stali explains the AI glasses. 

"The camera in the laptop or on the phone scans your environment. It sees where you're going, and then it tells you, Okay, you can move. You can move to the right. You can move to the left. It even tells you the object you're about to encounter. You may come across a rock, a chair or anything else."

The AI-powered system is designed to describe surroundings, identify obstacles and provide audio guidance in multiple South African languages, including isiXhosa and isiZulu.

"My grandmother died when I was 11, the same year I made that promise. So she didn't see me until my first competition, the Eskom Expo for Young Scientists, when I was 17 and in Grade 11." 

The team plans to produce 15 prototype pairs by the end of the year with a manufacturing partner in China before expanding trials with blind communities in South Africa.

Manager for Spectacles4TheBlind SA, Nomzamo Nkatshu, adds, "These will be the actual glasses, and of course, that will be after he has tested them with blind communities here in the Eastern Cape."

Stali hopes the smart glasses will give visually impaired people greater independence while showcasing African innovation on the global stage.