Tokyo Tech News
Tokyo Tech News
The Tokyo Institute of Technology Advertisement and Media Art Society (TITAMAS) collected an array of awards for their efforts at JPHACKS 2016, Japan's biggest hackathon.
At the awards ceremony held at the University of Tokyo on November 19, 2016, members of TITAMAS received the Best Idea Award for developing "Walky," a handheld device to assist the visually impaired when walking. The team also took home the AbemaTV Award, Softbank Award, Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities Award, Microsoft Imagine Cup Award, and Mashup Awards Prize.
TITAMAS also won the student category at the Mashup Awards 2016 one week later.
Walky is a wand-like device for the visually impaired. The device is intended to make a leisurely stroll, something that most people take for granted, easier for the visually impaired. It was developed by fusing the concepts of "stroll" and "technology."
Walky - a smart device for supporting a person with impaired vision
JPHACKS 2016 TITAMAS members
JPHACKS, Japan's largest student hackathon, is held in six cities around the country. The event's central theme is the "discovery of innovators." JPHACKS 2016, the third event of its kind, attracted a record 300 participants.
As the name suggests, the Mashup Awards involve the mixing of various devices, APIs, hardware, people, and companies in an attempt to create new, innovative products. The biggest development contest of its kind in Japan, the Mashup Awards began in 2006 and are operated by Recruit Holdings Co. Ltd.
Tokyo Tech student club TITAMAS aims to "disseminate more pop culture from Tokyo Tech." Established by students in 2016, the club creates interactive art with video and music playing a central role, and holds events to exhibit its creations.
TITAMAS logo
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