Ford Thailand, together with its partners proudly celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Ford Innovator Scholarship program – a decade of empowering youth to drive innovation and create meaningful impact. For the first time in the program's history, a secondary school team from Assumption Thonburi School clinched the grand prize with their groundbreaking innovation ‘ThirdEye’ an assistive device designed to enhance safety for the visually impaired.
The milestone event, held in collaboration with the Population and Community Development Association (PDA), the National Innovation Agency (NIA), and TV Burabha Co., Ltd., was more than a competition. It featured a series of inspiring activities, including a special panel discussion sharing success stories, a hackathon to enhance participants' innovation communication skills, and a showcasing of the 10 finalist teams’ projects. These efforts aimed to inspire young innovators to contribute to a better future.
This year, Ford Innovator Scholarship program highlighted the theme ‘Connecting Innovation with Communities for a Better World Challenge,’ focus on three key areas including innovations for the future of work, innovations to enhance modern businesses, and innovations for community safety. Since its launch in August, the program received an impressive 235 innovative submissions from student teams across secondary schools, vocational schools, and universities nationwide. Ten teams were selected and advanced to the final round, comprising two secondary school teams, one joint secondary school-university team, three vocational school teams, and four university teams. These finalists had the opportunity to participate in several participatory workshops led by experts from Ford Thailand, NIA, and TV Burabha, to further develop their competencies and knowledge and enhance their presentation skills, preparing them to showcase their innovative ideas at the competition’s final stage.
The final day was packed of many beneficial activities, beginning with a Hackathon where participants took part in a thought-provoking workshop on innovative problem-solving design and innovation communications. Following this, all student teams then joined a group of media in the panel discussion hosted to inspire the young-generation innovators in Thailand in building a better future through innovative solutions. The competition concluded with an exiting pitching session and the announcement of winners.
The 2024 Ford Innovator Scholarship winners include:
Winner Prize: ‘ThirdEye’ innovation, an assistive device for the visually impaired from Assumption Thonburi School. This innovation leverages deep learning and visual attention mechanisms to simulate human vision through neural networks. It can identify objects, read text, signs, and symbols, and operate either automatically or through voice commands, significantly enhancing safety for the visually impaired.
First Runner-Up: ‘Sustainable Leather Material’ innovation for the fashion industry from Kasetsart University. This innovation utilizes agricultural waste, such as cocoa pod husks, durian rind-based cellulose, and mangosteen peels to create a durable, flexible, biodegradable, and antibacterial alternative to traditional leather.
Second Runner-Up: ‘CS-M Tool’ innovation, an AI-powered self-check stethoscope for heart disease detection from Chulalongkorn University. This first-of-its-kind medical innovation allows individuals to easily monitor their heart health at home. It analyzes heart sounds captured by a stethoscope using AI and displays the results through a mobile application, enabling early detection and treatment.
Third Runner-Up: ‘AI-Powered Durian Counting and Sizing Machine’ from Surat Thani Technical College. This mobile innovation improves efficiency and reduces labor costs in durian harvesting.
Since its inception in 2015, the Ford Innovator Scholarship program, funded by Ford Philanthropy, has awarded 232 scholarships totaling over $257,100 (or 6.7 million baht). It stands as one of Thailand's most significant programs for scholarship and innovation skills development for youth and educational institutions. The program equips students with the knowledge and skills needed to adapt to the fast-pacing workforce, representing a sustainable investment in human capital and connecting innovation with real-world community benefits, aligning with Ford Philanthropy's mission to promote education for future of work.
