For Elihle Stali, innovation did not begin with a trend report. It began with his grandmother and the everyday barriers she faced as a visually impaired person.
The 23-year-old Eastern Cape computer science student has developed AI-assisted smart glasses designed to help users understand and navigate their surroundings. A defining part of the project is its local focus: the system has been developed to work across several South African languages, including isiXhosa, isiZulu, English, Afrikaans and Sesotho.
The idea earned Elihle an international startup opportunity, bringing the possibility of mentorship, exposure and new support for the technology. A fundraising campaign helped with the costs of taking that next step.
What makes the project compelling is not technology for its own sake. It is a young developer listening to a real need, building from a South African context and asking how a device might give someone greater independence in an ordinary day.
What people made possible
- The project was inspired by direct experience of visual impairment in Elihle’s family.
- The glasses are being developed with multiple South African languages in mind.
- Community backing helped Elihle pursue an international innovation opportunity.
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