Uva Wellassa University talent gallore
View(s):Though it is being considered as a developing country, Sri Lanka holds a “well developed” position in the field of information and communication technology. It is a known fact that the field of ICT of the island is competing with the well developed nations in an untiring manner and already has been able to achieve numerous victories. Sri Lanka possesses a significant position in the global IT industry, thus supplying high quality software products for leading corporates of the modern world. State and private universities of the country have been given a massive contribution to achieve this superposition, where number of talented students is on rise in conquesting this field. This article is reserved to unveil such a group of passionate undergraduates coming from the Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, Badulla. The talented group of youth has invented three magnificent IT products, where two of them have already been applied for local patents.
“AmbaYaluwa” Concentration Device
Color psychology is the study field, which elaborate the connection between the colors of nature and the human behavior. The basis of this is that colors can motivate and stimulate human thoughts. The Pomodoro Technique is a time management technique invented by Francesco Cirillo in 1980s. The technique tells that, you need to take a five minute break, if you engaged in a certain task for twenty five minutes and this whole time period of thirty minutes cover a one Pomodoro time cycle. After completing such four Pomodoro time cycles, you’ve to take an interval of fifteen minutes. Working as per this Pomodoro technique would enhance your productivity and efficiency.
The group of students who are from the UvaWellassa University, has integrated these two concepts, where they’ve come up with the ÄmbaYaluwa”concentration device. This could act as a motivator for their studies, by enhancing their said qualities. If a students or a worker initiated his/her work with the help of this device, it would indicate different colors at respective time intervals (green color – first ten minutes, light blue – second ten minutes, yellow color – in the last five minutes) and enhance the mental productivity in the visual capacity. The LCD screen placed on the device would demonstrate wordings and notes, plus the result of our engagement so far, which may help us to augment our activity. Also, using your smart phone, “AmbaYaluwa” device track your vocal messages within the range of hundred meters and provide emotional responses through a color system.
Keeping this device on a study table of a student will uplift his productivity unconsciously. The device has already been applied for a National Patent and won the “National Best Quality Software Award – 2018” (NBQSA Award). Moreover, this was selected for the list of best 33 inventions of the South Asian Region in the IEEE SS12 International Competition organized by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, which is the largest global organization of the technology professionals. The product also won the Bronze medal in the category of Applied Science and Technology at the ”SahasakNimavum 2018” competition organized by the Sri Lanka Inventors Commission.
The team further hopes to develop the product by doing more automation and their final target would be a robot, which provide emotional support to the humans.
Python – Sinhala Interpreter
Python is the computer language, which was awarded as the “Programming Language of the Year” in 2007 and 2010. It still holds the fourth position among the most popular computer languages across the globe. Python programming language is being used by world renowned companies such as Wikipedia, Google, Yahoo, NASA, Facebook, Amazon, Instagram etc. in their machine work. Python has a design philosophy that emphasizes code readability and provides constructs that enable clear programming on both small and large scales, making it easy to use in wider applications. By now, it has become a greater asset in natural language processing and in researches of artificial intelligence.
Getting affluent with a programming language having this much of a significance has been a must for almost all the computer programmers, but up to now there wasn’t a proper media to get in touch with it for the native speakers. The team of university students has developed the world’s first Python Sinhala Interpreter for the good sake of Sri Lankan students, who engage in computer programming. They has been already inserted into the Google playstore as a freely available application, and within about two months the number of downloads were of more than 1500, depicting the desire of questing novel frontiers in information technology of Sri Lankan young generation. Being a fully offline software application, this interpreter would makes you a genius in Python programming language in a step by step manner. Besides, the team of undergrads is further hoping to extend this application in Tamil language as well, such that the application would help to both the Sinhalese and Tamil student communities of the island.
Python Language has been included to the G.C.E. Advanced Level syllabus and this initiative deserves the appreciation, which would definitely contribute for the children of local free education.
Note Review App
Turning the study text to questions is a major technique of studying lengthy notes. Rather than just”cramming”, this would also enhances the perception of the study points. The “Note Review App”, which is available at the Google Playstore can turn your study text into a simple question paper. You’ve to simply scan the text using your mobile phone and select your preferred choice out of the two options; “Fill in the blanks” or “Drag and Drop”. Selecting the relevant option would provide you with a question paper consist with the selected key words by you, so as to use it appropriately to test your memory. Without limiting to the study notes, you can use this in your presentation slides of your university by just scanning them.
This new creation was recognized for its novelty and application at the “SahasakNimavum 2018” competition by receiving the golden award for the first place in the category of information and communication technology, surpassing all the other inventions presented by universities and tertiary education institutes of the country. This product also has applied for a local patent.
The team of student researchers, who remark novel victories in the ICT sector are from the Department of Computer Science and Technology of UvaWellassa University of Sri Lanka. The team comprise of BuddhikaPrasanna De Silva, RajithKarunarathne, IsuruEdirisinghe, Pubudu Praneeth Jayarathne, RandikaMadushan, Dushan Kumara and HasithaEdirisinghe. They remind the kind support granted by Mr. AshanRathnayake (Lecturer), Ms. SanjeewaniSenanayake (Assistant Lecturer), Ms. YenushaMahendran (Assistant Lecturer) and ImalkaPathirana (Academic Demonstrator). Moreover they are thankful to Dr. SarangaPremathilake (Head – Department of Computer Science and Technology), Prof. Sisira Ediriweera (Dean – Faculty of Science and Technology) and Dr. J.L. Rathnasekera (Vice Chancellor of UvaWellassa University) for the continuous guidance and support.
This research team has ventured their collective as “Bevy Labs” and the leader of the team Buddhika stated that there are more products yet to come. He mentioned that, a special drone technology has been implemented by them to follow the line patterns on the ground, where the technology can be utilized in applying manure, insecticides and pesticides to slope terraced agriculture lands and paddy fields specifically. Along with that an “Automated Water Control and Garden Irrigation System” is on development, where the system would keep the water level in a supply tank within a user selected range by filling the tank with user preferred source. Whenever, the soil moisture reaches to a lower level than a particular level, the system will automatically supply water to plants. Using this mobile app, the user can monitor and control all of these procedures at finger tips. “Automating these whole systems with a complex collective of apps would be revolutionary in the conventional agricultural system of the country”, Buddhika further added.
Bevy Labs team was recently awarded in the first place as the “Best Makerspace Startup”; the initiative of the United States Embassy of Sri Lanka and Maldives for the empowerment of entrepreneurship and technology in Sri Lanka. This award was presented at an event held at the American Corner, Kandy on last 09th of December by the United States Ambassador to Sri Lanka and Maldives, Her Excellency Alaina B. Teplitz.
Team Bevy Labs are on the intention of commercializing the products that have been developed so far. The website of the team has launched, which can be accessed on www.bevylabs.org They are always welcome to connect with any party, whom interested in uplifting the technological education and the technopreneurship in Sri Lanka. Team can be also accessed through their contact number 071-2671566 (Rajith) or bevylabs@gmail.com
These young researchers possess greater objectives, which might definitely contribute towards the betterment of the country and we wish them the best of luck in their future endeavors. - Niroshan Senavirathne