Filipa Rocha, a researcher at the Interactive Technologies Institute (ITI-Larsys), teaching assistant and alumna of Instituto Superior Técnico, won 2nd place in the 2023 edition of the Young Inventors Prize, as announced by the European Patent Office, on July 4.
The awarded project involves an innovative solution that promotes inclusive digital learning for visually impaired children. In this way, educational barriers are eliminated and digital literacy is promoted.
“It is an honour and a privilege to be among the finalists of the Young Inventors Prize”, says the Portuguese inventor. “This award has motivated me to continue my research and seek new opportunities and collaborations”, she adds.
Filipa Rocha’s invention, known as Blockbased Accessible Tangible Programming Systems (BATS), is the result of the work developed at the Interactive Technologies Institute and LASIGE Computer Science and Engineering Research Centre, under the guidance of Hugo Nicolau (Técnico) and Tiago Guerreiro (Faculty of Sciences, Universidade de Lisboa). The young researcher is also a Teaching Assistant at Instituto Superior Técnico.
This prize recognises initiatives developed by young innovators aged 30 or under who have developed technological solutions to tackle global problems, and should contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
