Page 6 - Aerotech News and Review STEM Special Edition – August 2025

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— Argus wins 2025 imAgine Cup world ChAmpionship —
By Microsoft
More than 100 million people worldwide have a vision disability and Argus, the 2025 winners of the Imagine World Cup, aims to enhance autonomy and confidence through a lightweight, always- available wearable device. The developers of Argus won $100,000 and a mentorship session with Microsoft Chairman and CEO, Satya Nadella. The two runners- up, HairMatch and Signvrse, each won $25,000.
Designed for individuals with low vision, Argus assists with object identification, facial recognition, and navigation. Powered by Azure AI Speech and Azure AI Foundry, it responds to voice commands, enabling greater confidence and independence. Argus is driven by a deeply personal mission, inspired by the founders’ own families. “Both Daniel and I have grandparents with uncorrectable visual impair- ments, and they’re the inspiration for Argus.” Arjun shared.
The Imagine Cup is more than the premier global technology competition for student found- ers—it’s a launchpad for the next generation of high-impact startups. It’s where students from around the world transform bold ideas into scalable businesses, using cutting-edge AI to tackle real-world problems and build solutions with global potential.
During the final round of com- petition, the teams pitched their startups to a panel of esteemed
judges with deep expertise in AI, entrepreneurship, and innovation. The judges evaluated the finalists based on their innovative use of AI, inclusive design principles, and overall viability, making the final decision a true celebration of student-driven ingenuity.
The World Championship repre- sents the culmination of this year’s Imagine Cup competition journey for student entrepreneurs from across the world. However, these founders are just getting started — through Microsoft for Startups, they’ll have the continued support needed to grow their businesses, and we can’t wait to see what they do next.
Meet the world champion — Argus
Argus, from the United States, earned the top title with their AI-powered wearable assistant that helps people with visual im- pairments navigate and interpret the world more independently. “It takes just one idea to make an impact,” says Daniel Kim. “And we believe Argus will help us make an impact on the lives of our grandparents, the hundreds of millions of others with visual impairments.”
Their two-part solution—a lightweight camera mounted on eyeglasses and a compact compute module—offers real-time object
Courtesy photos
detection, facial recognition, and spatial guidance through voice commands. Argus is powered by two key technologies: Wi-R, an innovative wireless communica- tion technology that uses the skin as a transmission medium and consumes 100x less power than traditional WiFi and a hybrid AI architecture that runs on the edge and in the cloud. Simple requests are processed locally for speed, while more complex queries are sent to the cloud, leveraging Azure AI Foundry’s wide range of AI models and capabilities.
Co-founders Daniel Kim and Arjun Oberoi met their first year at Stanford University and con-
nected through a shared interest in the startup ecosystem, compet- ing in multiple hackathons and startup competitions. What began as a first-year spring break proj- ect has evolved into a promising startup. They’re now focused on refining their product, conducting user testing, and preparing for U.S. Food and Drug Administra- tion (FDA) approval to classify Argus as a durable medical device, allowing for insurance coverage.
In addition to winning the 2025 Imagine Cup World Champion- ship, Argus was also named the winner of the Red Bull Basement US National Final and is part of Stanford BASES.
Argus’s commitment to in- clusive design and accessibility continues to drive their innova- tion—and their impact. Future additions include embedding haptic feedback into the system for intuitive, non-verbal guidance, and integrating translational Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to support travel across language barriers. By combining novel wireless, advanced AI, and inclusive design, Argus aims to offer a solution unlike anything currently on the market.
“Argus can truly change the lives of hundreds of millions of people, like our grandparents, through not only innovation, but because it just works, and when technology truly works, it disap- pears in the background and lets people live more freely.” — Daniel Kim, Co-founder of Argus
Celebrating all finalists
HairMatch
Georgia Institute of Technology Universithy of
North Carolina Chapel, Hill, United States
HairMatch is a
personalized mo-
bile app powered by
Azure AI Foundry
and Azure OpenAI
Service that ana-
lyzes hair texture
and recommends the
best products, styles,
and care tips for each
user. With more than
5,000 users in 45
countries, HairMatch offers a one-stop solution for product discovery, step-by-step hairstyle guides, and educational content.
The startup was born from co-founder Alycea Adams’ personal struggle to find products that worked for her natural hair—a chal- lenge echoed by her 1.2 million-plus social media followers. Alongside co-founder Matt Steele, the duo launched the app to empower women to embrace their curls with confidence. As Alycea puts it, “It’s not just hair, embracing your curls is a journey to newfound confidence.”
Signvrse
The African Leadership University, Machakos University
Technical University of Mombasa United States International University Rwanda
Signvrse is a real-time sign language platform powered by Azure AI Speech using hyper-realistic 3D avatars and motion capture to translate speech and text into sign language. Signvrse addresses communication barriers for deaf individuals that limit access to education, healthcare, employment, and mental health support.
Co-developed with deaf linguists and educators, the platform is trained on one of the largest African Sign Language datasets and is expanding rapidly across regions. Daniel Phillips, the team’s Deaf Community Lead, lost his hearing at the age of eight due to meningitis.
Phillips grew up in rural Kenya, where he faced communication barriers, limited resources, and societal stigma. His lived experience and advocacy for deaf inclusion continue to shape the platform’s cultural and linguistic integrity. As co-founder Branice Kazira explains, Signvrse aims to “rede-
From left to right: Branice Kazira, Gheida Abdala Al Mashjery, Daniel Phillip, Anthony Marugu
fine accessibility by seamlessly integrating sign language into digital spaces.”
From left to right: Matt Steele, Alycea Adams
Dream it. Build it. Live it.
Join the competition next year — registration for the 2026 Imagine Cup is now open!
If you have a startup idea — or
even the spark of one — keep going. The path from concept to product is rarely linear, but the Imagine Cup community, tools, and mentorship can help you take the next step.
If you’re a student with an idea, we can’t wait to see what you cre- ate. Register for 2026 Imagine Cup https://imaginecup.microsoft.com/ en-us?wt.mc_id=ic26_blog_student