A 20-year-old Asmi Jain from Indore, Madhya Pradesh, is among the three winners of Apple’s WWDC23 Swift Student Challenge. Ahead of its annual developer conference WWDC (this year on June 5), Apple issued a challenge to students across the globe to create an original app playground using the Swift coding language. When WWDC23 kicks off next week, the challenge winners will be among those attending virtually and in person to see the keynote, events, labs, and activities available this year to the global Apple developer community.
Apple selected 20-year-old Asmi Jain after she created an app to help her friend’s uncle. Her friend’s uncle was left with eye misalignment and facial paralysis due to brain surgery. Jain sprung into action, designing her winning playground to track a user’s eye movements as they try to follow a ball moving around the screen — while she was at Medi-Caps University in Indore. The primary purpose of the platform is to help strengthen the eye muscles, and though it was inspired by her friend’s uncle, Jain hopes it can be used by people with a variety of eye conditions and injuries.
Apple, in a release, citing Jain points out, “It was important for me to create an app playground that could positively impact the lives of people like him. My next goal is to get feedback and make sure it’s effective and user-friendly, and then release it on the App Store. Ultimately, I want to expand it so that it helps strengthen all of the muscles in the face, and I hope it can one day serve as a therapy tool that people like my friend’s uncle can use at their own pace.”
Jain’s passion for using coding to address healthcare challenges stems from her extensive experience as a dedicated volunteer. In her recent endeavours, Jain collaborated with fellow students to establish a forum within their university. This platform serves as a valuable support system, allowing their peers to tackle complex coding issues together. Apart from 20-year-old Asmi Jain, this year’s Swift Student Challenge winners include Marta Michelle Caliendo and Yemi Agesin. Apple says the company has also increased the number of winners from the 350 awarded in previous years to 375 so even more students could be included in the event and recognised for their “artistry and ingenuity.” The company points out that students’ app playgrounds represent more than 30 countries and regions, and cover topics as varied as healthcare, sports, entertainment, and the environment.
