Google's Awakening Program Delivers "TeDi" Disability Friend Solution

Back in 2021, Google Indonesia launched the "Rise" program with the aim of adding more digital talents with advanced programming skills. In 2022, this program succeeded in graduating 2.517 students as the Merdeka Campus flagship program for learning paths cloud computing, mobile developmentand machine learning.

There are two types of final project projects that must be passed as a graduation requirement, namely: Product-Based Capstone Project. Students must innovate to create product solutions for problems in the public sphere, such as the environment, health, economic resilience, according to the chosen theme. The new projects launched this year are Company-Based Capstone Project where the participants will be honed their ability to answer the real challenges of the industry.

In Bangkit 2022, 15 of the best projects have been selected that have succeeded in obtaining industry mentor facilities and incubation funds of 140 million Rupiah from Google and the Directorate of Research Technology and Community Service (DRPTM) of the Directorate General of Higher Education, Research, and Technology (Ditjen Diktristek). One of the highlights is TeDi or Friends with Disabilities.

Najma, a student at Padjadjaran University and the leader of the TeDi group, said “TeDi or Friends with Disabilities started with a question that arose in our team's mind, whether technology is now able to help people in need, or is it just entertainment. From this, we think that current technological advances should be used to help people who really need it, one of which is people with disabilities because there are still many discriminations and difficulties they experience.”

TeDi is an app mobile devices Indonesia is the first to have features to help three types of disabilities at once, namely the blind, the deaf, and the mute. TeDi offers BISINDO translator features to translate sign language, Object Detection to detect nearby objects, Currency Detection to read currency, and Text Detection to read a text.

Later, TeDi will transform their prototypes into products that are ready to be introduced to users or the public under the guidance of the Incubation and Entrepreneurship Lab at 15 Mitra Bangkit Campuses. Besides TeDi, other teams that will get this opportunity are EcoSense, Herbapedia, HerAi, Yourney, DressOnMe, LukaKu, Glucare, Dwicara, Fi$hku, Tanamin, Ambroise, BahanbaKu, Circle, Skin.

Government program for digital talent

Availability of digital talent is key enabler in the development of the digital sector that continues to grow such as in the technology, information and communication (ICT) industry. According to an Alfa Beta study in 2021, a workforce with digital talent is able to contribute Rp 1.965 trillion to Indonesia's GDP in 2030.

In terms of capacity development, the government is also trying to accommodate the need for digital talent through a number of initiatives such as the Digital Literacy Academy, Startup Studio, 1000 Startups, and Digital Literacy National Movement programs. This initiative was taken to facilitate and accelerate the improvement of digital talent capabilities, from basic, intermediate, to advanced stages

The Ministry of Communication and Informatics itself in 2022 has prepared a Digital Talent Scholarship and Digital Leadership Academy program as a concrete initiative to accelerate the development of national digital talent. A visionary way of thinking is very important so that Indonesia is not only a market, but also a major player in contestations at the regional and global levels.

Not only the government, the whole stakeholder in Indonesia seeks to develop various innovations as part of a digital transformation strategy, make comprehensive changes to every process, competence, and business model with the implementation of digital technology, in line with the recommendations of various global research institutions that make digital transformation an organizational effort to win global competition.