For nearly two decades, students from around the world have competed in the Imagine Cup, Microsoft’s premier international technology competition for young developers, for the chance to win travel, mentoring, cash and prizes, not to mention the coveted trophy.
The SnapSort! team is comprised of members Chun-An Ku, Yun Liu and Joey Wang, graduate students who are studying technology innovation in GIX’s MSTI program under UW ECE lecturer John Raiti. Their team was selected as one of 10 teams to advance in this year’s competition as Americas Regional Finalists. SnapSort! is an intelligent, real-time trash sorting assistant that uses computer vision and machine learning. It offers a better user experience in waste sorting than existing products can provide, and helps people sort compost, recyclables and trash in real-time. The team will participate in a virtual competition next month to pitch their projects live at the regional finals on March 29, where they will compete for $20,000 in prizes and the last two spots in the 2020 World Championships.