my thoughts...: Launch of HOPE

On Wednesday, we launched the HOPE device at the Indore Press Club. This is what we said in the Press Release.

"Press Release

‘H.O.P.E.’: Instant Wi-Fi Network with High-speed Multimedia Content

The first public demonstration in India of H.O.P.E (High-speed Outernet Powered Education) will be held in a Press Conference at Indore Press Club on 18 January, 2018 at 11 am. H.O.P.E. is a pocket-sized, easy-to-use device that instantly creates a Wi-Fi network even in places where there is no internet access or electricity. Multi-media content stored on H.O.P.E. can be accessed simultaneously by up to 30 devices: smart-phones, tablets, laptops or PCs within a 100 feet zone, providing a smooth streaming experience of high definition video content, without any pauses or buffering. The built-in power-bank ensures that no electricity is required. No ISP is required, nor are there any recurring bills or a limit on data which can be used. There are no further costs, making H.O.P.E. not only the most inexpensive solution for multi-media content delivery over a network, but also the fastest. One just has to switch ‘on’ the H.O.P.E. device for content to be available on multiple devices.

In classrooms everywhere, H.O.P.E. will allow students to access material on topics of their interest and go through it at their own pace, choosing from a vast repository of carefully chosen multi-media content: videos, interactive lessons, animations and audio-books. A single H.O.P.E. unit is enough to create a digital library of up to 3000+ books; making it the simplest way to provide digital libraries in school; without the need to store and issue physical books in cupboards and the need for a librarian, and without the worry about the loss or damage to the books.

Entire courses and training programmes can be run effectively with H.O.P.E. – from training in skills to language learning; craft workshops to soft-skills; adult-literacy programmes with read-aloud books in Indian languages, to health education videos in hospital receptions areas and polyclinics. Installed in a bus, H.O.P.E. will allow travelers to access content of their choice from entertainment to sports and motivational content. The daily commute can become a bus campus, for those who have to take a company or college bus everyday. In the home, H.O.P.E. can be used to store all content downloaded from the internet and allow it to be viewed at will by all family members on their own devices thus saving substantially in data cost. In public places, and restaurants and coffee-houses, H.O.P.E. can provide a wide choice of content to customers with zero data cost to the establishment.

H.O.P.E. is ideally suited for a large state like Madhya Pradesh, where in spite of many plans to make digital classrooms in schools, not much progress has been made to bring the benefits of technology to school education, due to problems, complexities and high cost of implementing technology solutions. The ease and the low cost of H.O.P.E. will allow it to be rapidly deployed in all schools in Madhya Pradesh, as no infrastructure or installation costs are involved. This will allow the Madhya Pradesh to be become a leader in the country in deployment of digital classroom solutions, rising from a Digitally Lagging to a Digitally Leading State.

The Internet revolution is one of the greatest revolutions in human history. And yet, the vast majority of people in India have limited or no access to the Internet. One of the basic applications of the Internet is the ready availability of content, especially educational content. The unavailability of this basic resource means that these millions have no access to digital educational resources. H.O.P.E. brings educational benefits of the internet to those without access to it. The design of H.O.P.E. allows imparting relevant information in a controlled environment adding to the effectiveness of the learning process and making it more focused and outcome oriented.

H.O.P.E. has been designed and developed by Prof Kirti Trivedi of IIT Bombay, in technology partnership with Web Access, with prototypes already field-tested to demonstrate its effectiveness. The technology is ready for transfer and production can be licensed to any state agency on an open-source manufacturing basis, to ensure that the benefits of access to multi-media based education are available to all, reaching the unreached in the remotest of places.

The Press Conference will be addressed by Prof Kirti Trivedi, a former professor of IIT Bombay; and Mr Stephen Lobo, President of Web Access, a global software company headquartered in India, which specializes in providing comprehensive suite of software solutions and services for small and medium enterprises and non-profit organizations.

Prof Kirti Trivedi is a renowned innovator, who focuses on developing low-cost solutions to bring benefits of new technological possibilities to the masses. K-Yan, a community computer developed by him in 2004, is now used throughout India in thousands of government schools to bring benefits of interactive multi-media education to the classroom.

Contact:

Prof. Kirti Trivedi

Mobile: +91-9892918096

E-mail: trivedi@trevue.com

Stephen Lobo

E-mail: stephen.lobo@webaccessglobal.com

Website: http://webaccess.co.in
"

And here's some of the Press coverage we got.