Team Da House from APU won Champion at IGNITE 2025 with Eye-bility, an AI-powered app that helps visually impaired users navigate public transport safely; combining smart navigation and real-time alerts, the app addresses indoor travel challenges and highlights APU’s commitment to impactful, inclusive innovation.

For those born without vision, simple daily activities like walking through a train station or catching public transport can be daunting and dangerous. 

Team Da House from the Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation (APU) developed Eye-bility: A Digital Co-Pilot for the Visually Impaired, an AI-powered mobile app designed to make public transportation safer and more accessible for blind and visually impaired individuals. 

This innovative project earned them first place at IGNITE 2025, an International Competition hosted by iCUBE International and powered by 1337 Ventures and WORQ. 

IGNITE is a week-long start-tathon designed for students passionate about business, technology, and entrepreneurship. 

Participants work in teams to develop innovative solutions addressing real-world challenges aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

Team Da House, comprising Low Yan Cheng (Computer Science with a specialism in Data Analytics), and Lim Agnes Ngee Jin, Tan Hui Xin, Lim Li Ying, and Tee Sze Ying — all pursuing Actuarial Studies with a specialism in Data Analytics — impressed the judges with their solution’s technical excellence and meaningful social impact. 

The inspiration behind Eye-bility began with the discovery of the tragic reality that in the past 20 years, nearly 20 visually impaired people have fallen onto LRT tracks in Malaysia.

“Accidents can be avoided with proper guidance,” explained Yan Cheng, the team’s technical lead. 

“Our AI system does not just offer directions; it constantly monitors the environment and warns users before danger arises.” 

Unlike conventional apps, Eye-bility tackles the often-overlooked challenge of indoor navigation, particularly in complex transit environments. 

Infrastructure fixes like platform screen doors are costly and far from being implemented nationwide. Eye-bility offers an immediate, affordable, and scalable solution. 

The app combines several advanced technologies, including GTFS-based journey planning using Dijkstra and A* algorithms, YOLOv8-powered object detection, trained specifically on Malaysian LRT elements, a lightweight TFLite CNN model for platform edge detection, a React Native interface featuring spatial audio cues and haptic feedback and a Flask backend enabling real-time location sharing and safety alerts for loved ones.

What sets Eye-bility apart is not just its technological sophistication, but its deep focus on user empathy. The team took care to ensure the app was intuitive and supportive, empowering users to travel with confidence, independence, and safety. 

Guided by two dedicated mentors; Dr Preethi Subramanian, APU’s Assistant Professor from School of Computing (SoC) and Ashvin Praveen, CEO of Cleve.ai, team Da House refined their concept into a deployable and socially impactful solution. 

Dr Preethi provided technical guidance on AI architecture, while Ashvin helped sharpen the project’s market readiness and impact strategy. 

The success of Eye-bility at IGNITE 2025 highlights more than just APU’s growing global reputation in innovation and technology but also demonstrates how tech, when paired with empathy, can transform lives. 

With Eye-bility, APU and team Da House are leading the way toward a more inclusive, intelligent, and compassionate future.