Professor Jonggi Hong is revolutionizing the world of technology using computer science-based research, working to create a world in which those who are disabled can navigate the world with ease and efficiency.
Ever since he was a kid, Professor Hong loved video games, ultimately leading him to develop a love for technology and programming – leading to his passion for computer science. Pursuing his love for programming, he discovered a new passion – helping those with disabilities and using his skills and experience to create programs and innovations that safely and accurately guide those with blindness.
After graduating from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Professor Hong joined a research group at the University of Maryland to explore the problems hovering over the technologies and AI used to help the disabled community. The technology used by the disabled, including the blind and deaf, is precarious because they are prone to making mistakes (not being able to identify and analyze objects and surroundings). This adds to the hardships individuals in the blind community experience, weakening the trust and dependency between the community and technology.
Professor Hong stresses the importance of his research and the comfort he strives to provide. According to Hong, technology aimed to help those with disabilities is created by individuals who will never fully encompass the difficulties of the blind community. A visually-able individual is not capable of understanding what it is like to be blind. Therefore, Professor Hong’s research aims to be inclusive and improve computer systems in a way that allows them to be more precise and helpful.
The technology Professor Hong is working to improve AI related to speech recognition, image recognition, and auto-translation that can be easily accessible to people with or without disabilities. The reduction of errors is crucial, as people with disabilities would not have difficulty navigating through and around errors.
When Professor Hong joined the Stevens team, he saw it as an opportunity to expand and advance his research, which included computer vision and AI systems that can be personalized and adapted to individual needs. The beauty of such innovations lies within the fact that such advanced technology can be personalized and programmed to have details and characteristics suitable for its user only.
Professor Hong aims to create innovations where those in the disabled community can feel included and comfortable, without having to face difficulties. Because blindness impacts the way individuals live and perceive the world, they must have experiences that allow them to live life to the fullest, using high-accuracy technology such as computers, screens, watches, and more.
Professor Jonggi Hong continues to work on his research with the Stevens community, with the goal of including the blind community firsthand in his studies and research.
