A promise made to his visually impaired grandmother when he was 11 has taken a young Eastern Cape innovator from a backroom shack in Nxamkwana to the brink of the global technology stage.
At 23, Elihle Amahle Stali has been shortlisted among 150 innovators worldwide for an artificial-intelligence-powered pair of smart glasses designed to help visually impaired people navigate independently in five languages — isiXhosa, English, Afrikaans, Sesotho and isiZulu.
Stali is set to travel to Hong Kong from July 8 to attend LEAP East, where he hopes to secure investors and manufacturing partners to help turn his software and designs into a physical product.
Stali said the inspiration for Spectacles4TheBlind came from years spent guiding his grandmother.
Guiding a visually impaired person, he said, required patience, gentleness and an understanding of their surroundings.
“When I was 11, I vowed to make a device that my grandmother could use to walk independently,” Stali said.
“If she were still alive today, she would get the first glasses that would be made.”
In a letter inviting Stali to the exhibition, Alghurayr Abdulaziz, vice-president of government engagement and event logistics at Saudi trade show organiser Tahaluf, said LEAP East brought together global leaders, innovators, startups, investors and technology organisations to discuss industry challenges and explore the future of digital transformation and innovation.
“We look forward to welcoming you to this exciting event and appreciate your participation in shaping the future of the global technology industry,” the letter reads.
Stali enrolled for a BSc in Computer Science at Nelson Mandela University in 2023 to equip himself with the skills needed to fulfil the promise he had made.
He later transitioned to a BCom in Computer Science and Information Systems in 2024.
After unsuccessfully searching for work earlier this year, he decided to focus on developing the project and registered his company in March.
Working from a rundown laptop in a backroom shack, he spent months coding software, developing designs and refining his concept.
“All the knowledge I learnt from school, I implemented in creating this project,” he said.
“I applied internationally for startup projects when I didn’t get funding at home and I got the news that I had been shortlisted in the LEAP startup competition in May.
“I approached manufacturing companies to see how they could design this thing, but then I realised SA does not have some of the components I need, such as specific sensors, cameras and frames.
“I want the specs to be durable, even when it is raining. I could get designs, but I struggled to build a prototype, which is why there is no prototype yet.”
Instead of relying on a relative or caregiver for guidance, users would receive spoken instructions from the glasses as they moved around.
Stali said the device would detect obstacles, warn users of hazards and include features such as an emergency button and facial recognition.
“The software is 90% done. Now I need manufacturers to build it,” he said.
“The AI in the glasses is the navigator. As a person walks, it detects objects and advises what to do in the same way I would direct my grandmother.”
Though his grandmother did not live to see the project take shape, Stali said her influence remained at the heart of the innovation.
“My grandmother did not see the innovation that I have done and even though she’s no longer with us, this is for everyone living with visual impairment.
“To say: I understand, I’ve been there. Here is a device built for SA, with South African languages.”
Stali said most of his intended users would be grant beneficiaries and that his long-term goal was to work with the government, hospitals, clinics and NGOs to make the glasses freely available to those who needed them.
“I don’t want to make one pair of glasses. I want to make as many as I can,” he said.
Samaritans have begun contributing towards his travel costs through a BackaBuddy fundraising campaign.
“I feel excited because I did this with no certainty that there could be something beyond where I am and where I’m from.
“I know my market size. I know the places that I can serve.
“My innovation is about fulfilling the promise I made to my grandmother for everyone who is visually impaired.”
The Dispatch was unable to confirm if there are any other Eastern Cape inventors invited to LEAP East.
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