Ukrainian teens win silver at the global Teens in AI hackathon: A team from Irpin builds an eye-controlled learning platform

Ukrainian youth are making their mark globally and shaping the future of technology. Team HOW AI from Irpin took second place among participants from 101 countries at the international finals of Teens in AI. Our students outperformed hundreds of competitors, finishing second only to developers from the United States.

 

The innovators presented EyraLearning, an inclusive education platform that makes learning modern and barrier-free for children with physical disabilities, without requiring expensive specialized equipment.

 

A win built step by step:

• National selection: first place among more than 60 Ukrainian teams.

• International semifinal: ranked among the world’s top five projects.

• Global final: strengthened the technical solution with international mentors, delivered an English-language pitch, and secured silver on the world stage.

 

How the technology changes lives

More than 2.2 million children with physical disabilities are unable to write, type, or use touchscreens, which reduces their chances of completing even primary school by 42%.

Team HOW AI addressed this challenge by developing a browser-based platform controlled entirely by eye movement (hands-free) using a standard webcam. Artificial intelligence adapts content to each child’s needs, converts lessons into accessible formats, and provides voice guidance. The team trained and calibrated the algorithms on large datasets to ensure accurate eye tracking, even for users with motor impairments.

The project was developed by students of the Irpin Lyceum of Innovative Technologies (mentor: Ivan Nechyporuk): Mariia Kovalenko, Sofiia Bondar, Mariia Zekunova, Nadiia Shpyrok, Maryna Skudova, and Kyrylo Matukhno.

 

The initiative is implemented by the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, and the Lviv IT Cluster, with the support of TechMagic as part of the global Teens in AI initiative.