Indonesian Imagine Cup Alumni Help Redefine how Dyslexic Children Learn

Risqi Utama Saputra, a student at the University of Gajah Mada (UGM) in Jogjakarta, was a runner-up in this year’s Imagine Cup Indonesia competition. Risqi is a member of Team Antasena from UGM, which impressed the judges with the development of Lexipal, a game application based on Microsoft technology that helps children with dyslexia overcome their learning difficulties in a fun and engaging manner.

With Microsoft’s continued support, Risqi and his Antasena team members recently bagged the top prize in the application development competition for college students at the Indonesian Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Awards 2012. The term “Antasena” translates in the Indonesian language as a figure in shadow puppetry that cannot speak well but has a very good heart. 

The Kinect® for Xbox 360 platform was used by the Antasena team to develop interactive online apps that significantly enhance dyslexic children’s learning experience. 

“Children diagnosed with dyslexia often face problems in their literacy skills development and some may experience considerable difficulties in learning how to read, write and spell,” said Risqi. “In the development of Lexipal, we conducted extensive research and collaborated closely with medical care and teaching professionals in order to create a Kinect-based app that is conducive to helping dyslexic children learn while engaging their interest at the same time.” 

Risqi and his fellow students also competed at the International ICT Innovative Service Contest 2012, held in Taiwan in November, and at the Asia Pacific ICT Awards held in Brunei in December. 

“The UGM Students success in creating an app to help dyslexic children embodies the spirit of the Imagine Cup competition and our effort to inspire young people to develop innovative technologies that can bring a positive change,” said Risman Adnan, Developer and Platform Director, Microsoft Indonesia. “Microsoft is delighted that Risqi and his teammates are gaining recognition for their Lexipal application.”

“Our team conducted extensive research and collaborated closely with medical care and teaching professionals to create a Kinect-based app that is conducive to helping dyslexic children learn.”

- Risqi Utama Saputra, Student at the University of Gajah Mada