Microsoft has announced the winning teams in the Imagine Cup 2016 Games, Innovation, and World Citizenship categories. The final round, where one team will be declared the overall winner of the student technology competition, will be held on Friday, July 29 in Seattle.
Microsoft stated that the Games category was won by the PH21 team from Thailand:
PH21 of Thailand created a stealth puzzle game with an unpredictable storyline and an unusual gameplay system. The player controls Marza, a mysterious woman who has stolen a device with the power to see the future, and Alpha, a little girl who has the ability to manipulate time. The two characters must cooperate to overcome obstacles and find the best route for each puzzle.
The Innovation category was won by the ENTy team from Romania:
The ENTy team of Romania created a high-tech wearable device that tracks the balance of the internal ear and checks the spine posture in real time. The device is the size of a door key and is worn on the back or head and can detect inner ear problems and other data that can be useful to doctors in diagnosing patients.
Finally, the World Citizship top award went to Greece's AMANDA team:
The AMANDA team of Greece developed a gamified virtual reality app to help combat bullying. It puts users in 3D interactive scenes, many involving bullying, to gauge their responses and focus on boosting empathy, awareness and self-esteem. The project is named for Amanda Todd, a Canadian teen who made a video detailing her experience of being bullied before taking her own life in 2012.
Each of those teams received $50,000. They will now go on to the World Finals on Friday, where another team of judges will determine the overall winner, and a chance to get a personal mentoring session from Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.
