Apple CEO Tim Cook video calls 20-year old Swift Student Challenge winner

Tim Cook said that the thriving iOS developer community in India always fascinates him and 20-year-old Jain’s work only exemplifies the creativity.

“I had an amazing time meeting so many people from India’s innovative iOS developer community earlier this year, and Jain’s incredible work exemplifies the creativity and ingenuity on display all across this country,” Cook stated.

He further added that Jain is “poised to make a profound impact on the world by helping people with their health, and we’re excited to see what she does next.” 

While at Medi-Caps University in Indore, India, 20-year-old Asmi Jain found out her friend’s uncle had to undergo brain surgery. As a result, he was left with eye misalignment and facial paralysis.

Jain sprung into action, designing her winning playground to track a user’s eye movements as they try to follow a ball moving around the screen. The playground’s purpose is to help strengthen the eye muscles, and though it was inspired by her friend’s uncle, Jain hopes it can be used by people with a variety of eye conditions and injuries.

Speaking about using coding to solve problems, Jain said that “coding lets me create things that help my friends and my community”.

“It gives me a sense of independence that is very empowering,” she added.

As part of its Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple issues a challenge to students across the globe every year to develop an original app playground using the Swift coding language. The company increased the number of winners from the 350 awarded in 2022 to 375 this year. Apple’s SSC 2023 challenge saw projects from more than 30 countries and regions. They covered topics ranging from healthcare, sports, and entertainment, to the environment.

Updated: 11 Jun 2023, 01:41 PM IST