{"id":13918,"date":"2026-04-28T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T23:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/?p=13918"},"modified":"2026-04-28T15:04:16","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T07:04:16","slug":"opening-doors-one-invention-at-a-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/2026\/04\/28\/opening-doors-one-invention-at-a-time\/","title":{"rendered":"Opening Doors, One Invention at a Time"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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For someone whose research delves into cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) and human-machine collaboration, it\u2019s surprising to know that Associate Professor Suranga Nanayakkara (Engineering \u201905, PhD \u201910) was humbled by everyday infrastructure.<\/p>

In 2001, he arrived in Singapore to embark on his undergraduate programme at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and remembers wondering why it was taking so long to get from the aeroplane to the airport.<\/p>

\u201cI was walking and walking and didn\u2019t realise that I was actually walking through the airport, because I had no idea what an aerobridge was,\u201d the 44-year-old chuckles. \u201cThat was how naive I was\u2014and it explains why I was eager to study overseas: to experience things I wouldn\u2019t have ordinarily been able to back home in Sri Lanka.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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\"Assoc
Assoc Prof Nanayakkara at his NUS graduation in 2005. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\"In
In 2010, Assoc Prof Nanayakkara earned his PhD from NUS.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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That idea of opening the door to new experiences has informed much of Assoc Prof Nanayakkara\u2019s career. Today, as the Principal Investigator of the Augmented Human Lab<\/a> at NUS, he leads an interdisciplinary team designing human-computer interfaces and tools for assistive and augmented technologies.<\/p>

Look him up on the Internet and you\u2019ll find a list of inventions he has worked on to help those with impaired sight and hearing. Most recent is AiSee, an AI headset that helps people with vision loss to commute and shop. It uses AI to interpret the surrounding environment and provide real-time audio guidance, helping users navigate public transport, avoid obstacles, and move safely through complex everyday settings.<\/p>

Such inventions have earned Assoc Prof Nanayakkara the reputation of being a champion for inclusive technology. He believes that all of us are challenged in some way, and that technology can assist with this. \u201cIf you go to a Japanese supermarket, you may be hindered if you don\u2019t read the language. So, there are applications of such creations for those of us who don\u2019t have \u2018disabilities\u2019,\u201d he explains.<\/p>

He adds that creating things for the most extreme needs\u2014in this case, the visually impaired\u2014can be a good starting point as you address broad needs. \u201cAnd then you adapt from there.\u201d<\/p>

One lesser-known motivation is his desire to improve how things are designed. For him, this isn\u2019t abstract. Poorly designed technology doesn\u2019t just inconvenience\u2014it can exclude. \u201cIt does more harm than good,\u201d he says, sharing a story about his early days with the Internet. \u201cI thought the Yahoo Messenger notification, which sounded like a click, was someone knocking at the door. You can only imagine how foolish I felt. It goes to show how important the right design is.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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\"Assoc
Assoc Prof Nanayakkara at his recent book launch in Sri Lanka.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\"Assoc
Assoc Prof Nanayakkara at his recent book launch in Sri Lanka.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
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Assoc Prof Nanayakkara at his recent book launch in Sri Lanka.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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THE CONFIDENCE TO FAIL<\/strong><\/p>

Assoc Prof Nanayakkara returned to NUS in 2022, having first enrolled in the University on an undergraduate scholarship. Postdoctoral studies took him to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, followed by academic stints at the University of Auckland and the Singapore University of Technology and Design. These roles have allowed him to mentor hundreds of students over the years, a good many of whom benefited from his entrepreneurial streak. \u201cI have formally started close to a dozen startups, many of which were failures,\u201d he says matter-of-factly.<\/p>

He doesn\u2019t shy away from explaining further. Some ventures suffered because of staffing decisions, while others were strategic ones. \u201cOne of the first things we worked on was a patent for a low power gesture recognition system. It was eventually licensed to Samsung, but they didn\u2019t develop it further. That made me realise that you can\u2019t give away your knowledge too early.\u201d<\/p>

It\u2019s a lesson he shares readily to participants of his popular module at the School of Computing<\/a> on the principles of technology entrepreneurship. He hopes that speaking openly and honestly about his shortcomings will help his students. \u201cI want them to see that there is a lot of value in failure. You can learn a lot. I want to give them the confidence that it\u2019s okay to fail.\u201d<\/p>

He brings the same mantra to a Stanford-style bootcamp he runs in Sri Lanka every year. Centered on innovation, the programme aims to nurture entrepreneurship and tech skills in the country\u2019s youth. Describing the experience as eye-opening, Assoc Prof Nanayakkara says, \u201cThe students have very small dreams. Some want to have a job where they can wear a tie and a long-sleeved shirt. I try to encourage them to dream bigger: I want to help them overcome the self-doubt and give them the exposure to dream.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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I want to give (students) the confidence that it\u2019s okay to fail. <\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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LIKE FATHER, LIKE FAMILY<\/strong><\/p>

The conversation turns to what kept his own dream going. Here, too, Assoc Prof Nanayakkara answers with refreshing honesty. \u201cMy father was an auditor who later became an alcoholic. My mother, who is an engineer by training, singlehandedly raised us. So, everything I have done is a way of giving back to my mother and thanking her for all that she has done. It\u2019s my way of showing gratitude.\u201d<\/p>

He is married to a fellow NUS graduate and Sri Lankan. \u201cWe were actually in the same math Olympiad back in Sri Lanka, but we met while we were at the University. Our kids were born at NUH and they\u2019re now 15 and 12.\u201d Both are trilingual, he adds with pride. In some ways, they are already following in his footsteps by sharing their knowledge with the world, starting with his elder daughter\u2019s YouTube channel, which shares about places around the world as well as educational topics such as navigating the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE).<\/p>

Family is extremely important to Assoc Prof Nanayakkara, who notes that he owes a lot to his relatives. \u201cThey lent me clothes, money and even a watch to wear. So, I always want to support them because they supported me when I had nothing.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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QUICK TAKES<\/strong><\/p>

His proudest venture:<\/strong> The assistive device he first built over a decade ago\u2014then called FingerReader\u2014failed multiple times before evolving into a viable spinoff called AiSee. AiSee is now deployed in public spaces like Gardens by the Bay, the device\u2014a smart headphone\u2014uses a tiny camera, computer vision and audio feedback to help users with visual impairment navigate and access information.<\/p>

On AI<\/strong>: A tool, not the goal. For him, the vision comes first\u2014in this case, enhancing human potential\u2014and AI is simply one of many ways to get there. \u201cIt\u2019s like the idea of portable music. The Walkman was a way of achieving that.\u201d The tools will change, but the intent stays. Those who learn to use AI will thrive, but creative confidence, judgment and problem-solving still matter. And just because something can be built doesn\u2019t mean it should\u2014what matters is deciding what kind of technology we actually want to shape our lives.<\/p>

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Assoc Prof Nanayakkara, together with Hanjun Wu (MComp \u201925), is the co-author of <\/em><\/strong>Intimidated? The Lecture I Never Gave<\/a>, available now. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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From AI headsets to fingertip readers, Assoc Prof Suranga Nanayakkara (Engineering \u201905, PhD \u201910) is pioneering inclusive technology\u2014making the world more accessible and creating opportunities for those around him.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":13919,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"elementor_theme","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13918","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-leadership","category-social-impact"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13918","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13918"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13918\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13950,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13918\/revisions\/13950"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13919"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13918"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13918"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13918"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}