IBM has collaborated with Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay (IIT-Bombay) to conduct research on development of new designs for mobile device interfaces that can be easily used by people who are illiterate.
IBM said that this collaboration is aimed to introduce new levels of ease-of-use to mobile phone interaction via developed software technology that will be made available to the public through open source.
The new research partnership with IIT-Bombay is the third such engagement in India under IBM’s Open Collaboration Research (OCR) program.
In March this year, IBM announced an OCR project with the National Institute of Design (NID). The projects with IIT Bombay and NID are part of IBM’s five-year, $100m investment to advance mobile services and capabilities for businesses and consumers worldwide.
Manish Gupta, director of IBM Research-India and chief technologist at IBM India/SA, said: "IBM believes that close collaborative innovation with world-class academic institutions such as IIT Bombay, is the key to finally bridging the digital divide and putting the power of information sources and services in everyone’s hands.
"Together, IBM and IIT Bombay will develop smarter technologies around mobile devices that will help individuals and businesses around the world transcend many boundaries – geographical, economic and social."
