Electronic nose, digital guide for the blind, AI avatar: ENU researchers presented AI projects at AI Expo

Researchers from the Eurasian National University presented projects in the field of artificial intelligence at the AI Expo, which was held at The L. N. Gumilyov ENU as part of the AI-Sana week.

Unique projects were presented at the AI Expo, such as an Inclusive Guide, an intelligent system to support people with special educational needs; SignBridge, a project aimed at translating text into Kazakh sign language using a 3D avatar; an artificial sense of smell (E–nose) system for monitoring harmful emissions into the environment; an intelligent detection system fake voices, which helps to counter the threats of telephone fraud, falsification of audio recordings and cybercrime; E-Curator chatbot is a digital assistant for students and teachers; An AI-based avatar lecturer is an innovative tool that expands the possibilities of online learning and other projects.

The event was attended by Vice Minister of Science and Higher Education of RK Dinara Shcheglova, Rector of L. N. Gumilyov ENU Yerlan Sydykov, Vice Rector for Digitalization of ENU Gulmira Bekmanova, IT experts, teachers and students of the capital's universities.

"This event is an indicator not only of new ideas and technologies, but also a symbol of the great step taken by Kazakhstani universities in the era of artificial intelligence. In his address to the people, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev outlined the task of turning the country into a digital state in three years.

The works of ENU scientists and students presented at today's exhibition cover the fields of education, medicine, ecology, urban infrastructure and digital services. I propose to hold such exhibitions in the traditional way, which will serve as a platform for networking, exchanging opinions and creating new AI products," Yerlan Sydykov, Rector of the L. N. Gumilyov ENU said.

Vice Minister of Science and Higher Education of RK Dinara Shcheglova spoke about the implementation of the AI-Sana program.

"Around 100,000 students are involved in high-tech projects under the AI-Sana program. This program is aimed at introducing AI subjects into the educational process of 95 universities in our country and improving the skills of teachers of Kazakhstani universities. The opening of the international artificial intelligence center Alem AI will take place in the nearest future.

Tomorrow's era will be the era of artificial intelligence. We can't keep up with it. If we work actively, if every student and teacher understands their role and uses AI, then we will be able to lead in international indexes," Vice Minister emphasized in her speech.

The inclusive guide was presented by the software developer of the Digital Development Sector of the ENU Digital Development Department, Aibol Tileukhan. The project aims to help people with vision problems navigate buildings safely.

"GPS detection systems usually do not function in buildings, so a map of the object is loaded into our device. Thanks to the built-in laser and camera, the guide plots the route using QR codes placed in the building. The device reads the user's voice command and transmits feedback to a special earphone, warning the person about obstacles on the way. The device, which has no analogues in the country, can work independently for about 5 hours without recharging. It is unique in that it works without the Internet, is compact and affordable," Aibol Tileuhan shares.

Aliya Isainova, senior lecturer of the ENU Information Security Department, spoke about the artificial sense of smell (E-nose) system. 

"The multifunctional device can be used in various fields, from monitoring the environmental situation to determining the quality of products or monitoring human health. The multidisciplinary project is based on artificial intelligence using neural networks and a machine learning algorithm. The "electronic nose" is more sensitive than human noses. Where people couldn't detect the smell, our device detected it with high accuracy. Therefore, this process can be fully automated," the teacher emphasized.

Other AI projects were also presented at the exhibition.

The intelligent chatbot "eCurator" is designed so that students can quickly receive answers to the most common questions about the educational process, living in a dormitory, documents, social support and other topics. The system supports three languages: Kazakh, Russian and English. The main advantage of the service is 24/7 availability: a student can ask a question at any time and get an answer without waiting in line or waiting. The chatbot automates the answers to standard questions, reduces the burden on employees and makes getting information as fast and convenient as possible.

SignBridge is a project aimed at translating text into Kazakh sign language using a 3D avatar, which makes information more accessible to people with hearing impairments. The system has a gesture recognition module that converts gestures into text in the form of glosses (written symbols of gestures). Through the use of advanced computer vision and natural language processing technologies, the startup significantly improves the interaction between people with different communication abilities and promotes their social integration.

The AI avatar system automatically creates video lectures with a virtual avatar that voices and accompanies the material. AI analyzes text, detects emotions and intonations, synthesizes speech with lip animation, generates gestures and facial expressions. The video is generated based on uploaded text and images, after which it can be edited by the user. Integration with educational platforms and feedback make it possible to improve the quality of content.

The Voice Forgery Protection System is an intelligent system for detecting fake voices, which helps to counter the threats of telephone fraud, audio falsification and cybercrime. The service has already been deployed on the University's ML portal.

The system supports online detection, batch processing of audio files, and visual visualization in the form of spectral heat maps with illumination of abnormal areas. This makes it useful for forensic analysis, risk management systems, and educational platforms.

Based on artificial intelligence, the system detects subtle signs of synthetic speech (TTS, VC) and provides interpretable conclusions suitable for legal analysis. Special attention is paid to confidentiality: the service does not analyze the content of speech, works in a secure environment and provides audit of actions.

The solution can be integrated into online exams, identity verification, anti-fraud centers and messengers. In the future, it will be used within the framework of the Alatau Digital City project and developed as a component of citizens' digital identity.

KOMEK Training and testing program is the creation of a web-based training and testing program for users in Kazakh and Russian. Creating a program based on the results of test data to identify gaps in knowledge, ability to the subject and drawing up a plan to eliminate gaps using artificial intelligence methods. The implementation of the program is flexible for changes, for the timing of the test, for the number of questions (checking in parts), and with analytical reports for test takers.

As part of the event, ENU students who participated in the AI storytelling writing competition were awarded with diplomas.