Experience | Intel Software Innovator
Akshay Bahadur
One of the most humbling experiences I have ever had is the opportunity of being a Software Innovator for Intel. The Intel Software Innovator program supports innovative, independent developers who display an ability to create and demonstrate forward-looking projects by providing them with speaking and demonstration opportunities at industry events and developer gatherings. Through their expertise and innovation with cutting-edge technology, Intel Software Innovators demonstrate a spirit of ingenuity, experimentation, and forward-thinking that inspires the greater developer community. This blog focuses on my journey into becoming a Software Innovator for Intel which I think is pretty cool. Don’t you think so?
Background
This set of blogs won’t be technical however I would try to showcase my experience along with pointers for how you could also enroll in the program. Currently, hundreds of developers are engaged in the program worldwide and have trained hundreds of thousands of developers on Intel technology. This program is growing with support for developers in North America, Brazil, Europe, India, Asia Pacific, and China.
Requirements
The requirements to become an Intel Software Innovator are as follows :
- Expertise — The applicant should be influential in their area of expertise, as well as demonstrate a strong level of expertise in a current Intel technology focus area.
- Innovative — The applicant should have innovative, quality projects or demos that leverage current Intel technology.
- Engaging Presenter — The applicant should be an effective and cooperative presenter with experience in speaking, demonstrating, and responding to a live developer audience (such as trade shows, meetups, webinars, hackathons, codefests, and social media.)
Developers who meet the above requirements will receive the designation of Intel Software Innovator and will be given opportunities to showcase their work to developers. It is as simple as that.
The Program
The Intel Software Innovator program supports innovative, independent developers who display an ability to create and demonstrate forward-looking projects by providing them with speaking and demonstration opportunities at industry events and developer gatherings. According to me, the biggest advantage is that you could network with people with similar interests. We have monthly calls with the respective team members and mentors to come with a road plan for the forthcoming months and innovators work towards attaining that goal.
Areas
Intel is looking for software developers are creating innovative, quality projects that leverage current Intel technologies in application development,
- Internet of Things (IoT)
- Game Development (GameDev)
- Virtual Reality (VR)
- Artificial Intelligence (AI)
The Benefits
As a result of program participation, Intel Software Innovators receive the following benefits :
- Early Access — As available and based on participation level, Intel Software Innovators may get early access to SDKs, software development platforms, and in-market or production devices. Many Intel Software Innovators also qualify for NDA status, granting them access to early information and regular technology briefings.
- Notoriety and Exposure — Receive branding designation, such as an Intel Software Innovator badge and logo and swag to wear and post online, identifying you as an expert in the eyes of an industry leader.
- Fulfillment — Earn support to events including travel, per diem, and event registration costs in exchange for demonstrating Intel technologies.
- Networking — Gain regular access to a community of fellow leaders to spark discussion, innovation, and to further your mastering as a leading developer.
- Dev Cloud — Access and usage of Intel’s dev cloud which is highly optimised as compared to other cloud solutions.
- Mentorship — You get exclusive mentorship from the folks at Intel.
- Goodies — Who doesn’t like free stuff ? On top of that, you have bragging rights.
The Projects
Here are some interesting projects that are being done by the Intel Software Innovators.
Wheelie
Shapesong
HELIOS
My Experience
I heard about this program through Intel’s website. Here what you need to do to get into this program.
- Originality — I would encourage you to try to do unique and original work. That is going to separate your contribution from the rest of the crowd. It’s perfectly fine to take reference from other people’s work, that’s what open source is for, however, make sure that you include all the references in the project.
- Exposure — It is also highly encouraged to showcase your work. It has a twofold advantage. Firstly, you will get to showcase your findings and at the same time, the open source community can enhance your work.
- Devmesh — Create your DevMesh account and keep uploading all your latest work there apart from GitHub. Make sure that you provide documentation and links to a working prototype. Trust me, documentation is as important as the code. Your code is of no use if the community can’t use it.
- Application — After you meet the above requirements, you can apply to the here.
Output
I wish I could tell you more, but why don’t you guys find it out on yourselves. If everything goes well, you would get something like this.
What’s Next
This is something that I am working on. I have thoroughly enjoyed the entire exhaustive process of learning Indian Sign Language. The following video is phase 1 of my experiments with the Indian Sign Language Recognition system (SignNet) using facial keypoints tracking and semantic color segmentation. Special mention to the Centre for Research and Development for Deaf and Mute, Pune; Intel Software Innovator Program and Symantec for supporting my work and efforts.
Made with ❤️ and 🦙 by Akshay Bahadur
