For most people, grocery shopping is an automatic act: picking up a product, checking the price, looking at the expiry date. For a person with a visual impairment, each of these steps often requires depending on someone else. Changing this is the aim of Güipi-Guía, the project developed by a team of students from Universidad de Costa Rica that has won the sixth edition of SFERA Experience, whose international final was held at Universidad San Francisco de Quito, in Ecuador.
The project was born from the realisation that an activity as everyday as shopping is still designed almost exclusively for those who can see: prices, brands, expiry dates and product locations are almost always presented visually, forcing many people to rely on others.
“We discovered a reality that often goes unnoticed. We understood that technology could become a tool to restore autonomy and independence to people with visual impairments,” explain the members of Güipi-Guía.
An application to shop independently
Güipi-Guía works as a smart signage system that integrates a mobile application with tactile signage, NFC technology and braille. When arriving at the supermarket, the user brings their mobile phone close to a banner located at the entrance and connects to the store’s interactive map. Based on the topographical information of the establishment, the application tells them by voice where a type of product is located, how many metres they need to walk, which direction to take and whether the item is on the upper, middle or lower shelf.
Once the product has been located, the user can bring their phone close to the 3D tactile signage to verify that it is the correct item and receive voice information about the brand, price or expiry date. The application allows users to add products to a digital cart, check the total cost of their shopping and, for people with low vision, configure high-contrast options. It also includes barcode or QR code scanning to access descriptive product information.
During SFERA Experience 2026, the team developed a first prototype capable of scanning barcodes or QR codes, reading NFC tags and consulting a test database with product information. The application communicates this information by voice and has been validated through semi-structured interviews, a direct test in a supermarket and the support of the National Council for Persons with Disabilities (CONAPDIS). The team is also in negotiations to launch a formal pilot plan with a supermarket chain in Costa Rica that has 46 points of sale.
“Hearing the name of Universidad de Costa Rica announced as the winner filled us with pride. Beyond the recognition, this achievement confirmed that our proposal has the potential to generate a real impact on the lives of people with visual impairments,” said the team.
The winning team is made up of Isaac Corella Alvarado, from Computer Science and Multimedia Technology, responsible for application development and 3D modelling; Diana Alfaro Rojas, from Law with a focus on Tax Law, who contributed the human rights perspective of people with disabilities; Estéfano Montalván Mena, from International Relations, Customs Administration and Foreign Trade, focused on the commercial and financial vision; Amery Richards Molina, from Environmental Health, responsible for the sustainability and environmental impact approach; and Daniela Gómez Vargas, from Business Administration and Project Management, entrepreneurship manager and tutor of the Costa Rican team.
The jury, made up of professionals from institutions linked to international cooperation, development, education, innovation and social entrepreneurship, highlighted the strength of the research, the validation with institutional and commercial stakeholders, and the clarity of the value proposition. The project’s growth plan aims to reach 20 supermarkets and 300 users as its first measurable target, with a business model that defines its break-even point and environmental impact.
In addition to the first prize, the programme awarded the sustainability mention to RAIGAL, from Universidad del Aconcagua in Argentina, a commercialisation and branding platform designed to connect rural producers and artisans with purchasing companies; the innovation mention to UNIKO, from Universidad Austral in Argentina, an educational medium that adapts Worldbuilding to the primary school classroom to develop systems thinking; and the inclusion mention to Urban ReSound, from Yachay Tech in Ecuador, which transforms leather and plastic waste from the footwear industry into sustainable acoustic panels for construction.
An Ibero-American experience of learning and social impact
SFERA Experience is an initiative led by Camilo José Cela University in which students from Ibero-American universities investigate real problems in their territories and design sustainable solutions through a systems-thinking methodology. Led by UCJC since its first edition, the programme has become one of the university social entrepreneurship initiatives with the greatest reach in Ibero-America, connecting students from different countries each year around real challenges in their communities. In this edition, the projects focused on SDG 11, Sustainable Cities and Communities, and SDG 12, Responsible Consumption and Production.
The 2026 edition brought together 18 teams from universities in Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Spain, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Portugal and the Dominican Republic. Over five days, participants took part in an immersive experience combining conferences, workshops, round tables, field visits, cultural activities and co-creation spaces across two locations: Universidad San Francisco de Quito, in Quito, and Chorlaví, in Ibarra.
Universidad San Francisco de Quito was the host institution for this sixth edition, after its team won SFERA Experience 2025 with Kawsana: Viajar con Propósito, a sustainable tourism proposal aimed at community development and environmental conservation. MetaRed S, MetaRed X and the Organization of Ibero-American States took part as official sponsors.
UCJC’s commitment to entrepreneurship is embodied in SFERA Experience, and this vocation is also reflected in its academic offering, through its Degree in Entrepreneurship and Business Management, a pioneering programme in Spain in which students develop, incubate and accelerate their own startup through ImpactLab and SEKLab, SEK Education Group’s accelerator.