Robin isn’t just a mobile app — it’s a meaningful contribution to research, accessibility,
and the future of nature‑based learning. From peer‑reviewed publications to real‑world
deployment and field testing, Robin is already making an impact in the classroom,
in the field, and in academic circles.
Launch Event at the Environmental Interpretive Center (EIC)
On April 14, we hosted Robin's official launch at the EIC from 3–4 PM.
The event brought together over 60 attendees, including Provost Gabriella Scarlatta,
Dean Ghassan Kridli, CIS Chair Dr. Jie Shen, and our project supervisor
Dr. Zheng Song, along with professors like Dr. Sirja Das and
Professor Bruce Maxim. Students, faculty, friends, family, and visitors from
different schools across campus joined us to experience Robin firsthand.
A highlight of the event was the participation of Donna Posont, a visually
impaired guest who helped test the app’s accessibility features live. She’s been a vital
point of contact throughout development, and her feedback played a key role in shaping
Robin’s voice control, spoken descriptions, and overall usability.
Launch Event Gallery
Meet The Robin Team!
Group photo with the Robin team and attendees
The Robin Team with Donna
Robin Team with Dr. Song & Dr. Bruce Maxim
Robin Team with Provost Gabriella
Robin Team with Dean Kridli
With Dr. Sirja Das & Dr. Zheng Song
Attendees of the Launch
Q&A Session
Group Photo at EIC
More Photos
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Robin is an AI-powered mobile app that reimagines birdwatching as an accessible,
hands-free experience for everyone — especially for visually impaired individuals
and young learners. The app combines real-time bird sound recognition, predictive
analytics, spoken species descriptions, and a customizable chatbot into one
cross-platform experience.
A special thank you to Dr. Jacob Napieralski and the entire EIC staff
for welcoming us into their space and giving us the opportunity to turn Robin into a reality.
Their support, guidance, and connections to field experts were instrumental in making this project
not just possible, but meaningful.
Academic Research
We designed Robin with real‑world usability in mind — but we also wanted to share our findings
with the broader research community. Below are the two papers we authored for leading AI &
ecology conferences:
Robin: An Intelligent Bird Observation Application for the Visually Impaired and K‑12 Education
Status :Accepted — IEEE Electro/Information Technology (EIT) Conference 2025
Robin is now
live on the Apple App Store —
Download Robin
— and will arrive on Google Play after our two‑week Android beta period.
It’s free to download and optimized for:
Nature centers, parks & wildlife reserves
Personal nature walks & guided tours
Classrooms & environmental science courses
Why Robin Stands Out
Robin blends real‑time bird sound identification, predictive analytics,
ChatGPT‑powered conversation, and text‑to‑speech accessibility into one
seamless tool. It empowers users of all abilities to explore nature through sound, creating new
opportunities for learning, awareness, and connection.
Community & Educational Impact
Robin was built for real classrooms and real users. We have:
Partnered with the EIC to pilot nature-based learning experiences
Conducted accessibility testing with visually impaired users
Shared Robin with K‑12 educators to enrich science curricula with simplified experiences
The result? Learners don’t just see birds — they hear and understand them in real time.