RomeCup 2026: first prize for WordShield from the Antonio Giordano Comprehensive School in Venafro in the NonniBOT category
Alla RomeCup 2026 l’innovazione sociale passa anche da un braccialetto. Si chiAt the RomeCup 2026, social innovation also takes the form of a bracelet. It is called WordShield, but the pupils of thecomprehensive school Antonio Giordano in Venafro (Isernia) have also renamed it the “guardian of kindness”: a smart device designed to recognise aggressive tones or situations of verbal abuse and send an alert to carers or family members.
The project won first place in the NonniBOT category, the creative contest dedicated to technological solutions for the care, safety and well-being of older people. The school’s project was supported by the Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology at the Federico II University of Naples, with researcher Alessandra Rossi [see the news item Robotics that meets real needs].
For the school community in Venafro, the award represents “an extraordinary achievement”. As Michele Fiore, a teacher of computer science, mathematics and physics and a digital mentor, writes on LinkedIn, the Antonio Giordano Institute “triumphed at RomeCup 2026, winning first place in the social category thanks to an innovative technological bracelet”.
The idea stemmed from a workshop held to mark Respect Day on 20 January. As Francesca Faccenda, a student at the Antonio Giordano Institute, explains, the group began by reading texts such as Stai zitta by Michela Murgia and The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky, to reflect on the weight of words and the violence that can also be conveyed through language. This led to the decision to design a bracelet capable of recognising certain aggressive expressions and transforming the signal into a request for attention.
Through a process of machine learning, the device was trained to detect potentially offensive or threatening words and phrases. The prototype analyses audio in real time and, when it detects critical situations, can trigger an alert to designated contacts. A solution that is simple to use but significant in its impact: putting technology at the service of care, prevention and the protection of the most vulnerable people.
What impressed the jury was precisely the balance between technical functionality and ethical value. The post emphasises that the project “impressed the jury for its strong ethical as well as technological value” and that “the perfect balance between technical functionality and care for the individual was recognised”, embodying the “ethics-technology dichotomy” that is increasingly central to contemporary debate.
For the students, taking part in the RomeCup was “a highly educational experience, characterised by learning, collaboration and engagement with centres of excellence”. A result which, in the words of Michele Fiore, is “the fruit of great teamwork”, supported by the Molise Education Authority, the headteacher Marcello D’Ambrosa, the school management team and the teachers who guided the project, such as Romana Eugenia Lucarelli, a teacher of Italian, history and Latin
With WordShield, the NonniBOT category recognises a practical vision of augmented intelligence: a technology that does not replace human relationships, but strengthens them, helping families, carers and communities to look after people better.
