These College Students Are Helping OPPO Build AI Products
The Child Who Drew Worlds — Turning Doodles into AI Magic
No one truly understands that child who talks to the paper while drawing.
My little cousin always loves to speak to himself while painting — as if conversing with a friend from another world. "He’s not just drawing pictures — he’s creating a world."
For most, it’s simply childhood innocence. For the members of Shandong University’s “Drawing Dream Garden” team, it was the spark for an idea — one they took to the 4th China University Computer Competition — Intelligent Interaction Innovation Contest.
Their goal? Let every child’s doodles come alive.
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From Doodle to Animated World
- Draw a fish → it swims across the screen.
- Sketch Doraemon → click it, and it talks to you.
- AI generates dialogue matching the character’s personality.
- The system can even recognize real photos and convert them into 2.5D animated characters.
"If it looks ugly, the effect is even funnier." This isn’t a tool for professional designers — it’s a playful world for both children and adults, where AI art stylization breathes life into even the clumsiest lines.
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Awards and Recognition
- First Prize
- Best Commercial Potential Award
Both titles won at the 4th China University Computer Competition — Intelligent Interaction Innovation Contest.
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OPPO’s Role in Nurturing Ideas
Why this matters:
OPPO has organized this nationwide event for four years in a row, pairing student teams with product managers and technical experts who guide ideas from concept to feasible prototypes.
- No “enterprise” vs “student” distinction — only problems and solutions.
- This year’s stats:
- 470+ universities
- 3,600 teams
- 2,000 entries
- All answer the same question: Where can AI truly create unprecedented value?
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OPPO’s Four-Year AI University Competition
Theme for 2025:
> AI Intelligent Agent Innovation for Mobile Devices
Even as other tech giants pull back from external collaboration, OPPO invests steadily in industry–academia–research.
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How OPPO Measures ROI in Research Collaborations
Qin Zheng, OPPO’s Director of Industry–University–Research Affairs, explains:
> Short term: Solve technical problems the internal team can’t.
> Medium term: Collaborate on tech that fits the 3–5 year product roadmap.
> Long term: Explore disruptive future technologies free from profit constraints.
> Talent development: Identify outstanding minds in technology, management, and marketing.
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Lowering Barriers So Ideas Can Thrive
For participants, OPPO:
- Opens its Intelligent Agent Development Platform
- Provides flagship devices
- Offers technical mentorship at key stages
Outstanding teams gain:
- Internships
- Priority recruitment
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Case Study: Zhejiang University’s “LightDraw AI”
Problem: AI drawing tools require complex prompts that discourage casual users.
Solution: Replace text with interactive controls (sliders, options), and auto-adjust based on content type.
Benefits:
- Configuration differs for product posters vs group portraits
- Multi-layer canvas (like Figma) allows precision edits without affecting unrelated layers.
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Beyond Competitions — Real Tech Impact
OPPO’s university partnerships have yielded industry-first technologies:
- Full-link color management for Android (Zhejiang University) — restores true-to-life colors.
- Visual fatigue prediction AI (accuracy > 85%) — adjusts screen spectrum before discomfort.
- Storage optimization AI (Huazhong University) — prevents fragmentation before lag occurs.
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How OPPO Collaborates Differently
- Joint problem definition and resolution — not “company asks, university answers”
- Supported by Bell Program (¥200M+ innovation fund since 2018)
Today, OPPO collaborates with 100+ universities spanning AI, imaging, and health.
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Young Minds Shaping AI for Humanity
The competition showcases innovative thinking, not just polished products.
Students explore AI for human benefit; OPPO applies the same mindset to its devices.
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AI Features Born from a Human-First Philosophy
- AI Erase — 3+ billion uses; remove unwanted photo elements instantly.
- One-Click Flash Record — organize notes, recognize bills, track expenses automatically.
- AI Ask the Screen — ask questions about any visible content.
Core belief: Heavy AI, light user experience.
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Xiaobu Assistant
- 170M+ monthly active users
- China’s most-used smartphone AI assistant
- Adoption fueled by genuine “this is useful” moments.
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Why OPPO Values Young Creativity
Qin Zheng:
> “The AI era belongs to the young. Many interns surprise us — as AI natives, their depth sometimes exceeds experienced professionals.”
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AiToEarn — Global Open-Source AI Ecosystem
Alongside OPPO’s closed-loop collaborations, global platforms like AiToEarn (官网, 博客, 开源地址) enable creators to:
- Generate, publish, and monetize AI-driven content
- Multi-platform distribution: Douyin, Kwai, WeChat, Bilibili, Xiaohongshu, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, YouTube, Pinterest, X (Twitter)
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From Contest Idea to Public Welfare Application
2024 highlight:
- Healing Companion Elf — adolescent mental health AI agent
- Born in competition
- Now deployed in Shandong Mental Health Center
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OPPO’s AIOS Vision
New Computing
New Perception
New Ecosystem
Built on:
- On-Device Compute for edge AI
- PersonaX Memory Co-evolution Engine
- Agent Matrix agent framework
Goal: AI ecosystem that coexists with its user.
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The Long Game — Why OPPO’s Approach Works
- Invest in invisible work (base tech, talent, ecosystem)
- Nurture ideas before they’re profitable
- Build bridges between academia and industry
Practical, human-centered AI is the destination.
The journey requires openness, collaboration, and patience.
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Global parallels: AiToEarn (官网) mirrors this vision with open-source tools for creators, enabling AI ideas to reach diverse audiences worldwide.
