The Technion is launching with Microsoft the Internet of Things project that simulates working at a start-up

Among the first developments: controlling the phone using hand gestures while driving, a guidance app for the blind, a musical glove that responds to color

The Technion launched, in collaboration with Microsoft R&D, a special project in the software and systems development laboratory at the Faculty of Computer Science. The project will focus on the Internet of Things and will be used by the students in the development of cutting-edge technologies during their studies in the field. In its design and technological infrastructure, the laboratory simulates work under startup conditions, and for this purpose it has been equipped with innovative software and computers, including smart phones and tablets for running applications during development. Emphasis was also placed in the laboratory on visual simulation of a real work environment. For this purpose, a clean and colorful design line that characterizes technology companies was chosen. This line simulates for the students an authentic development environment of an R&D center or a start-up.

The first course held in the laboratory was a system programming course in the Arduino environment led by Professor Yossi Gil and assisted by experts from Microsoft. As part of the course, designed to challenge the students in independent product building projects, the students designed smart systems that combine hardware and software with the help of Arduino-based controllers, which are connected to Azure, Microsoft's cloud. Among the projects presented at the launch of the lab: a musical glove that responds to color and plays sounds corresponding to different colors; Controlling the phone with hand gestures while driving; The application - guidance for a blind person using the smartphone, and more.

Yoram Yaakovi, CEO of Microsoft's R&D center in Israel, said: "The academy develops the most important resource for Israeli industry: quality female and male engineers. That is why it is important for us to continue to initiate projects together with the universities in Israel, in order to support innovation in the academy and to increase the number of graduates who graduate each year from the faculties of computer engineering. Strengthening the ties between academia and industry is essential not only for academia but also for industry, which is fed by the originality and sharpness of thought produced by Israeli academia year after year. These features drive the Israeli high-tech industry."

"The course is a laboratory of initiative and originality," said Professor Yossi Gil, the head of the Software and Systems Development Laboratory and course instructor, "We provide the students with equipment, resources, training and assistance, and they bring with them talent, creativity and imagination, and indeed manage to surprise us again and again."

The project at the Faculty of Computer Science is part of an ongoing collaboration between Microsoft's development center and the Technion. As part of this collaboration, a joint academic research center was opened for Microsoft and the Technion in the field of electronic commerce. These collaborations are part of U.next - a comprehensive program of Microsoft's R&D center that focuses on academic institutions, students and researchers in Israel. The program includes student support, pedagogical programs, research grants, access to Microsoft tools and resources, as well as hosting workshops and conferences. The purpose of the program is to encourage academic excellence in research and study by leveraging the company's capabilities and resources.