The winners of the Smart Contest launched by the University of Milan-Bicocca and sponsored by Candy Group were awarded at the Meet Lab in Milan. Starting in October 2017, seven groups of university students developed their innovative ideas that were presented to a selected jury of experts who analyzed and evaluated them, decreeing the three winning projects. The initiative was born in collaboration with the Degree Course in IT and Communication Theory and Technology at the University of Milan-Bicocca, in the area of the Interaction Design Laboratory led by Professor Giorgio De Michelis. The students developed two macro-themes related to connectivity and smart devices, creating projects for the Smart Kitchen. The projects were evaluated by a jury of experts from the Candy Group, chaired by Aldo Fumagalli, Director Washing & Smartness Business Sector of Candy Group. The idea that got the first place was “My recipe book” (Il Mio ricettario), which allows to select, memorize on devices and share recipes. The project “Mike the new Candy microwave oven” (Mike il nuovo forno a microonde Candy) is second: it revolutionizes the interaction with this appliance making it simpler and more intuitive, with the inclusion of a full touch screen and weight and humidity sensors. “Gregory The Butler” is at the third place: it is a robot able to bring dishes and other objects from the kitchen to the dining table and vice versa and to dialogue with the user. The winners were awarded with Candy and Hoover products. “We are proud to have sponsored an initiative as important as that promoted by Professor De Michelis and the University of Milan-Bicocca – said Aldo Fumagalli -. As Candy Group we want to be active in the training of young people. In fact, they have to operate in contexts that, thanks to the technological development, change more rapidly and require deeper and more specific skills. Smart and connected products will enter their lives and represent the future for them, just as they represent it for our Group. It is therefore essential to invest in the training of the new generations that will give an important contribution to the development of the industrial realities of the future”.
