Napoli, Italy
Smarted srl is an innovative start-up (under Law 221/2012) which was created as a spin-off of scientific research activities of its members in the field of Cognitive Science. It was born with the goal of developing innovative applications in order to support activities / needs of the socio-cognitive of people (such as play, learn, teach, support and maintain neuro-cognitive functions). The company works closely with major universities and research centers, including the Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies of the CNR and the Natural and Artificial Cognition Lab (NAC) of the University of Naples Federico II from which comes the cultural background and its scientific activities. Although the company is newly established (13/03/2017), researchers who are part of the company have many years of experience in the development and management of scientific research projects and the production of scientific material. This
experience has led to the development of interactive objects/prototypes such as simulations, Robots, Serious Games, Role Playing and interactive learning platforms. SMARTED worked in 7 Erasmus+ (4 ongoing). In all the projects described below the company is responsible of the development of the technological side of the project, working with the innovative application of Augmented Reality tools (Tangible User Interfaces – TUIs), development of Serious Games, or APP creation. In addition, Smarted focuses its work also for inclusion. SM created an APP for Android that aims at improving the communications skills in people with special needs or multisensory disabilities using TUIs. See the video on the National Italian TV Channel (RAI2 – Medicina 33), where the CEO of Smarted Raffaele Di Fuccio, shows the Application. https://youtu.be/ywys7JN5kzA (Interview in Italian). The projects are:
- ACCORD (Attain Cultural integration through COnflict Resolution skill Development) [www.accordgame.eu] E+KA3 ACCORD aims support teachers in handling conflict and dealing with cultural diversity by creating, assessing and upscaling an integrated online practice that combines MOOC delivery and Serious Games
- DoCENT (Digital Creativity ENhanced in Teacher Education) [www.docent-project.eu] – E+KA2 DoCENT project’s main goal was to make teacher educators adopt pedagogical strategies that foster creativity and innovation
- ALEAS (Adaptive LEArning in Statistics) [www.aleas-proect.eu] E+KA2 The core of the ALEAS project is the development and implementation of an adaptive learning system embedded in an open access framework (MOOC), by developing an APP for statistics exercises.
- EULALIA (Enhancing University Language courses with an App powered by game-based Learning and tangible user Interfaces Activities) E+ KA2 EULALIA aims are to develop a methodology for the language teaching/learning for Erasmus Students by using inclusive and multisensorial methodologies based TUIs and Mobile Learning by producing the authoring tool for the mobile context.
- MERGO (Mooc in Enology aimed at Reinforcing competences applying Game-based approach and Olfactive learning for the wine tasting) – E+ KA2 MERGO aims to bridge a MOOC developed by a strategic partnership of HEI and organization in the wine business sector bringing the procedural learning for the recognition of sensory features by using new ICT paradigms: TUIs and the gamification approach.
- KnIghtS oF thE EuroPean Grail – creating a game-based approach for learning Italian, Spanish, French, English, Portuguese and German – E+ KA2 The project aims at developing, testing and implementing a game application based on an attractive storytelling for language learning to be played on mobile digital devices.
- BLUE ARROW E+KA2 The project aims to create an innovative pedagogical approach for teacher education that involve the development of a MOOC and the implementation of these practices in HEI courses for teacher education for the new challenges of distance learning.
Skills of key persons involved in the project
The key persons involved are the following: CEO Raffaele Di Fuccio is the CEO and Project Manager of the Company.
Raffaele Di Fuccio is a biomedical engineer, PhD in the University of Naples – Federico II in Human Mind and Gender Studies. His research interests focus on the advanced teaching/learning technologies and applications; Tangible User Interfeces (TUIs) with a multisensory approach in the education, and on the development of artificial intelligence models and algorithms for classification. He collaborated in many projects in the FP7 program for Xiwrite srl (CONVERGENCE, OPTIMI, N€UROMED) regarding mainly management and coordination issues. In addition, coordinated as Project Manager, an LLP-Comenius project called Block Magic (www.blockmagic.eu) on behalf of Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies (ISTC) of Italian National Research Council (CNR). In the 2017 he won the prize of the International ASLERD Student Contest for the best “People Centered Smart Learning Ecosystem” prototype.
(https://www.ilmattino.it/innovazione/news/lavagna_vintage_cuore_hitech_studente_federiciano_tetto_d_europa2530803.html). Please see the following vide for the prototype (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58RyzCDUsdU).
Nowadays, Raffaele Di Fuccio manages for the SMARTED srl 6 EU Funded project in the Erasmus Plus Programme (ACCORD, DoCENT, ALEAS, EULALIA, MERGO, Knights of EU Grail and Blue Arrow). Project manager Anna Parola is a Project Manager in Smarted. She is a Psychologist, PhD in Mind, Gender and Language at University of Naples Federico II, and Visiting Student at Department of Education and Learning (DFA), University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI), in Switzerland. She has published several papers on international journal and has participated in national and international conferences. Her field of research concerns youth distress, the NEET phenomenon (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) and the difficulties of school-to-work transitions. Specifically, the interest is the planning of interventions for supporting career paths and transition to school-to-work. Additionally, Anna Parola is expert in Qualitative and Quantitative Methods. She deals in particular with statistical data analysis and psychometric validations of instruments. CTO Andrea Di Ferdinando is the CTO of the Smarted srl. He worked as researcher at the Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies (ISTC) of Italian National Research Council (CNR). His research activity concentrates main on Artificial Life and Neural Networks techniques and methodologies, on computational models of neuropsychological syndromes, on Artificial Intelligence systems applied to videogames and learning processes. He is author of international scientific publications and participated to many European research projects, in which he collaborated to the creation of several technological platforms for Soft Skill training (EUTOPIA; Learn To Lead, T3, S-CUBE, DECIDE-IT, BLOCK MAGIC, ENACT, ACCORD). Researcher Fabrizio Ferrara is the Scientific Coordinator of the Smarted srl. Fabrizio Ferrara has a degree in Clinical Psychology and a Ph.D in Psychological and Pedagogical Science. Since 2006 he worked in the research field in some important national and international research centres, included the Second University of Naples, the University of Naples Federico II, the “Laboratoire sur le langage, le cerveau et la cognition” of the “Institut des sciences cognitives” of the CNRS, Lyon, France. He published some scientific articles with international relevance and participated in important European scientific projects.
