Casablanca – The Moroccan research, development and innovation laboratory SmartiLab will represent Morocco at the 2016/2017 IOT/M2M Innovation World Cup in Barcelona on March 1 with its smart parking project, Smartypark.
SmartiLab, a Moroccan laboratory of research, development and innovation belonging to the private school of engineers EMSI will represent the kingdom during the Innovation world cup 2016-2017 which will take place on March 1 in Barcelona.
The Moroccan laboratory, run out of the Moroccan School for Engineering Sciences (EMSI), and its project Smartypark will compete against three other finalists, including England and Switzerland.
This marks the first time an Arab and African country has qualified for the final of the competition, which considered the most important in the world in the field of new information and communication technologies and is sponsored by global IT and telecom giants like Google or Samsung.
Smartypark is a parking management solution based on the “Senstenna” technology, designed and created by the SmartiLab research laboratory. The project will equip each parking space with a wireless sensor connected to an Internet-based network that monitors the spaces and informs users in real time about the availability of a place via a mobile application.
According to the director of SmartiLab, Hafid Griguer, the system has a threefold benefit for the users.
“By allowing the user to find a place faster, [the technology] not only reduces fuel consumption and loss of time, but also reduces emissions of CO2.”
The technology will help the parking managers to have “easier control and less fraud.”
This detection system uses radiofrequency to detect different types of objects, which will offer a low cost and energy autonomy exceeding eight years, according to its creators.
This invention, which has already been patented, could give birth to other projects, says Griguer. “We are currently working on sensors that could not only identify the presence of an object, but also its nature. We’re conducting research, but no patent has yet been filed.”
