![[Case Study] Gravio in Education: How pupils in Japan are learning IoT](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/5ba3150a54f21cfe3f02b031/6358a79c689ec18240e40957_zennichi.jpeg)
High school students without programming experience have developed IoT solutions with Gravio, the no-code development tool during the pandemic. They developed a system for measuring CO2 concentration and detecting the number of people in a classroom using AI cameras to help avoid the three C’s, the advise from the Japanese government to prevent the spread of the virus (closed spaces, crowded places, and close-contact settings). A pilot program was conducted at Gifu Technical High School in advance of introducing the mandatory programming education starting from April 2022.
Asteria Corporation (Head Office: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Yoichiro Hirano; Securities code: 3853), the maker of Gravio, has announced that its sales partner, Okaya Electronics Corp. (Head Office: Kohoku-ku, Yokohama; President: Osamu Mizuno) has introduced its no-code development tool Gravio at Gifu Prefectural Gifu Technical High School (Location: Kasamatsu-cho, Hashima-gun, Gifu Prefecture).
The school’s Equipment System course conducted a pilot program for Information I, which became a required class for all high school students from April 2022. Taught by Mr. Takemasa Yamaguchi, a class using Gravio was conducted and students with no programming experience developed a CO2 concentration detection solution using IoT sensors and a human detection system using AI cameras.
With a history of more than 20 years, the Equipment System Course at Gifu Technical High School is one of the top-ranked schools in Japan, especially in the HVAC field, and it has produced some of the best human resources in the equipment and HVAC industries. In line with the curriculum guidelines revisions to be implemented in April 2022, the school was considering the introduction of teaching materials that enable students to learn CO2 control and programming at the same time, with the aim of enhancing the education on air cleanliness measurement in the special course curriculum.
The Equipment System Research Club for students enrolled in the Equipment System Course started to use Gravio as a tool to learn programming, AI, and IoT. Four second-year students with no programming experience began practical training based on the pilot program for the new course, Information I, which emphasizes programming. In just two months, using after-school club activity time, they built a solution that can measure air cleanliness and detect CO2 concentration, which is also important for countermeasures against the spread of COVID-19 infections. In addition, they developed a human detection system using AI and computer vision cameras, all with without programming skills but using Gravio.
In the future, by combining IoT sensor information with AI image analysis to detect the number of people, they intend to deepen programming studies using IoT and AI by predicting CO2 concentration and analyzing the relationship between congestion and CO2 concentration.
Many of the students enrolled in the Equipment System Course go on to have jobs in the equipment and HVAC industries. We believe that having experience and knowledge in understanding and controlling air quality is vital for employment in these fields. We introduced Gravio because of its no-code, flexible system design, which is ideal for learning to measure CO2 concentration and utilize the measured data, especially as it relates to closed space detection and ventilation. I am once again realizing the advantages of the system in that it allows various students to freely use and share data and solve problems through group work, as well the deft footwork which allows us to implement an idea as soon as the thought strikes us. The system is so versatile and flexible that junior high and high schools are saying that they have been waiting for this kind of teaching material for a long time.
Takemasa Yamaguchi, Equipment System Research Club Advisor, Gifu Technical High School
We delighted to hear of the announcement of the development of a CO2 concentration detection solution at Gifu Technical High School. We have an enthusiastic desire to make changes in the field of education, starting with compulsory education, so that Japan can develop human resources capable of competing globally, and we are working to solve various problems in the field of education with the power of digital technology. We thought that Asteria’s concept behind Gravio of “Test things out for yourself when you get an idea!” would make it the ideal educational tool for educational institutions that train people who can be immediately active in the workplace. When we introduced Gravio to Mr. Yamaguchi, he was very intrigued by the fact that it is a full-fledged product with a proven track record in many actual companies, yet it can be used without having any programming knowledge. After provided him with a set of equipment, he started teaching classes using Gravio in no time. We believe that the students who have gained successful experience in accomplishing things on their own by using Gravio will be able to make changes in digitalization in the fields of the companies where they end up working.
Katsuya Sumida, General Manager of the Business Promotion Department, Okaya Electronics Corp.
Reference: Casestudy article on one of the biggest IoT and AI portals in Japan ledge.ai/gravio-school-gifu/ (in Japanese)
The Gifu Technical High School has a long history and tradition will soon celebrate the 100th anniversary of its founding. The school was recognized as a "Super Professional High School" for three years since 2016 and as a "Project to Promote High School Education Reform in Collaboration with the Local Community" for three years since 2019 (both designations by Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology), and has been highly evaluated for its innovative efforts.
The school is expected to play an increasingly active role in the future as a school that contributes to local industry, including the realization of Society 5.0.
Okaya Electronics Corporation was established in 1984 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Okaya & Co., Ltd., a company listed on the first section of the Nagoya Stock Exchange. Since its establishment, Okaya Electronics has formed partnerships with many of the world's leading companies with the aim of becoming a partner company that contributes to manufacturing and provides value-added solutions. It has continued to develop new markets and ushered in a new era with products such as semiconductors, software, and electronic components.
Asteria Corporation (renamed from Infoteria in October 2018) develops and sells software and services that connect between a wide variety of computers and devices within companies. Its flagship product, ASTERIA Warp, is software that allows data from different computer systems to be linked with no code, and it has been adopted by 9,594 companies (as of December 31, 2021), mainly large and medium-sized companies. In addition, Handbook has been adopted by 1,641 (as of the end of December 2021) companies and public institutions as a standard service for carrying all kinds of electronic files such as sales materials, product catalogs, and meeting materials on smartphones and tablets.
Gravio is an edge computing type IoT integration software with AI functions, evolved for IoT based on the technology developed for ASTERIA Warp, the No. 1 data integration tool in Japan. It emphasizes ease of use through no-code and intuitive screen design. Furthermore, the built-in AI-based recognition technology and multi-platform compatibility dramatically expand its usage scenarios as an intelligent edge platform. A free loan program including an assortment of certified sensors is also available, which eliminates trouble during installation. It enables intelligent collection, processing, and linkage of various data, and realizes easy and quick utilization of IoT.
