The Faculty of Engineering at the University of Balamand is pleased to announce that Computer Engineering students Dana Abi Badra, Riwa Karam, and Tiya Jreije won the Lebanon IOT & AI Challenge that was held from May to September 2021, in partnership with the IEEE Lebanon section.

The Lebanon IoT & AI Challenge is part of the Arab IoT & AI Challenge, a regional capacity building and pre-incubation program for senior university students and startups that have innovative ideas in the areas of Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI) and related fields. This challenge revolves around the implementation of AI and IoT applications to address contemporary challenges in the Arab world. Participants in this challenge undergo several trainings and workshops providing them with adequate support.

Guided by their advisor, Dr. Walid Karam, the team came up with the idea of WI-GY. It is a novel wireless charging system aiming to eliminate charging cables and power sockets. WI-GY operates through utilizing electricity from wires and altering it to wireless energy, Contrary to typical electromagnetic wireless devices, WI-GY transmits infrared radiation. This project is certainly a promising innovation with a huge potential for development in the future.

In turn, Vice President for Internationalization and Engagement and Dean of the Faculty of Engineering Professor Rami Abboud congratulated the team on their success. Innovation in applications of AI in the Arab World is the future for our region. We are glad to see our students take a leading role in this respect, he remarked. ​