[Korea Contact-Free] Ufit "Implementing a future classroom with only paper and pen... Entering the global market"

    LOS ANGELES, CA, December 14, 2022 /24-7PressRelease/ -- "As a smart education solution that can be used in any educational environment around the world, we will raise the status of K-edu by providing more users and quality usability than Google Classroom."

Ufit (CEO Dong-chul An), which is participating in the 'Close-to-Life Contact-Free Leading Service Project' implemented by the Ministry of Science and ICT and the National IT Industry Promotion Agency (Chairman Seong-wook Heo, hereafter referred to as NIPA), is a company that develops and supplies interactive smart classroom solutions. From 'Close-to-Life Contact-Free Leading Service Project', they have been selected as a project in the field of distance education.

NIPA's 'Close-to-Life Contact-Free Leading Service Project', which has been implemented since last year and has been received positive feedbacks from participating companies, is to develop, demonstrate, distribute and spread contact-free leading services that are closely related to the daily life of the people. It is being pursued to foster global-oriented contact-free service companies and to enhance the competitiveness of Korea's service and software industries.

In this project, Ufit develops and demonstrates 'Writing-based contact-free interactive class environment using an IoT digital pen and a facial recognition and eye-tracking linked service to strengthen concentration and prevent cheating'. Dong-chul An, CEO of Ufit, has rich experience in the field of domestic and international education, such as Megastudy math instructor and academy director (15 years), and Head of education company in Chinese branch (10 years).

CEO An said, "In order to increase the convenience of use for teachers and students, strengthen durability, and reduce maintenance costs in the existing smart classroom represented by tablet PC and electronic whiteboards, we have developed interactive smart classroom products implemented with only paper and pen, and are distributing them to schools. Through this contact-free leading service project, we plan to develop and demonstrate a solution that digitizes and improves students' writing skills and provides personalized learning."

Ufit implemented a convenient digital teaching tool using a digital pen and dot pattern. There is no need to connect existing teaching plans to complex digital devices. It can be easily printed out in the classroom and used in ICT multimedia classes. It is a paper sheet type electronic whiteboard, and the price is only about 1/3 compared to the existing TV type electronic whiteboards. Since it is a paper sheet type electronic whiteboard, it has the advantage of being non-electrical and non-electromagnetic. In addition, there is no malfunction since there is no sensor, and it is possible to write using a board marker in normal times.

Before COVID-19, Ufit developed sheet-type electronic whiteboards using these smart pens and dot patterns and smart classroom solutions that enable interactive classes and supplied them to about 300 schools in China and 200 schools in Korea. However, since the COVID-19 outbreak, a contact-free culture was created, and a new breakthrough was needed, and that is why this project is being promoted. CEO An said, "We are participating in the business to develop products that can be used in remote classes in a contact-free environment, and we are receiving a lot of help."

Concentration evaluation and remote evaluation are important in contact-free classes. In order to achieve this, Ufit is working with Visual Camp, another participating company with excellent pupil tracking technology, to prevent cheating that can occur in remote evaluation. CEO An said, "Existing video conferencing tools such as Zoom, Google Class, and Meets are webRTC based video and data sharing services, but education is different from conferences. It is different from the starting point of a meeting where a teacher who has to teach and students who do not want to study have to share their opinions and reach to an agreement. Our company's remote class tool differentiated itself from existing remote class tools by applying the essence of education to remote classes from the start."

In 2020, Ufit, the host organization, and Visual Camp, another participating company, executed the main installation of the Korea Education and Research Information Service (KERIS) future classroom experience center. They also were • Selected as a lead innovation representative for e-learning globalization project by the Ministry of Education (2020) • Edutech business model selection Competition Grand Prize (2020) • Excellent R&D innovative product designation (2021) • Selected as CES innovative product (2022) • Korea ImpactTech Prime Minister Award, Small and Medium Business Technology Innovation Competition Prime Minister Award in technology innovation field (2019) • Selected as baby unicorn by Ministry of SMEs and Startups. They hold 5 patents and are applying for 3 related to solutions using digital pens and dot patterns.

In order to export products, Ufit is looking for an overseas business partner. In particular, B2G companies that can carry out government education environment improvement projects in developing countries, including Southeast Asia, and those that are carrying out ODA projects in developing countries are considered as the best partners. CEO An said, "If developing countries purchase expensive digital devices to improve the educational environment, teachers and students in the field will have difficulties in usability and maintenance. Our product is easy to use as a future classroom solution implemented with only paper and pen. Not only can teachers use it conveniently, but it can also increase student participation and improve grades through it. Strong durability and low maintenance cost are also advantages."

Through this support project from NIPA, Ufit has diversified their products by receiving support such as servers and SW for various mobile OS development. In particular, in the past, finished products were completed using a digital pen from ANOTO, a Swedish company, which was expensive and limited in the development of additional functions. Through this business, the digital pen purchaser was changed to a Korean company, and it became possible to supply a stable SDK (software development kit). CEO An said, "We will strive to spread educational solutions that anyone in the world can use easily and inexpensively by making full use of the global edutech know-how gained through the life of a teacher and the head of an overseas branch of an education company."

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