MADE in HIT
MADE in HIT
MADE was founded by two young professionals with a rich background in assistive design & technology - Dr. Daniil Umanski and Ms. Yael Avni. Together, they lead the lab's activities in close cooperation with the Research, Innovation and International Ventures authority at HIT. The lab enables students to participate in assistive-oriented activities in several ways throughout the year. MADE is focused on three main threads of activity: education, R&D, and community outreach.
Our lab is an inspiring maker space which supports the technical needs of students and lab members throughout the development process. The hands-on experience is an integral part of our teaching method. MADE associates with several key-partners in the field of assistive technology. Among our partners are rehabilitation centers, special education institutes, special needs accelerators, social entrepreneurs and municipalities.
MADE develops and runs a unique academic course which brings together multidisciplinary teams of students to create novel solutions for people with special needs. A semester-long (14 meetings) course “Design & Engineering meet special needs” invites bachelor students from all faculties for a hands-on introduction to the field of assistive technology & design. Foremost, we engage students from the design, engineering and computer science faculties at HIT. Through project-based learning our students get the chance to build working prototypes and later test them with users. During the semester our students have access to 3D printers, laser cutters, a variety of micro-controllers, sensors, and actuators.
The course exposes students to a range of technologies for building interactive prototypes, as well as to themes of inclusive design, user-centered and interaction design. Students learn the basics of user need identification, human engineering, human-machine interfaces, and usability testing. Throughout the course, students meet with people with special needs, propose new solutions, build, test and elaborate their prototypes.
Dr. Daniil Umanski Daniil is a lecturer and researcher in the area of assistive design and technology. He has obtained his PhD from the Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition in The Netherlands, specializing in interactive technologies for the support of communication disorders. Daniil has initiated international research collaborations, developed new technological solutions, and advised high-tech companies dealing with medical and assistive technologies. He has a rich experience in teaching and supervising student projects in the field of interaction design, code-driven design, and assistive design and technology
Yael AvniCo-founder and operations director
Yael is an industrial and interaction designer, specialized in assistive design. She holds an MA in Medical Industrial Design from the Technion Institute of Technology in Israel. Throughout her work, Yael has gained experience in developing novel products for populations with special needs and assistive devices, as well as in teaching and supervising students in the field of inclusive and assistive design. Yael’s design works have been exhibited in various venues, including the London design museum, Gent design museum in Belgium, Tel-Aviv museum of Art, and Stanford University.
