Welcome to Manna Team!

What is Manna?

The Manna Team is the largest ecosystem of education, research, extension and innovation in Internet of Things (IoT) and Robotics at Paraná, and one of the biggest in Brazil.

The research themes involve, besides IoT and Robotics, the Internet of Drones (IoD), Brain-Computer Interface (ICC), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Smart Environments and Things, Urban Computing and Games. Combined to the research and technological innovation works, Manna also promotes inclusion and opportunities for all citizens of any age, through an ecosystem to form entrepreneurs with social intelligence and capable to leverage the innovation in different knowledge areas.

The projects are conceived and developed focusing on Education 5.0, Computational Thinking, Design Thinking and Maker Culture. Therefore, Manna gives meaning to the innovation when proposes a methodology which promotes the interest of children, young people and adults for the technology area.

What do we do?

The group develops excellence research, transfers technology to companies and still impacts the community by enlarging the extra classes spaces, contributing to the 5.0 Citizen formation: all kinds of people of all ages that learn about electronics, computing and recognize their inner genius.

All the Manna actions, activities and projects are developed considering the formation of a citizen with emotional, behavioral and social abilities, which ones enable them to impact the society positively.

The 5.0 Citizen presents hard skills (singular knowledge about their professional area, language domain and techological aspects) and soft skills (cognitive flexibility, empathy, leadership, propulsion, computational thinking and social intelligence).

Therefore, tt is important to mention that all the Manna actions in Education 5.0 which include teaching and learning in Eletronics, Robotics and Computational Thinking can be replicated, even better, multiplied, once the group has its methodology consolidated in 2.500 hours of courses, lectures, worshops and other activities that are ready to be ministered bu different people, from different ages and socioeconomic conditions.

Our story

Over 20 years, Manna answers teachers and students from High School, Elementary School and Technical Education in the public school system of different cities, as well as students and professors from graduation and postgraduate studies in many University Institutions. The network has 20 professors who have PhD degree, 16 people who have Master’s degree, many instructors and students from different courses and institutions.

In 2019 and 2020, Manna had its activities in different public schools from some cities in Paraná, like Cianorte, Paranavaí, Jandaia do Sul, Apucarana, Campo Mourão, Maringá, Guarapuava, Santa Helena, Mandaguari, Tamboara, Alto Paraná, Borrazópolis, São Pedro do Ivaí and Marialva. These activities also reached other states, such as São Paulo, Brasília, Minas Gerais and Mato Grosso do Sul. It is estimated that about twelve thousand people were impacted in the last two years, from the forty thousand in the project’s 20 years.

During the social distance caused by COVID-19, Manna created technology kits, like mannaVolt, to be sent to the public school students’ houses. Besides that, the members participated in various live lectures to take knowledge beyond distances.

Nowadays, we continue to open maker spaces in different public schools and cities, also promoting workshops in large events to students, teachers and general public, for anyone who wants to meet some aspects of everyday techonology.

Our goals

To do excellence scientific research, techological transfer and innovation in areas of microeletronics and comptuing, with themes like Internet of Drones, Internet of Things, Internet Robotics of Things, Industry 4.0, Artifical Intelligence, Smart Cities, Urban Computing, Education 5.0 and Games.
To contribute to the emergence of a new generation of professionals in the microeletronics, computing and engineering areas, attracting students, encouraging the career growth and generating human talents in Brazil.
To encourage the participation of women in STEAM areas (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) and support their careers’ growth.
To offer techonological solutions to companies, start-ups and third sector.
To promote the digital inclusion by activities that involve the study of problems and challenges related to Computational Thinking, Eletronics, Robotics, Games and Internet of Things.
To encourage the entrepreneur spirit for ordinary people and other ones interested in techonological innovation around Computing, Engineering and Microeletronics, by activities of Maker Culture and based on the principles of innovation and Education 5.0 culture.
To spread the teaching and learning of different technologies to the ordinary citizen, students and professors, expanding the Science, Technology and Innovation spaces.
To contribute to different actors by the proposition of public policies which promote Science, Technology Digital Inclusion and Education 5.0.
To contribute to the training of professors from different knowledge areas, specially those ones involved with high skills students (giftedness, prodigies, geniuses) in the Elementary and High School and Universities.

Who can participate in Manna?

All the ones who are willing to inspire people and promote a better society:

Teachers: from college, Elementary and High School, languages, and others;
Students: graduation and postgraduate studies, High School, Elementary School, Third Age Academy, Special students, and others;
Entrepeneurs: the ones who are willing to cooperate in projects of people and technology development;
Parents: the ones who are willing to opportunize new abilities to their children, taking them to our labs to take classes and tutoring.
Friends: the ones who are willing to go along with us in our social media and disclose our work.

Meet our team!n

Our projects

MannaIoT

Research, teaching, extension and innovation in Internet of Things. Some points of interest for the Manna IoT group are smart cities, industry 4.0, smart farming, precision agriculture, automotive industry and smart vehicles, autonomous robots and well-being for quality life.