Not only that, but as a result of the virtual keyboard project, Philips is pursuing patents related to the project. And the company increased its visibility among Stanford students - an influential pool of future employees, business buyers and industry leaders. Just as importantly, the students themselves feel they are benefiting. Students sense whether what they are working on is important, and it adds a great deal to their motivation. We also made an effort to get a number of international companies involved.
Students learn to do design and project management work in globally distributed teams.
This involves communicating over the World Wide Web. There are a lot of challenges to working with a remote partner. Accessing innovative thinking Philips' sponsorship of the virtual keyboard project was facilitated by Metcalf's University Affairs office. The office is chartered with linking all parts of key U.S. university communities with corresponding activities and functions within Philips. Interaction with Philips business managers helps universities understand the technical and business challenges faced by corporations.