A game to learn electrical engineering: this is how Martino from Treviso was invited by Apple to WWDC

Since 2020, Apple has been organizing the Swift Student Challenge at the Global Developer Conference. The competition is designed to introduce students to programming with Swift, the app development language for Apple devices.
In addition to selecting the projects of 350 students as in previous editions of WWDC, this year Apple has also indicated 50 “Distinguished Winners”. The special category winners, chosen for the excellence of their proposals, were invited by the company to visit Apple Park and participate in conference activities. Among these there is also an Italian. Martino Cella, a 22-year-old student from the province of Treviso, has won over Apple with Circuit Genius, an educational app designed to teach his brother the principles of electrical engineering.

To study

«Last year my brother was studying circuit theory at school. Unfortunately, textbooks explain the basic concepts in a complex and somewhat boring way”, Cella told Italian.Tech. «I started looking for apps or sites that illustrated them better, but I couldn’t find any. So I made some summaries that explain the principles of electrical engineering with the simple analogy of water in pipes. The announcement of the Swift Challenge arrived in November: I had the idea ready, which I transformed into my app with SwiftUI.”

Cella, who divides his time between studying economics at the University of Udine and working in the family winery, began developing the app in his free time and during train trips as a university commuter.
«At the beginning I decided on the operating logic, the layout and graphics of the interface, the position of the buttons and other elements, which I then modeled using the UI design program Figma», explains Cella. «With clear ideas I moved on to XCode, to program and solve the various technical challenges of the project. I made the entire game only with SwiftUI and finally I looked for sound effects to make the gaming experience more immersive.”

The experience that led Cella to create the winning app does not come from a formal study of programming at school or university, but from a long-term interest cultivated thanks to online resources and the help of developer communities. The first approach to software development came with Swift Playgrounds, the Apple app with which you can program mini-games and interactive apps on iPad and Mac. Development with Swift on XCode was the immediately next step.
Cella has no intention of making programming tout-court his profession, however: his goal is to use it as a tool at the service of his true vocation. «In addition to programming, my other great passion is agriculture, in particular viticulture, which I “cultivate” in the family business», says Cella. «Before studying economics I completed my studies in oenology. My dream is to combine my agricultural roots, business studies and programming. I firmly believe that technology can offer solutions to many of agriculture’s challenges, today and in the future, especially to adapt to climate change, optimize resources and reduce environmental impact.”

In Cupertino

With the other 50 “Distinguished Winners,” Cella will fly to Cupertino in the next few days to participate in the WWDC opening keynote, meet with Apple engineers and take part in the technical sessions of the developer conference. On the occasion of the event, the preview presentation of iOS 18, iPadOS 18 and the next operating system for the Mac is expected. According to the most quoted rumors, Apple will focus many of the announcements on generative artificial intelligence. We expect a new version of Siri, a potential partnership with OpenAI and AI-based features for iPhone, iPad and Mac. Among the main focuses, as is appropriate for a developer conference, there will also be new programming interfaces (API). Cella, like all Apple enthusiasts, has already had an idea of ​​what awaits him in California. «I believe this will be one of the most important WWDCs of recent years. The new versions of iOS, macOS, watchOS and tvOS will feature integrated AI features and a new design, in particular I expect a completely new Siri”, says the student. «For us developers, I think there will be a big focus on frameworks like CoreML and CreateML. Updates and new development tools are also planned for visionOS.”

At WWDC, in addition to dedicating extensive attention to the already consolidated community of developers, Apple aims to increase the interest of students and enthusiasts. In March the company launched Pathways, a collection of videos, documents and other resources useful for orienting those taking their first steps in the world of programming with Swift, perhaps to learn how to develop an app just like the one with which Martino Cella conquered Apple. «Pathways is a great tool to get started, especially the videos that explain step by step how to create an app for Apple devices», concludes Cella. «For budding programmers, but also for those who have never programmed, I also recommend Swift Playgrounds: it is an excellent way to quickly understand if you are passionate about programming. Then there’s YouTube, with excellent channels dedicated entirely to programming with Swift. Finally, Apple has a fantastic community: just ask in the forums, where many people are always ready to help. I advise anyone who wants to grow as a programmer to take advantage of all these resources and above all not to be afraid to experiment with their ideas.”

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