An interactive map will make it easy to find sports venues of the European Universities Games, universities in Lodz, halls of residence where athletes will be accommodated and tourist attractions of Lodz.
The project, carried out in the winter semester 2021/22 and entitled Project and Realization of Technical Embroidery, was executed by a team of students from the Netherlands, Spain, Belgium and Turkey.
The starting point of the project was to find a problem that can be solved using textile products. The task was defined using the Design Thinking method, in collaboration with the European Universities Sport Association. It was to develop a physical object indicating important places for athletes, coaches and volunteers taking part in the European Universities Games, taking place in July 2022 in Lodz, hosted by Lodz University of Technology.
The final result of the work of 5 students representing different specialisations is an interactive map, which is to have an informative function for the participants of the EUG Lodz 2022, and at the same time foster their integration. The team developed a textile map of Lodz using two textile technologies - embroidery and jacquard fabric and textile composite. The main streets of Lodz were made on the map with the embroidery technique. The panel covering the table's legs, depicting the event's logo, was made on a loom with the Jacquard mechanism in the laboratory of the Institute of Architecture of Textiles, TUL. Important places on the map were printed with the 3D printing technique. These are miniature buildings illuminated by LEDs, and additionally 8 of them rotate in relation to their axis. All these elements are controlled by a control panel, which makes it possible to find an interesting place.
The interactive map perfectly reflects the creativity, diligence and ability to combine different fields of study by a team of international and interdisciplinary students. In a very short time they produced an innovative and interesting project combining two textile techniques with elements of electronics and computer science.
The interactive map of the EUG officially unveiled on 24 January and will be available in the Sports Bay next to the EUG Organising Committee office from March.
For support in the implementation of the project I would like to thank Dr Maciej Jablonski, Tsegaye Lemmi, MSc, and Eng. Piotr Wróblewski, Msc from the Institute of Architecture of Textiles and Dr Eng. Janusz Woźny from the Department of Semiconductor and Optoelectronic Devices.