The gold medal was won by an interdisciplinary team of scientists from TUL faculties: Mechanical Engineering and Faculty of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Environmental Engineering. The inventors jointly developed a breakthrough cooling-insulating composite technology, which has already been implemented in the construction of fire-resistant protective walls made of glass and aluminum. It was realized as part of the doctoral dissertation of Konrad Sodoł, PhD. The supervisors of the work were: Prof. Łukasz Kaczmarek and Assoc. Prof. Jacek Szer. The company supervisor was Dariusz Tyszkowski, MSc.
The development was created as part of the first edition of the "Implementation Doctorates" program, in cooperation with Hydro Building Systems Poland from the Norsk Hydro group and Lodz University of Technology: the Institute of Materials Science and Engineering and the Department of Building Materials Physics and Sustainable Construction.
This award is proof of commitment to innovation and excellence in the field of construction and design. It is also proof that great things happen when interdisciplinary teams collaborate at the intersection of different fields - wrote the project creators. The gold medal was awarded in the category of inventions for construction and design.
The silver medal was awarded to the SpiderBot hexapod robot, designed by students and members of the UbiCOMP Research Group: Natalia Walczak, Anita Rambo, Wiktoria Krzyżańska, Julia Trzebuchowska, Artur Grabowski, Franciszek Sobiech, Adam Sałata and Julia Dominiak under the supervision of Aleksandra Wysokińska, PhD and Assoc. Prof. Krzysztof Grudzień, with the idea of using it in the smart cities of the future.
Its innovative approach to human-machine interaction is based on the use of intuitive gestures to control the robot, making it accessible and easy to use even for people without prior experience or additional training. It is not only a tool, but a companion of everyday urban existence, making life easier for residents of smart cities - explain the robot's creators.
The robot was developed by an interdisciplinary team composed of students, graduates, doctoral students, and scientific staff of the Institute of Applied Computer Science from the Faculty of Electrical, Electronics Computer and Control Engineering, based on the principles of User-Centered Design.
The research conducted by team members opens up new possibilities in the field of human-robot interaction, taking a step towards more interactive, responsive, and accessible technologies. The brilliance of the solution and the innovative approach to robot design is confirmed by winning the silver medal at the 2023 Kaohsiung International Invention and Design Expo - says Natalia Walczak and adds: - This project was distinguished from 445 submissions from 30 countries.