The event took place in the Infecar de Feria exhibition hall, which was brought to life with green T-shirts and creative ideas from the participants. Of the 546 adult participants, 204 came from industry and research/teaching and 342 Young Talents from 73 international educational Institutions, Universities and Colleges.
As global challenges can only be tackled together, the SMART GREEN ISLAND MAKEATHON brought together participants from 36 nations – including representatives from Europe, Africa, Asia and South America. They all spent four days working on Industry Challenges in the fields of Smart Automation/Production, Smart Green Logistics/Mobility/Energy, Smart Farming, Smart Building, AI and Circular Economy.
In interdisciplinary teams, they developed innovative solutions for plastic-free and sustainable packaging made from banana fibres and PET recycling in industrial applications for a resource-conserving future. There were also challenges with modular water measurement systems and solutions for autonomous driving in waste disposal logistics. The result of the Innovation Festival was impressive: together with the Sponsors, 28 Teams developed a total of 22 Prototypes, which they presented during the closing event. The following challenges were worked on for the three Platinum Sponsors:
In the MVTec Challenge “Automated Waste Detection”, the teams developed a solution for automated waste detection and disposal. Among other things, a robot vehicle was equipped with a USB camera for object recognition and infrared sensors for obstacle detection. In addition, a scoop for picking up waste was designed using a CAD model and realised in several prototype stages up to the final design.
The Murrelektronik Team developed an automated process for recycling PET bottles. The plastic was shredded. The resulting granulate was used to overmould electronic components. Robotics and mechatronics automated the process to enable an efficient circular economy. A digital product passport made it possible to trace the recycled materials.
The igus Challenge was all about an automated “Smart Greenhouse”. The team developed a system that uses a ReBeL Cobot and image processing programmes to recognise the ripeness of fruit. Controlled by software, the concept showed potential for sustainable vertical farming with a low carbon footprint. A 3D/AR demo brought the solution to life.
To encourage enthusiasm for technology as early as possible, the MAKEATHON also offered an extensive programme for children and young people. More than 440 schoolchildren were able to strengthen their knowledge and enthusiasm for technology during this week and take part in 23 Technology Workshops, including robot programming and Minecraft Education. Solar boats, cleaning robots, hydroponic systems and demonstrators from the EU-funded research project ”EduDemoS“ for renewable energies from wind, solar and water were also built. The workshops were organised by the Gerda Stetter Foundation ‘Technology is fun!’, the Canary Islands foundation Fundación Sergio Alonso and German-speaking Universities.
“It was fantastic to see how enthusiastic the young people were about technology. No matter what age, they were fully committed. I can only thank the participating sponsors, teachers and professors who once again brought great challenges and committed teams to the island,” said Dr Rainer Stetter, CEO of ITQ GmbH and Initiator of the SMART GREEN ISLAND MAKEATHON.
In addition to ITQ GmbH, the realisation of the event was made possible by the financial, content and material support of 24 national and international Sponsors. Special thanks go to the Platinum Sponsors: Government of Gran Canaria (Cabildo de Gran Canaria), MVTec, Murrelektronik and igus. Gold Sponsors: Gobierno de Canarias, Fundación Sergio Alonso, OPTIMA, Vishay, Krones, Lorenz, MEILLER-Kipper. Silver Sponsors: SPEGC, IES El Rincón, MathWorks, Fraunhofer-Institut für Arbeitswirtschaft und Organisation IAO and VDMA.
Why Gran Canaria as the venue for the Festival?
With its diverse climate zones, Gran Canaria offers ideal conditions for a sustainable and self-sufficient energy supply from renewable sources. With the SMART & GREEN Projects on the Island, ITQ GmbH is pursuing the goal of advancing the digital transformation and using the island as a sustainable prototype to promote international networking. This is a decisive step towards counteracting the global shortage of skilled labour.
More Information:
Founded in 1998, ITQ GmbH is an independent engineering and consulting company with a focus on automation, mechanical and plant engineering. The experienced team of experts specializes in interdisciplinary problem solving related to software and systems engineering. Its core competencies include software engineering (analysis, design, implementation, testing) and process improvement as well as project and crisis management as well as consulting and coaching.
A special concern of ITQ is both requirements-oriented and forward-looking training as well as continuing education concepts, which already start with the younger generations. Therefore, the company promotes young academics in practical study projects as well as technical workshops for children, pupils, and students through their Gerda Stetter Foundation – Technik macht Spass!
ITQ GmbH
Parkring 4
85748 Garching bei München
Telefon: +49 (89) 321981-70
Telefax: +49 (89) 321981-89
http://www.itq.de
Telefon: +49 (89) 321981-74
E-Mail: schiller@itq.de
