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After an exciting kick-off meeting, half time is approaching for the participants of
the competition Innovative Technologies move Europe. The students are busy planning,
discussing and constructing their projects. There are some revolutionary ideas: Each group takes
the challenges "Safety", "Quality" and "Simplification" into everyday life, adding their own touch
to the solution. The projects are as diverse as the students are.
The group of four from the
Vestisches Gymnasium in
Kirchhellen for example builds a car, realizing the themes "Safety" and "Simplification". Excluding
the use of a remote controller, the students will program a car to follow a street and to sense
obstacles, independently evading them.
At the
Friedrich-Ebert-Realschule Oberhausen, the
students chose an object of their daily life. The "intelligent schoolbag" automatically controls
the completeness of its content. Blinking lights enhance the user's safety. On top of all, the bag
provides its own energy supply.
A wardrobe served as inspiration for the group representing the
Gustav-Heinemann-Gesamtschule Mülheim:
The nine students aim to construct a "Wonder-Wardrobe". The wardrobe will automatically store and
release objects.
One of the four international groups is located in Budapest, Hungary. Three students from
the
Eötvös József Gimnázium decided to build the home of the
future: The intelligent house increases the occupants' safety and simplifies their life through the
use of gas detectors, acoustic adjustment of the lighting, automatic shutter control and a
microwave oven which measures the temperature of the warming food.
Controlling heat with the use of different sensors is the objective of the group from the
Andreas-Vesalius-Gymnasium in Wesel.
The students discovered a steam iron as potential source of danger. They are developing a prototype
which is supposed to enhance the safety in the household.
A typical problem often observed in schools inspired the team of the
Konrad-Duden-Realschule in Wesel: They observed open
windows and lights still switched on after everyone already left the room. The students would like
to minimize the additional costs caused by this problem.
At the
Realschule Wesel-Mitte a team formed
focusing on a postbox. The "Power Postbox" senses incoming mail right away and sends a signal to
the addressee. This way, the postbox is not only safe against vandalism - also, rain-soaked mail is
a thing of the past.
Four students of the
Mariengymnasium Bocholt
are going to develop the model of an intelligent tow-bar. If the tow-bar load is less or more than
the optimal value, the force upon the tow-bar effects the vehicle's driving characteristics. In
order to prevent accidents, the tow-bar therefore measures the tow-bar load.
Students of the
Gymnasium Remigianum
Borken are constructing an automatic lock for a bike. The instant the cyclist extends the
kickstand, the bike locks. The lock can easily be opened by the owner, e.g. with a
fingerprintsensor. This way, there will be no more time loss due to lost keys, and the cyclist will
never forget to lock his bike.
Early risers don't want to work too much before they leave the house - that's what the group
from
Koninklijk Atheneüm Campus Noordlaan
Wetteren in Belgium thought to themselves. The students chose the theme "Simplification",
brightening the morning from getting up to leaving the house - for example with a coffee maker
which switches itself on automatically, treating the owner to a fresh coffee right after he gets
up.
8 students from 8 different countries got together on
Cité Scolaire Internationale in Lyon,
France. Their goal: The music for a person shall automatically be selected tu suit their current
mood. To achieve this goal, the group will write a software which analyzes physical parameters and
the preferences of the targeted person.
The
Bonhoeffer College in Enschede
(Netherlands) formed a group to optimize railway traffic. The students will register precisely
where trains are located and how fast they are going. They will use those pieces of information to
optimize the train schedule. This way, they try to increase the safety and effectiveness of railway
travel.
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