65th International Industrial Fair. BUT focuses on robotics, ocean cleaning and batteries

(PR, Brno, 7 October 2024) Brno University of Technology (BUT) will present the latest results of the university's research and development at the 65th International Industrial Fair (IIF). It will offer more than twenty items from two faculties and one institute. For example, there will be the AI.SCARA industrial robot, a process ship for cleaning ocean surfaces or the Volteek modular battery management system. Visitors will find the BUT exhibits from 8th of October in Hall A1 at the Trade Fairs Brno.

The AI.SCARA industrial robot is the result of a bachelor's thesis for which Tomáš Janoušek from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of the BUT (FME) won the first prize in the Student Creative and Professional Activities competition. "Tomáš created the robot completely from the design, through the mechanical construction, solved the electrical and control system and the user interface himself. The finished result is on the borderline between an educational and industrial solution and at an affordable price," said Radomil Matoušek, the head of the bachelor's thesis.

The process ship for cleaning the ocean surface from plastic waste was already shown by FME at the last EXPO in Dubai. "The aim is to convert the waste into a source of energy for the ship's propulsion and other processes, such as desalination of seawater, and thus not only dispose of it, but also make maximum use of the energy," said Petr Stehlík from the Institute of Process Engineering at FME.

Inspired by the development of a battery system for the BUT student formula, the Volteek project offers a robust energy storage solution for industrial applications and high-demand environments such as apartment buildings: "The systems are equipped with advanced monitoring of individual cells and the environment, real-time diagnostics and remote maintenance to ensure reliable operation and an uninterrupted supply of energy," said Dominik Klement, who with his teammates also won the BUT Student Entrepreneurship Award.

BUT exposition will also offer two candidates for the Gold Medals at the 65th IIF - the revolutionary AI.FLUIDIK solution, which was developed as part of a diploma thesis by a student of the FME, as a replacement for vibrating tables for the purpose of robotic repositioning of industrial components, and the technology of electrochemical polishing of the surface of additively manufactured metal parts, on which scientists from the FME and CEITEC BUT collaborated.

Also related to robotics are two exhibits from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Communication BUT (FEEC) - a Fanuc robotic cell for sorting components and a robotic barman consisting of production cells that provide glass storage, liquid dispensing, mixing, soda and ice dispensing. This is an example of Testbed 4.0, a smart self-learning environment designed to simulate real industrial production.

A holographic projector from the Computed Tomography X-ray Laboratory (CTLAB) at CEITEC BUT will allow visitors to see inside 3D objects. It is an example of X-ray computed tomography (CT) technology used for non-destructive analysis of products. This method is the only way to check the internal structures of products, their leaks, defects or porosity without damage.

Trade fair through the eyes of a veteran: fewer machines and more ideas

The popular "Industrial Fair" is one of the most important industrial exhibitions in Central Europe. This is confirmed by the 65th edition, where 1,500 exhibitors from 50 countries are due to present themselves from 8th of October. BUT has celebrated many successes here - last year the Sparker aircraft won the Gold Medal, in 2021 the CaviPlasma technology for water purification and 2018 was a successful year for researcher František Pochylý, who succeeded with his invention of a hybrid pumping system.

Professor František Pochylý from FME remembers the early days of the fair well. His father used to take him to the fairgrounds in the 1950s. "It was a complete shock for me, I saw so many devices. I didn't understand any of it at the time, of course, I just marvelled at it. But it probably had an influence on the fact that I became interested in engineering," said Pochylý and added a reflection on the current form of IIF: "The fair looks quite different today, there are fewer large machines, the trend is digitalisation. But it can't be said that it is worse than before. There are fewer machines, but more ideas."