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Innovation Open Day is an event that took place on June 21, 2023 at Lublin University of Technology. It connected the world of science, business and investors. The participants could see prototypes of inventions developed by the Lublin scientists and take part in the ceremonial presentation of medals.

Demonstrator exhibition

– Last year, we filed 175 inventions for patenting. At the exhibition, we showed 26 solutions that met with the interest of entrepreneurs. Scientists work on new and modern technologies to sell them. There must be win-win thinking in this process. When science goes hand in hand with business, it is not only beneficial for both sides, but also for the economy - says Paweł Chrapowicki, director of the Center for Innovation and Technology Transfer at Lublin University of Technology.

We presented the following solutions:

• Kit for respiratory protection, inhalation, treatment or face skin cosmetics;
• Modular single-family house in prefabricated concrete technology;
• Unmanned aerial vehicle using the mechanics of air ions;
• Silicon photovoltaic cell prototype;
• Active truck aerodynamics;
• Money-saving system of energy storage and protection of the prosumer’s photovoltaic system;
• Device and method of anti-theft protection, especially for motorcycles;
• Method and device for manufacturing products from waste polymer materials.

Some of these solutions have already found their buyers in the industry and are currently being implemented, while others are the subject of talks or business negotiations, so their commercialization takes place in real time.

Medals for inventions

The event was an opportunity to present scientists from Lublin University of Technology with medals received in recent months at international innovation fairs: INTARG in Katowice and Concours Lepine in Paris.

– Our inventions, apart from being successfully commercialized, gain recognition at international exhibitions. For our researchers, this is a confirmation of their ability to develop solutions at an international level and proof that they are able to successfully compete with scientists around the world - emphasizes Prof. Zbigniew Pater, rector of LUT.

At the Concours Lepine exhibition in Paris, the jury awarded only 2 gold medals to creators from over 20 countries, including one for the employees of Lublin University of Technology: Dariusz Zieliński, Marcin Fronc, Karol Fatyga, Bartłomiej Stefańczak, Maciej Rudawski and Łukasz Kwaśny for the invention entitled “System for cooling energy storage with tap water”.

The team members do not hide their satisfaction with the victory.

– The medal certainly encourages even greater effort and commitment. We have good ideas when it comes to patenting technologies and now we have to fight to attract investors. Participation in fairs and exhibitions is the best way. Such events attract business. I believe that there is no point in creating new solutions and then put them on the shelf. We have to try to commercialize them - points out Dr. Eng. Dariusz Zieliński from the Department of Electrical Drives and Machines.

From the International Invention and Innovation Show INTARG in Katowice, the Lublin scientists returned with 3 gold and 1 silver medal.

Gold medals:

• "Method of producing rectangular-shaped nanocellulose from newsprint waste"; authors: Małgorzata Szafraniec, Ewelina Grabias-Blicharz, Danuta Barnat-Hunek.
• "Mechanism for adjusting the angle of the wind turbine blades with variable working surface"; author: Konrad Pietrykowski.

Dr. Eng. Konrad Pietrykowski from the Department of Thermodynamics, Fluid Mechanics and Aviation Propulsion Systems built a wind turbine with vertical rotation axis and possibility of adjusting the angle of the blades. Thanks to this, the turbine has a variable surface.

- Currently, there is no such solution on the market. Changing the geometry of the blades allows you to adjust to the current wind speed. This means that if the wind is too strong, we can fold the turbine to prevent damage. We can also, if we do not need a lot of power, reduce it. Such turbines can be used in households - explains Dr. Pietrykowski.

• "Board for the blind to read or play"; authors: Maciej Nowicki, Krzysztof Ciecieląg, Jerzy Montusiewicz.

– We have designed a device that enables the blind to convert multi-page publications into Braille and scroll them automatically. The board can also be used as a board for playing chess or other board games, in which the fields can be represented in Braille or felt with the sense of touch - explains Prof. Jerzy Montusiewicz from the Department of Computer Science. And he adds: After its implementation into serial production and programing it, the device will be relatively cheap, and thus available not only to large institutions helping the disabled, but also to individuals for personal use.

The silver medal was awarded to: Dariusz Zieliński, Marcin Fronc, Karol Fatyga, Bartłomiej Stefańczak, Maciej Rudawski and Łukasz Kwaśny for the invention entitled “System for cooling energy storage with tap water”.