ProtoLab III – prototyping laboratory for solutions in the field of space technologies and VR now open
ProtoLab III is another space equipped with high-class devices for prototyping, available for students and academic staff at Gdańsk Tech. The newly opened laboratory, where initiatives related to, among others, space technologies and augmented reality (VR) technologies will be implemented, was established through the cooperation of the PG Excento special purpose entity and the Faculty of Electronics, Telecommunications and Informatics. ProtoLab III will be accessible 24 hours a day, and equipment can be borrowed via a virtual rental service.
ProtoLab III is another space equipped with high-class devices for prototyping, available for students and academic staff at Gdańsk Tech. The newly opened laboratory, where initiatives related to, among others, space technologies and augmented reality (VR) technologies will be implemented, was established through the cooperation of the PG Excento special purpose entity and the Faculty of Electronics, Telecommunications and Informatics. ProtoLab III will be accessible 24 hours a day, and equipment can be borrowed via a virtual rental service.
– I am convinced that our students will eagerly take advantage of the opportunities and equipment offered by ProtoLab – says Prof. Krzysztof Wilde, Rector of Gdańsk Tech. – This place was created to enable students and staff to test their ideas, regardless of their level of advancement, in a space appropriately adapted for this purpose.
Launched at the Faculty of Electronics, Telecommunications and Informatics [no. 41 on the campus map], ProtoLab III is already the third laboratory of this kind with the technical infrastructure allowing the development and production of any prototype.
– All three ProtoLabs complement each other thematically. ProtoLab III is aimed at students and staff of Gdańsk Tech whose interests roughly align with the focus of the Faculty of Electronics, Telecommunications and Informatics – says Mariusz Machajewski, CEO of Excento.
ProtoLab III focuses on areas such as space technologies, extended reality (VR) technologies, and programming. The lab is equipped with workstations for 3D printing using FDM technology and resin. Moreover, the laboratory has eye-tracking devices, equipment for testing reactions to external stimuli, raspberry pi and arduino kits, as well as a superfast computer designed for complex calculations, including work with neural networks. Much of the equipment, some of which can be borrowed through a virtual rental service, is a direct response to reported demand.
The prototyping lab can be used by members of interdisciplinary teams formed within the project “e-Pioneer - harnessing the potential of higher education institutions to increase the innovativeness of ICT solutions in the public sector,” implemented by Excento, which funded ProtoLab, Gdańsk Tech students writing their theses, students carrying out individual or group projects, Science Club members, and Gdańsk Tech employees employed under work contracts.
– We expect that within ProtoLab, not only will creativity be supported, but new initiatives will also arise, which over time may evolve, for example, into companies created with the involvement of staff or students – adds CEO Machajewski.
ProtoLab II opening soon at GPNT
Soon, Excento will also make ProtoLab II available to users at the Gdańsk Science and Technology Park – a meeting place for the startup community, bringing together mentors from various fields. The cooperation agreement between Excento and GPNT in this regard was signed in September last year.
ProtoLab II is a fully equipped workshop and part of the Space4makers initiative. On 400 m2, a prototyping space dedicated to startups, innovative enterprises, and inventors has been created. The equipment includes large-scale machines for wood and metal processing, such as a CNC plotter, lathe milling machine, press, 3D printing station, as well as an array of power tools.
The laboratory was created under the project “e-Pioneer II – Support for ICT industry investors as an opportunity to develop the potential of talented programmers.”
Let us recall that the first ProtoLab was established in 2018 in the Gdańsk Tech Technical Support Center building [no. 65 on the campus map] and was the first 24/7 prototyping lab in the Pomerania region. The laboratory offers the possibility to test solutions in the field of information and communication technologies (ICT). The prototyping lab is equipped with various devices, including oscilloscopes, generators, load meters, and software. It also has soldering stations, tools, and 3D printers.