INZNAK awarded at the Polish Product of the Future 2022 gala | Gdańsk University of Technology

Awards and distinctions in the competition organized by the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development and the National Center for Research and Development were presented for the 24^th time. Projects submitted in the competition were assessed by experts and the competition jury, which comprised the representatives of the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland, the Chancellery of the Prime Minister, the Ministry Economic Development and Technology, the Ministry of Education and Science, the Patent Office of the Republic of Poland, the Polish Development Fund, the Industry Development Agency, Polish Federation of Engineering Associations - NOT, of Warsaw University of Technology, the University of Warsaw, as well as the National Center for Research and Development and PARP.

The main prizes for the projects - and thus the title of the Polish Product of the Future - went to Poznań University of Technology and Nanoseen Sp.z o.o. INZNAK project, developed by the researchers from Gdańsk University of Technology, was also distinguished.

Optimistic future of Polish innovations

The jury decided to distinguish the invention of Gdańsk University of Technology in the category named "product of the future by a higher education and science institution". INZNAK - intelligent, autonomous road signs for adaptive control of vehicle traffic, developed by Gdańsk University of Technology, were very popular among the participants of the event.

– We are very glad that our project was acknowledged by the organizers of another prestigious competition [a few weeks ago INZNAK received the "Teraz Polska" emblem - link] - said Prof. Andrzej Czyżewski, the author of the system and the head of the Department of Multimedia Systems at Gdańsk Tech, commenting on obtaining the award and check for PLN 25,000. - We believe that developing the IT environment around the available transport infrastructure is even more important than working on e.g. autonomous vehicles. We tried to prove it through INZNAK and we are gradually succeeding – added Prof. Czyżewski.

– The awarded projects allow us to optimistically look at the future of Polish innovations, which until recently remained within imagination of scientists. Today they become tangible and are a showcase of the possibilities of Polish science and entrepreneurial potential, which, when joined, can successfully conquer world markets - said Wojciech Murdzek, secretary of state and government plenipotentiary for the reform on functioning of research institutes.

Awards and distinctions in this category:

• Poznań University of Technology for the AutoMedPrint project, a system for automatic design and 3D printing of custom orthoses and prostheses, based on data from non-contact anthropometric measurements (laurel in this category);
• INZNAK - intelligent, autonomous road signs for adaptive control of vehicle traffic, developed by Gdańsk University of Technology;
• technology for determining precise orbits of navigation satellites, in particular the European Galileo system developed by Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences;
• anti-icing D-ICE coat developed by Łukasiewicz Research Network - PORT Polish Center for Technology Development;
• Robotic System for Plastering developed by the Industrial Research and Development Center (Centrum Badań i Rozwoju Technologii dla Przemysłu S.A.)

The prizes in the Polish Product of the Future Competition are financed by the European Union from the European Regional Development Fund under the Smart Growth Operational Program, 2.4.1 "Analysis and pilot center of new instruments - inno_LAB ".

Complete list of winners in all categories is available on the organizer's website.

Another distinction for INZNAKU and Prof. Andrzej Czyżewski

At the beginning of June 2022, the INZNAK project was awarded "Teraz Polska" emblem in the "Innovations" category. The gala for awarding the best products, services and innovations was held at the Presidential Palace in Warsaw, and INZNAK authors were the only ones awarded among the representatives of the entire Pomeranian Voivodeship, regardless of the categories.

Smart signs to improve road safety

The main task of the smart and autonomous INZNAK road signs developed at Gdańsk University of Technology is to prevent traffic congestion and the resulting collisions of vehicles on motorways and expressways.

The INZNAK signs communicate the speed calculated on the basis of the vehicle traffic they are examining and on the basis of information received from a sequence of similar signs with variable message, located along a motorway section. The recommended driving speed is then displaying to drivers on a sign, equipped with an innovative, modular electronic display, and also transmitted wirelessly to vehicles equipped with a V2X interface (interface for the electronic communication system: vehicle-infrastructure). The result? The system can significantly reduce the risk of accidents on highways and thus improve the safety of travelers.