As part of the Young Entrepreneur Award, ANI, through the Born from Knowledge (BfK) Awards programme, awarded the Innovation Prize, a category created by ANJE – National Association of Young Entrepreneurs, to the Germlrrad project. The awards ceremony took place at the Palácio da Cidadela in Lisbon.
As a result of a partnership between the Aveiro Institute of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science (IEETA), the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto and the company SpinnerDynamics, Germlrrad was born, an autonomous robot that disinfects public spaces using ultraviolet radiation and harmless chemical solutions to contain the spread of viruses.
Infected individuals, when sneezing, talking or even breathing, produce aerosols made of droplets that can carry infectious agents (such as viruses, bacteria or fungi) and initiate new infection events when inhaled by others. These droplets, depending on their size, are likely to remain in the air for some time or on the surfaces themselves, making public spaces potential hotspots for spreading viruses. Germlrrad was born. The robot is capable of mapping the environment, determining an efficient disinfection path, executing this path safely and avoiding impact with humans, and can be used in spaces where there is movement of people.
The device is presented as safe, effective, environmentally friendly and economical, capable of operating in different environments such as hospitals or clinics, crowded areas such as public transport, shopping centres or event spaces. It can also be used in the agro-industry or food industry to guarantee product safety and prevent losses due to the spread of viral or bacterial diseases.
The project that has now won the Innovation Award has already received support from COMPETE 2020 under the Incentive Scheme for Research and Technological Development in Co-promotion and in Low Density Territories, involving an eligible investment of 597,000 euros, which resulted in an ERDF incentive of around 464,000 euros.
The development of social navigation is currently being finalised, allowing the robot to move around safely and comfortably for people.
Since 2017, ANI has awarded around 50 projects and start-ups, born out of academic research, in national innovation competitions and prizes promoted by organisations such as Altice, Crédito Agrícola, BPI, Glintt, PortugalFoods and the Portuguese Association for the Development of Communications (APDC) through the Born from Knowledge (BfK) programme. Many of them are already symbols of national innovation in Portugal and internationally.
Born from Knowledge is a programme promoted by ANI that aims to promote a culture of valuing scientific and technological knowledge, distinguishing and rewarding projects and companies, through the BfK Awards initiative, that stand out in Research & Development (R&D) activities in some of the most prestigious innovation competitions and/or awards in Portugal.
Born from Knowledge Awards
