2012-03-01

Students responded to Fima’s challenge with innovative ideas

Back to News

The intelligent engineering solutions company Fima has challenged the participants at BEST Solutions, a contest organised by technology students, for the fourth time. This time, would-be engineers were presented with the challenge of designing an automated traffic crossing signal that would both alert drivers to a pedestrian crossing ahead and operate on accumulated energy for extended periods of time.

“We are pleased to have this opportunity to contribute to promoting creativity in young engineers. We have been presented with very exciting and out-of-the-box solutions, which included a windmill that emits a pleasant aural signal and generates its own energy, as well as translucent tanks of liquid set up at crossings that would light up when illuminated by the lights of passing cars,” said Rokas Šlekys, the director of Fima’s solutions department.

According to him, other solutions featured a giant revolving barrel with the words “Be careful” written on its side, a garland of multicoloured lights above the crossing, and the smell of lemons to attract drivers’ attention.

Petras Baršauskas, the rector of Kaunas University of Technology (KUT), was also present at the contest and was glad that enterprising students were demonstrating initiative in staging events that are so necessary to the University community.

“The activities of BEST – an organisation of technology students – are aligned with one of KUT’s three goals, which is to promote progressive advancement of the country through cooperation with public and economic partners as well as to enhance innovation and development of technology,” said Mr Baršauskas.

BEST (the Board of European Students of Technology) is an international, non-governmental, non-political and non-profit organisation that operates in many countries across Europe and has 91 technology universities as its members. The purpose of the BEST Solutions contest is to nurture young minds, develop their competences, advocate engineering sciences and encourage cooperation between the participants and businesses. The young engineers are encouraged to address their challenges with creativity and out-of-the-box thinking, and their solutions often overwhelm both the organisers of the event and the companies that developed the challenges.

Europe’s first BEST Solutions engineering contest was held in Belgium in 2003. The winners in the selective stage of the contest that took place in Lithuania will participate in Baltic and Russian regional tournaments.