WINNERS OF EPSON EUROPE’S WIN-A-ROBOT CONTEST ANNOUNCED

The winners of Epson Europe’s first ever Win-A-Robot contest for EMEAR markets have been announced, showcasing the innovative possible uses of robotics and automation technologies for a range of sectors in Hungary, Ireland, Germany, Italy and England.

“Robotics and automation will play a massive role in supporting the competitiveness and growth of European business for the future,” said Volker Spanier, Head of Robotics Solutions for Epson Europe as he announced the contest winners. “Ensuring that students of today are prepared and excited to take on that challenge is of incredible importance, and Epson look forward to working alongside the talents of tomorrow to grow and develop their skills, and projects in that direction. We see this announcement as just the beginning of fruitful, long-term relationships with universities across EMEAR.”

Epson is proud to announce the six official winners of the 2018 Win-A-Robot contest:

• University of Pecs, Hungary, with their ‘Robot Control with Augmented Reality Glass’ project
• Heinz-Nixdorf-Berufskolleg, Germany, with their ‘Simulation of an Online Trade Using the Example of a Candy Filling Plant’ project
• Institute of Technology Tallaght, Ireland, with their ‘Robotics, Food Production and Harvesting’ project
• University of Plymouth, UK, with their ‘Self-Adaptable Robot Assisted Manufacturing in Intelligent Sustainable Work Cells’ project
• University of Padova, Italy, with their ‘ChocoBot – Energy-efficient Customized Decoration of Celebration Cakes and Rapid Prototyping of Big Chocolate Structures’ project
• University of Pavia, Italy, with their ‘Deep Learning for Safe Physical Human-Robot Interaction’ project

The decision comes after a jury of five robotics experts – Professor Darwin Caldwell, Italian Institute of Technology; Eva Kaili, Member of the European Parliament; Dr Imre Paniti, Hungarian Academy of Sciences; Patrick Schwarzkopf, Managing Director, VDMA Robotics + Automation and Yoshifumi Yoshida, Epson Executive Officer – from the fields of policy, industry and academia came together in Meerbusch, Germany, to deliberate and select the winning applications. The judging panel had a strict set of criteria, taking note of the strength of each application against criteria of innovation, education, skills development, sustainability and unique robot usage. The breadth and depth of the insights, knowledge and expertise displayed in all applications demonstrated the impressive talents of a new generation of thinkers driving the future of European robotics forward.

Over the coming months, Epson Europe and its partners will work closely with the institutions following the receipt of their Epson robots, providing support and training to ensure the winning teams and wider student body are able to get the best use from their robot.

With the robotics industry set to be a €1.05 trillion business by 2025, Epson is committed to expanding applications for its robots to help create a world in which robots support people in a wide variety of situations and meet market demands with a cost-effective solution. Epson Europe’s Win-A-Robot contest is helping to lower the barriers to automation, supporting education and the development of new automation solutions. More information on the competition and its winners is available here: https://www.epson.eu/robots-contest.