On January 12, 2023, the UPBAIR team of the Polytechnic University of Bucharest participated in the gala of the national competition Patriotfest, held at the National Military Circle. This participation was a great honor for the team, which returned home with the “Research for Defence” Award with the project “Pure Pneumatic Engine”.
PatriotFest is the only national innovation competition organized by the defense and national security institutions. At each edition, experts from the PatriotFest community select and reward the most interesting, functional, and practical ideas from Romanian innovators from home and abroad. The winners receive support to improve their projects and have access to consultations between the organizing institutions and members of the PatriotFest community.
The competition focuses on creativity, technological evolution, and authenticity while aiming at facilitating the innovation process to increase Romania’s security in a challenging period when hybrid threats are becoming increasingly varied and sophisticated. Also through the competition’s interplay, Romanian performance is supported by providing opportunities and leveraging results.
The fifth edition of the PatriotFest competition focused specifically on the areas of autonomous systems and artificial intelligence.
Of the nine prizes awarded at the PatriotFest Gala, one was won by Mihalache Ghinea, a professor at the Polytechnic University of Bucharest, and the UPB AIR team. Our team participated by presenting the project “Pure pneumatic engine” which travels 5 km at a maximum speed of 40km/h with only 10 liters of standard compressed gas, such a type of engine, which does not contain electronic elements, brings many advantages both in the field of safety and in other areas.
PatriotFest is initiated by the New Strategy Center Association and organized with the support of several institutions in the field of defense and national security: the Ministry of National Defence, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Romanian Intelligence Service, the Special Telecommunications Service, and the Protection and Security Service.
The event was broadcast live online on the New Strategy Center Association’s YouTube channel and on www.caleaeuropeana.ro and the Calea Europeană Facebook page, the media partner of the event.