Smart and clean mobility
Our work focuses on technologies related to the design, manufacture, production, characterisation and use of land, air and water means of transport and logistics infrastructure. In particular, we carry out R&D in the areas of electromobility and environmentally friendly structural solutions for means of transport, materials with enhanced functionality, as well as robotics and control systems and machinery used in agriculture, aviation and space technologies.
smart and clean mobility: example projects
Łukasiewicz – PIAP has developed an autonomous system for compatible mobile ground platforms for autonomous tracking of selected target, e.g. a vehicle or a person.
ATENA is a system designed for off-road use, particularly in unmanned and manned vehicles for military applications. It enables the control of a transport platform supporting infantry units, forms convoys, and limits the number of personnel required to transport the equipment and vehicles. The system can be installed on passenger vehicles, trucks or unmanned land platforms. Vehicles equipped with the ATENA system will be able to operate without maps and navigation systems, using learning algorithms and machine vision.
Urban transport using drones? Experts of Łukasiewicz – ILOT, together with partners from other countries, are creators of recommendations and a roadmap for the development of such intelligent means of transport and its integration into existing urban mobility systems.
Guides for regional governments have been prepared in 8 languages. They address challenges such as the planning and financing of Urban Air Mobility, safety of operations, level of emissions and citizens’ acceptance of new facilities in the city’s airspace.
The guides include: a knowledge base in the area of politics, transport integration, legislation, and technological possibilities, scenarios for the development of Urban Air Mobility, including different aspects (financing, operability, public acceptance, etc.), and a set of recommendations and standards necessary to meet as part of the Urban Air Mobility implementation process.
Łukasiewicz – PIT together with a group of international partners is implementing a project to streamline logistics processes in the flow of goods from China to Europe along the New Silk Road in the e-commerce channel.
Its main objective is to assess the impact of emerging global trade corridors on the TEN-T corridor network and to integrate the global network with that of the European Union through innovative concepts and technologies (IoT, Blockchain, Physical Internet, 5G, 3D printing, autonomous vehicles/automation, hyperloop).
A Polish consortium (Łukasiewicz – PIT, GS1 Polska, Rohlig Suus, Poczta Polska) is tasked with the implementation of a Living Lab involving the use of IoT technologies in transport operations along the New Silk Road.
Łukasiewicz – KIT is carrying out a project to develop new materials and coatings for the precision casting process of nickel alloys for the energy and aircraft industries.
Based on an experimental and theoretical analysis of the interaction in the systems of liquid metal and ceramic, a Polish-Italian project team has developed a number of new material and technological solutions. In particular, multi-variant coatings (including those involving oxide nanoparticles or dedicated multi-component mixtures) were prepared. These underwent verification under industrial conditions at Specodlew, which showed a significant improvement in the surface quality of the cast components.
Green and low-emission economy
In this area, we work towards bioeconomy and material recovery, the main components of the so-called closed-loop economy. Within this area, we are working on, among other things the development of technologies for the extraction of raw materials, treatment of waste and waste water, eco-design of processes and products in the pulp and paper and packaging industries, and the production of composite and biodegradable materials.
Sustainable economy and energy: example projects
Łukasiewicz – Institute of Electrical Engineering is working on the recycling of wind turbine blades. This project is an implementation of the idea of sustainable development in the area of wind energy.
The aim of the project is to develop a technology for processing waste material from wind turbine blades and a method for their reuse.
Recycled material obtained through mechanical processing of waste, including post-production waste and defective products has material properties identical or similar to the original material. It will be reused in composites for equipment and spare parts of wind farms and in the manufacturing of vertical turbines for individual customers.
Łukasiewicz – Institute of Industrial Chemistry, together with its scientific and business partners, has developed a solution for the sugar industry that uses its waste products to produce hydrogen and methane.
Łukasiewicz – IPC was tasked with preparing a commercial line using a hydrogen gas stream produced in the bioreactor, as well as building and testing its PEM-type fuel cell stack as a replacement for manufactured ones.
The estimated worth of the biomaterials market is approx. USD 42 billion in annual sales with a growth trend of 15–18% per year. In this context, biomaterials for regenerative medicine, e.g. for rebuilding bones of patients after accidents, with osteoporosis or cancer, are significant.
Łukasiewicz – ICiMB together with its partners are working on a multifunctional composite material with antimicrobial and pro-regenerative properties for bone tissue reconstruction.
The composite material combines the properties of bioactive, antimicrobial glass, biopolymers, and peptides and peptide fibrils with pro-regenerative effects.
Modular construction allows for parallel performance of manufacturing works on the modules, 90% of which are produced in the factory, and preparation of the entire infrastructure on site. The technology reduces construction time by approx. 70% compared with traditional methods.
The challenge remains to optimise this process, and to reduce the negative impact on the environment.
This is the area of Łukasiewicz – ICiMB, among others, which has developed modular elements made from autoclaved cellular concrete with increased thermal insulation based on innovative aggregate from waste materials.
Cellular concrete elements are considerably lighter than prefabricated elements made from normal concrete, which makes construction work easier and generates savings in transport.
Health
We work intensively in the areas of biotechnology and biomedical engineering. In particular, we conduct research in the areas of medical apparatus and technology, diagnostic techniques and therapy development. We use digital techniques and artificial intelligence to process biomedical signals and images. We also possess competencies pertaining to the entire process of manufacturing medicinal products, including chemical synthesis of active substances, preclinical studies in toxicology, bioavailability and bioequivalence, as well as technology development for drug formulation and analytical testing and marketing authorisation.
health: example projects
Two of our institutes, Łukasiewicz – IMiF and Łukasiewicz – PORT, are developing rapid and highly sensitive tests for the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, the principle of which is to detect the presence of structural proteins (S and E glycoproteins) present in the virus envelope.
This rapid screening test will allow for reliable identification of infected individuals, based on the analysis of oral/pharyngeal/nasal swab or saliva samples.
The test could be widely used for controlling the microbiological cleanliness of persons, especially, at border checkpoints and airports, and replace the currently commonly used measurement of temperature, a parameter that is far from specific in the context of coronavirus infection.
In an excellent association – the Paris Institute for Brain Research, the Max Planck Institute for Psychiatry in Munich and the Erasmus University Medical Centre in Rotterdam, Łukasiewicz – PORT is implementing a fascinating project to standardise approaches to the modelling and examination of neuropsychiatric disorders, which will contribute to improving the treatment of patients.
The project’s aim is, among others, the creation of a research platform as a repository for developed procedures and setting up a laboratory at Łukasiewicz – PORT, where these procedures will be tested and validated. Cooperation with laboratories in partner units in testing the procedures, will also be expanded. The SAME-NeuroID project encompasses both scientific and para-scientific activities, and its programme consists of several areas, including, in addition to research, educational and workshop activities for both experienced academics as well as doctoral and undergraduate students, the organisation of joint workshops, and technology transfer.
We all know how much time during surgical operations is required for formalities. In order to streamline them while ensuring the highest level of patient safety, Łukasiewicz – PIT, in cooperation with Infofinder, is working on a system based on workflow-class computer software with equipment to identify and record medical supplies before, during and after operations.
Individual modules will be responsible for rapid and automatic weight compliance control of surgical instruments and quantitative control of disposable medical articles used during surgery. They will allow for the full and efficient control of the weight and quantity compliance of medical articles, even during surgery, which will protect the patient against a foreign body being left and sutured in the surgical field.
The SLS system will also create and send information to the HIS (Hospital Information System) for Electronic Medical Records and cost accounting.
The primary aim of the project is to address the problem of effective monitoring and surveillance of inpatients and outpatient rehabilitation users and to provide effective, continuous telecare for patients with heart failure and diabetes.
The project is jointly implemented by four institutes: Łukasiewicz – ITAM, Łukasiewicz – IMiF, Łukasiewicz – ŁIT and Łukasiewicz – KIT.
The introduction of the system on the market will enable a reduction in the number of hospitalisations caused by circulatory decompensation in patients with heart failure (in Poland, more than 500 per 100,000 inhabitants), through early response to the deterioration of their condition.
The product will be used in the reimbursable comprehensive post-myocardial infarction care programme (KOS), which covers 20,000 patients annually.
Digital transformation
Our work is focused in the areas of automation and robotics, artificial intelligence, data science, smart cities and sensor networks. We carry out projects in the area of developing the Internet of Things, including new solutions for physical, chemical and biosensors, materials, nanomaterials and functional composites with advanced physical and chemical properties, personal electronics and smart packaging and textiles. An area of huge importance for us is photonics, particularly fibre optic technologies, materials and devices, as well as electromagnetic radiation emitters and detectors, and optoelectronic devices and systems.
digital transformation: example projects
Łukasiewicz – EMAG, together with the Institute of Polish Language of the Polish Academy of Sciences, is carrying out a project aimed at developing a framework solution for translating speech in the Polish language into Polish Sign Language using a virtual human figure mechanism. The innovation of the solution consists in using: emotions and non-verbal elements of speech in the visualisation of gestures.
On of the expected outcomes of the project is a pilot study in a group of selected portals providing online administration services. Popularising of automatic translator mechanisms in Internet systems providing public services will represent a significant step towards increasing the accessibility of digital public administration.
Łukasiewicz – PIT and Łukasiewicz – ILOT are jointly implementing the project of a Polish Field Robot for the needs of modern agriculture.
The robot will be used in all stages of agricultural production from sowing to the end of vegetation. Its main tasks will include sowing, tending by mechanical weeding and plant protection by spraying. The robot will be fully automatic – it will move along a specified route using radio-telecommunication signals RTK (GPS). The robot will also have the ability to measure the condition of plants and detect disease directly while conducting standard treatments.
The aim of the project is to meet the needs of the rail and freight industry for real-timeonline monitoring and management of rolling stock, using modern technologies, tools and algorithms of artificial intelligence with autonomously powered sensors.
The system will operate globally, i.e. in Europe and Asia, when railway vehicles are in motion and when they are stationary. A key advantage of the sensor system is its ability to inform carriers of malfunctions and wear of rolling stock components before a major breakdown requiring lengthy repairs occurs. The system is powered by energy harvesting, which allows for many years of maintenance-free operation. The system diagnoses defects of the rolling stock thanks to elements such as: sensors geolocation (GNSS), accelerometers, lidars,temperature sensors and magnetic field sensors. Data from the sensors is aggregated using remote reading (BLE) and processed using AI technology implemented e.g. in the edge devices of the sensory network.
We all know how much time during surgical operations is required for formalities. In order to streamline them while ensuring the highest level of patient safety, Łukasiewicz – PIT, in cooperation with Infofinder, is working on a system based on workflow-class computer software with equipment to identify and record medical supplies before, during and after operations.
Individual modules will be responsible for rapid and automatic weight compliance control of surgical instruments and quantitative control of disposable medical articles used during surgery. They will allow for the full and efficient control of the weight and quantity compliance of medical articles, even during surgery, which will protect the patient against a foreign body being left and sutured in the surgical field.
The SLS system will also create and send information to the HIS (Hospital Information System) for Electronic Medical Records and cost accounting.
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