Four winners and one special prize at TU Graz ideas competition

For the third time, the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Economic Sciences at Graz University of Technology (TU Graz) called on students in upper secondary school classes to design the ‘miracle machine of the future’, which could be used to solve current or future problems. 12 teams responded to this call and submitted texts and videos about their machines. The submissions focussed primarily on the elimination of environmental pollution and sustainable mobility. Four concepts with the same number of points particularly impressed the seven-member jury and were therefore awarded the shared first prize. Three of these award-winning miracle machines were created by students at BG/BRG Seebacher in Graz.

The winning ideas: Reforestation and water purification

The miracle machine from class 5B at BG/BRG Seebacher is a flying drone that could help with the reforestation of cleared rainforest. Using special sensors, the drone recognises deforested areas and drops so-called seed bombs over them: Thousands of small spheres consisting of seeds, soil and nutrients that ensure that plants quickly sprout again on the cleared areas.

Pupils from class 5C at BG/BRG Seebacher have developed an autonomous system that cleans rivers. Firstly, the machine mechanically catches plastic and other flotsam and sorts the collected materials for recycling. Then the river water passes through several filters that remove pollutants and pathogens. An integrated hydropower plant generates the necessary electricity.

A second group of pupils from class 5C at BG/BRG Seebacher wants to protect coral reefs. To this end, they have designed ‘solar fish’ that filter microplastics and pollutants such as sun cream residues from the water and render them harmless.

Pupils from class 7C at BG/BRG Carneri have designed a floating machine that combats oil spills at sea. The apparatus collects oil from the surface of the water, which it catalytically converts into harmless substances in a reactor chamber. The resulting hydrogen serves as a source of energy for the machine.

Special prize for machine against food waste

The jury awarded a special prize to pupils from class 7C at BG/BRG Carneri, who want to prevent food waste with a rapid test: In a matter of seconds, their machine determines whether food that is past its best-before date is still edible and can be passed on to aid organisations.

The ‘Miracle Machine of the Future’ competition is supported by the City of Graz and the Styrian Chamber of Commerce. The winning teams each receive a prize money of 900 euros, while the special prize is endowed with 400 euros.

‘It is fascinating to see how committed the students are to helping shape their own future and applying the knowledge they have acquired in class to tackle environmental problems and benefit society,’ said Franz Haas and Siegfried Vössner, Dean and Vice Dean of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Economic Sciences at TU Graz. ‘This combination of commitment, knowledge, creativity and a sense of responsibility gives us hope for the future, even in difficult times - we would be delighted if they were to further develop their talents by studying at TU Graz after leaving school.’