IO, Toulouse – For the first time in the history of Airbus Fly Your Ideas global competition, three Indonesian students from the University of Cambridge have been selected as runners-up of the prestigious aerospace innovation competition this year.
The team – comprising Indonesian students Falah Fakhriyah, Martin Siagian, and Nathan
Harjanto, as well as Keiko Miyazaki from Tokyo – convinced the expert jury with their innovative take on remote sensing to help governments better protect the oceans. They prevailed against 269 ideas submitted and can now look forward to a cash prize of €10,000, or around IDR160million.
All seven finalist teams spent an amazing final week in Toulouse, France, prototyping their idea in Airbus’ cutting-edge Innovation and R&D facilities, with support from dedicated Airbus mentors and experts, using state-of-the-art equipment. On June 27, the teams presented their projects to a panel of Airbus aerospace and academic experts, plus a global live-stream audience.
The jury, made up of aerospace and academic experts from Airbus and the International Space University (Strasbourg), was impressed by the innovative spirit and economic understanding of the students from Team AirFish (Airbus Integrated Fisheries Information Services).
Their entry proposed an ocean monitoring system using satellite imagery and video imaging technology. Known as remote sensing, its use can help governments combat illegal fishing, reduce bycatch of endangered species, and generally decrease damage to the marine habitat.
In first place, Team “Zero” Heroes from Delft University of Technology, Netherlands, convinced the expert jury with their smart batteryless wireless switches for aircraft systems that provide power at your fingertips. For their exceptional idea, they won the top prize of €25,000.
Airbus Fly Your Ideas is a global competition challenging students worldwide to innovate for the future of aerospace in six key areas: Electrification, Data Services, Cyber Security, Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence and Mixed Reality.
Since its launch by Airbus in 2008 and the signing of a partnership agreement with UNESCO in 2012, over 22,000 students have registered for Fly Your Ideas from over 700 universities and 100 countries worldwide, with more than 500 Airbus employees contributing their mentorship and expertise to support the competition.
This year’s finalist teams represent 11 countries and 8 different universities across Asia, Europe, and South-America. (est)