In what has become an eagerly anticipated event for companies and organisations involved in the plant, processing and industrial automation sectors and a hotly-contested competition for tertiary institutions from across southern Africa, eleven finalists have been selected to take part in the annual Cyber Junkyard, partnered by Siemens, Festo and Lappcable and co-sponsored by IBC Solar, Blueginger and Westplex.
Des Burrows, business manager for training and after sales service and support at Siemens Southern Africa’s industry sector, says the purpose of the annual Cyber Junkyard industrial inter-tertiary competition is to foster ongoing developmental relationships between industry and education in southern Africa.
“The Cyber Junkyard also addresses the problem of skills shortages in the region by providing an exciting, modern and real-world platform for the development of young, technically skilled people as well as for the empowerment of the engineering faculties of tertiary institutions,” says Burrows. “This aim is achieved through sponsorship and exposure of students and lecturers to cutting-edge industrial equipment, software tools and training in these new technologies, together with the creation of opportunities for institutions to showcase their future talent and for building productive networks with representatives of leading industries.”
According to Burrows, the 2009/2010 Cyber Junkyard has been timed to coincide with South Africa’s hosting of the Soccer World Cup, and will incorporate a theme that includes elements of a high-tech soccer game using renewable energy.
“This year’s project is entitled ‘Play the Game, Save the Planet’ and will be based on a mobile technology demonstration unit whereby successful models will be displayed and used at various 2010 football venues during and after the competition,” he says.
The competing teams have been chosen from South African and SADC institutions and will be given a large variety of industrial equipment, training and support to successfully complete the project.
The 2009/2010 Cyber Junkyard project will be a mobile technology demonstration unit in the form of a user playable soccer game that will incorporate renewable energy sourced from a solar panel.
“The demonstration unit should be attractive, attention-grabbing and high-tech, show-casing motion and energy control. It should be easily understandable and playable by anyone, but challenging enough to make shots at goal a worthy achievement,” says Burrows. “In demo mode, it should be able to run completely on automatic, showing various moves and shooting goals at high speed. It should be fast but energy efficient, using as much of the renewable energy as possible, and displaying this efficiency.”
He adds that the unit’s function, aesthetics and reliability should be of a high enough standard to attract potential customers such as FIFA and its sponsors that could be interested in having a number of units for use at stadia and fan parks.
“Teams are to host a compelling customer presentation, both a month before the competition and at the competition itself, showing the features of the unit, its benefits to the customer, operating costs, price and delivery for production of subsequent units,” he says.
The competition will culminate in a ‘head-to-head’ challenge during the World Cup 2010 and the announcement of the winning institutions will take place at a Gala Event to be held in June 2010.
The first, second and third place winners of the competition, including the team members and their responsible lecturers, will be rewarded with a range of material prizes for each participant along with non-material prizes such as training and practical experience opportunities.
For more information contact Keshin Govender, Siemens Southern Africa, +27 (0)11 652 2412, keshin.govender@siemens.com, www.siemens.co.za
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