Siemens, in partnership with Lapp Kabel and Festo launched the 2011 Cyber Junkyard competition during November 2010. The competition is an annual inter-tertiary event where teams from organisations and tertiary institutions within the plant, processing and industrial automation sectors compete to finish a project within a given timeline.
This year’s challenge invites students to design and build an intelligent and eco-friendly ‘bubble and brains’ vehicle. It is a theme that is both socially relevant and reflects current trends in the high-tech automation and manufacturing sectors. Competitors will be required to implement the latest advances in motion technology to create autonomous, intelligent vehicles through the use of renewable energy such as compressed air and photovoltaic energy.
The competition culminates in head to head race-day challenges where competitors will show the automation speed endurance capabilities of their designs. Keshin Govender, communications manager for the Industry sector at Siemens South Africa explains that the entrants will be judged on who is able to complete the most laps in the fastest time. Additional criteria include function, speed, efficiency, safety, innovation and promotion (marketing of the product).
Participants must produce a working prototype a month prior to race day in order to qualify. They must also host a compelling customer presentation, both before and on race day, which highlights the features of the units, the benefits to the customer, operating costs, purchase price and delivery.
Ten institutions were invited to enter the 2011 Cyber Junkyard Competition, selected on the basis of performance in past competitions, as well as the competitive appeal of their bid presentations for the new challenge. Institutions entering include South Africa’s leading universities and universities of technology as well as FET Colleges in South Africa and the SADC regions. For the first time ever, an international team from Germany will also be taking part.
Govender explains that the competition aims to develop ongoing relationships between industry and South Africa’s educational institutions as well as to address the skills shortage. “In addition, our objective is to expose students to real world industry related situations, to give them a sense of how it feels in a working environment with real pressures. The competition provides a platform to develop young, technically skilled people, as well as empower engineering facilities and educational institutions.”
Students are exposed to cutting edge automation products and have the opportunity to network with industry professionals. Further benefits of entering the competition include access to career opportunities and training at Siemens’ Sitrain Campus, as well as Festo Didactic and Lapp Kabel training facilities. Both students and lecturers are exposed to the latest technology, industrial equipment and software tools.
Winners will be announced at the Cyber Junkyard gala evening in July.
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