Prototron Supports Development of 3D Printing Copyright Protection
OREANDA-NEWS. February 01, 2013. The second call for proposals of Prototron was successful and brought the amount required for the construction of a prototype for the team ‘Fabulonia’ whose idea is to develop a new originality system for 3D printing copyright protection and for the team ‘Flydog Sea Monitoring System’ who are developing sensors to gather information about water bodies. In total, Prototron will provide around 21,000 euros in the second round, reported the press-centre of Swedbank.
In the second call for proposals of the fund, which was established by Swedbank, Tallinn Science Park Tehnopol and Tallinn University of Technology, a total of 51 applications with a comprehensive description of prototypes were received. With regard to different areas, most of the applications were in the field of electronics and mechanics, followed by ICT and green technology. The average amount applied for was 10,800 euros.
“The two calls for proposals of Prototron have proved that we are on the right track: plenty of smart prototype designs waiting to be executed were submitted and the level and quality of the ideas is increasing all the time,” said Robert Kitt, Head of Corporate Banking at Swedbank.
The teams who were declared the best are engaged in the development of global products with high business potential.
The team ‘Fabulonia’, who will receive 9,560 euros from Prototron, will use the financing to develop a new originality system to their patented, world's first copyright solution for 3D printing based on cloud computing. The new system will further improve the way enterprises and designers can securely store, distribute and customize original 3D designs online with copyright protection.
The team ‘Flydog’ will develop, with the grant of 11,242 euros received from Prototron, a sea monitoring system which will enable automatic retrieval of data from the marine environment. At present there are no effective solutions for data gathering, as going out to sea on ships is expensive and satellites are not able to see underwater. In order to understand the constantly changing processes of the sea environment, Flydog will develop an autonomous monitoring platform and data administration system.
“Choosing the best applications was difficult and a lot of really good teams were actually very close to getting financing,” said Pirko Konsa, a member of the board of Tehnopol Science Park in Tallinn. “For instance, the expert panel liked the bicycle lights reacting to moving power presented by the team ‘Velodroom’, the bicycle parking facilities in public areas controlled by mobile phone by the team ‘Bikeep’, as well as the sensor called Airi monitoring the internal climate. But we were forced to proceed from a number of criteria when making the choice and thus the very best were selected.”
In the two calls for proposals of Prototron, all in all 154 smart ideas have been received. The teams that submitted them are looking to bring their ideas to life with the help of the fund. In the previous call for proposals of Prototron, financing was given to Qminder, a portable stand that communicates with smartphones and helps people avoid standing in queues; Shaka, a wind measurement device that can be connected to the audio interface of a smartphone and which gives instant and accurate information about the weather; and Formula Battery Management System, a battery pack and battery management system that can be used to increase efficiency in electric cars, renewable energy or guarding and control systems. The first prototypes will be ready by this spring.
The experts who evaluate the applications received by Prototron are Priit Alamae (Nortal), Pirko Konsa (Tehnopol), Robert Kitt (Swedbank), Yrjo Ojasaar (Publification.com), Andrus Oks (Estonian Development Fund), Jaanus Tamm (Defendec) and Siemon Smid (Tallinn University of Technology).
In evaluating the ideas that have been submitted and deciding which ones to support, the panel are guided by the business potential of the prototypes, how innovative they are and the teams that will put them together. There are no maximum limits on the amounts able to be granted. If approved, the prototype receives financing and is built in accordance with the creators’ designs.
The panel reviews applications four times a year, with the next call being open until 15 March 2013. Prototron aims to give real form to innovative ideas. It was established by Swedbank, Tehnopol Science Park and Tallinn University of Technology. Over the next three years new smart ideas will be financed to a total value of 120,000 euros. www.prototron.ee
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