The awards ceremony of the 8th edition of TecStorm took place over the weekend of April 21-22, at the Champalimaud Foundation, where it honoured four projects by university students in the categories of Improving Lives through Connectivity, Energy Solutions for a Low Carbon Future, Health 4.0 and Data-Driven Sustainable Mobility Solutions.
Florensics, a team composed of Eunice Amorim, Francisco Pires and Lucas Santos, final year students of the Master in Informatics and Computing Engineering (M.EIC), was one of the winners of this edition, in the Improving Lives through Connectivity category, with a cash prize of 2,500 euros, sponsored by Vodafone.
The winning project is characterised by an innovative system based on IoT (Internet of Things), which consists of a network of devices (equipped with flame and carbon monoxide sensors, among others), strategically distributed throughout a forest area to collect data to prevent and fight fires more efficiently and earlier.
When asked about the experience, the team shares that TecStorm provided them with a unique experience that allowed to validate and present an idea with the potential to contribute to fire prevention, something especially relevant to our country. For 24 hours “we had the opportunity to put not only our engineering skills to the test, but also our teamwork, presentation, prototyping, planning and time management skills. We’re proud that our work has been recognised, and we’d like to thank all the organisers and participants who made this event a reality”, shares Lucas Santos.
TecStorm is the country’s largest technology competition, which encourages young entrepreneurship and the launch of innovative ideas capable of generating an impact on society.
It was created by JUNITEC, the junior company of the Instituto Superior Técnico, and stands out for being the oldest junior company in Portugal. Its core business is technological consultancy, where its mission is to realise projects with innovative technologies that have a high impact on society and bridge the gap between the student community and the business community.
Photo by JUNITEC