UzhNU Startup Center
Annually, the university hosts the competition of innovative ideas "Startup-UzhNU." The goal of the competition is to support students, postgraduates, and young researchers up to the age of 35 in implementing innovative ideas; creating young teams of scientists; teaching the basics of business management; implementing new research methods; gaining experience in public presentation of their idea and project presentation; presenting the project to entrepreneur-sponsors; providing financial support to the competition winners; and assisting in the implementation of the idea (project) into production. The competition consists of three stages:
the first stage involves participant registration on the official website of UzhNU;
the second stage is a selection process and presentation preparation;
the third stage includes the competition, public presentation of the idea and project, announcement, and awarding of the winners.
Throughout 2016-2023, the Startup Center at UzhNU successfully organized seven competitions for innovative ideas. The projects recognized by the jury found application in various aspects of human life. Specifically, within the implementation of the project "Monitoring System with Augmented Reality Elements," a working prototype of a helmet for a rescue service employee was developed and produced. The helmet incorporates sensors such as an infrared remote thermometer-pyrometer, temperature, humidity, pressure, levels of harmful UVA/UVB radiation, levels of eight explosive gases, and spatial orientation with IMU and GPS. The development of such devices falls under the implementation of the so-called "Internet of Things" (IoT). Outfitting clothing with numerous sensors (temperature, pressure, humidity, pulse, electrocardiogram, blood oxygen level, skin resistance, etc.) and connecting them to a control microcontroller with a wireless communication channel such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth LE results in a remote diagnostic system. Similar equipment is highly beneficial for monitoring the health of athletes, elderly individuals living alone, children with special needs, and the personnel of rescue services or firefighting teams. All received and pre-processed data is transmitted to the augmented reality glasses from the Intel/Recon Jet Pro company. These values are displayed in the operator's field of view, overlaying onto the image of the real world (Augmented Reality technology).
The project gained a significant number of views on the Internet – 55,616, and it was also included in the email newsletter of the "Intel" company, which reached millions of clients. Additionally, representatives from China showed interest in the project by a student from UzhNU.
The "QRWaiter" project, which involves ordering food and drinks in cafes through a QR code, is implemented in establishments in Uzhhorod and other cities in Ukraine. The young men patented and registered QRWaiter as a trademark. The product secured the first place in the pre-acceleration program at the Center for Entrepreneurship, earning them a business trip to the USA in 2020 as a prize.
Initially, the young men launched the startup QRWaiter – a platform for electronic self-service and statistics. The idea is that visitors to public catering establishments can make orders through their smartphones without the need for a waiter. They can also pay without waiting for the bill and receive change, and no mobile application is required for this process. Here's how it works: a QR code is placed on the table, the customer scans it, enters a convenient menu, selects items, and pays from their phone. At the same moment, the staff receives a notification with the order, prepares it, and serves it. Within QRWaiter, the team introduced another part of the platform – QRDelivery, to facilitate remote, quick, convenient, and automated delivery ordering for Uzhhorod residents during quarantine restrictions. Just like QRWaiter, QRDelivery does not require the installation of an application. Various establishments with delivery services are listed on a single website. You choose a café, select dishes from the menu, and make a payment. The platform also indicates the delivery format (paid or free, courier or taxi). Thus, QRDelivery assists in choosing a café and its offerings, as well as in quickly arranging delivery and payment.
The project "Model for optimizing the process of manufacturing surgical templates for dental implantation procedures using FDM printing technologies in dental clinics" is successfully implemented in dental clinics in the Transcarpathia region. The project aims to address three practical issues:
1) Improve the quality of dental care by increasing the accessibility of manufacturing surgical templates for predictable dental implantation procedures.
2) Minimize costs associated with the production of surgical templates by employing FDM 3D printing technology in dental clinic settings while maintaining accuracy and quality of the used constructions.
3) Develop a regionally-oriented concept for organizing the mass production of surgical templates in the Transcarpathia region that is competitive and adapted to the economic, geographical, and epidemiological conditions of the region.
The "Gas Logger" project is aimed at developing devices for the automatic recording of data at specified intervals. Loggers are used for household safety, monitoring household fuel and carbon monoxide gases, as well as in the military-industrial complex, in the production of air purifiers, air conditioners, ventilation systems, and more.
