Conclusion of the OİB 10th Automotive Future Design Competition

The Steer-By-Wire project was awarded the first place among 383 projects in the 10th Future of Automotive Design Competition organized by Uludağ Automotive Industry Exporters Association (OİB) this year with the theme “Solutions in the Mobility Ecosystem”. The Steer-By-Wire project, developed by Can Acar and winner of the grand prize of 140 thousand TL, transforms the driver into a passenger by making level 5 autonomous driving a reality for the first time in Turkey.

Baran Çelik, OİB Chairman of the Board of Directors: “Mobility is in a great transformation today, marked by digitalization and sustainable development. Mechanical vehicles are being replaced by electric, interconnected and autonomous vehicles. Our young population will be the pioneer in making Turkey an important part of this transformation. Our competition, which has made us happy with its results so far, will contribute to the emergence of innovative solutions from Turkey. “We will grant patent registration rights from our Intellectual and Property Rights partner, Adres Patent, for our top five projects.”

The 10th Future of Automotive Design Competition, organized by Uludağ Automotive Industry Exporters Association (OİB), the only export coordinator of the Turkish automotive industry, with the aim of developing value-added products and technologies in the sector, has concluded. In the competition organized this year with the theme of “Solutions in the Mobility Ecosystem”, with the support of the Ministry of Commerce and the coordination of the Turkish Exporters' Assembly (TİM), Can Acar, who studied at Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt, was awarded the first place among 383 projects with his Steer-By-Wire project. The Steer-By-Wire project, which won the grand prize of 140 thousand TL in total, developed the driving system that will turn the driver into a passenger, making autonomous driving a reality for the first time in Turkey.

Can Acar came fifth in last year's competition with his Diagnostic and Power Manager project for Automotive Systems and won 30 thousand TL. Erhan Demircioğlu from Karamanoğlu Mehmet Bey University, who came second in the competition with his HydroBorPEM Fuel Cell Technologies project, also won the award of 120 thousand TL. Pınar Oğuz from METU, the owner of the third selected Advoard Robotics project, received an award of 100 thousand TL in October.

The competition, which is the largest R&D and innovation event of the automotive industry, which has managed to export to all 193 countries in the world, was hosted by OİB Chairman of the Board Baran Çelik and OİB Board Member and OGTY Executive Board Chairman Ömer Burhanoğlu. At the opening of the competition, TR Deputy Minister of Commerce Rıza Tuna Turagay and TİM President İsmail Gülle also made speeches. In the competition moderated by Technology and Trend Hunter Serdar Kuzuloğlu and watched by many people, from industry professionals to academics, from entrepreneurs to students, a total of 500 thousand TL was awarded to the successful project owners. The winners of the competition also gained privileges such as developing their enterprises by taking advantage of the facilities of the İTÜ Çekirdek Incubation Center, competing on the İTÜ Big Bang stage and benefiting from the experience and wide network of the automotive industry.

Çelik: “We will grant patent registration rights to the first five projects”

Speaking at the closing, OİB Chairman of the Board of Directors Baran Çelik said, “As OİB, we are very happy to organize the 10th edition of the Future of Automotive Design Competition this year. I congratulate the winning projects and the entire team and wish them continued success. I would also like to thank each and every one of the 383 project owners who won or did not qualify. They are all valuable to us. I would like to thank TİM President İsmail Gülle on behalf of myself and my board of directors. We increased our total award amount, which was 250 thousand TL last year, to 500 thousand TL this year. I wish good luck to the winning project owner and his team. As OİB, we will give a reward of 600 thousand TL to the winning project owner in Big Bang journeys. In addition, we will give incubation rights to all winning projects within the scope of our cooperation with ITU ARI Teknokent. At the same time, we will grant patent registration rights from our Intellectual and Property Rights partner, Adres Patent, for our top 5 projects. And we will provide the opportunity for our first 3 contestants to participate in the Automechanika Frankfurt 2022 fair, which will be held in Germany in partnership with Automechanika, including their travel and accommodation expenses. “In addition, at the Automechanika Istanbul Plus fair, which will be held in Istanbul on 18-21 November 2021, our top 5 finalists will have the opportunity to participate in the physical award ceremony organization during the fair and to introduce their brands and projects by participating in the e-mobility-startup section of the fair.”

The first Steer-By-Wire project makes level 5 autonomous driving a reality

With the Steer-By-Wire project, which was selected as the winner in the Future of Automotive Design Competition, all unnecessary mechanical connections between the steering wheel and the wheel are removed, motors are added to the steering wheel and steering gear as well as sensors, and thus cars can be driven only with digital information, just like airplanes. With the project that opens the door to a new perfected driving experience, the steering wheel can be anywhere and in any shape within the vehicle. Since space is saved in the vehicle, the driver can turn into a passenger at any time. Level 5 autonomous driving is made possible with Steer-by-Wire, where the seat rotates 360 degrees. Can Acar: “We perfect the real driving experience with three different control system loops. The first of these control systems is used to create driving precision in the steering wheel, the second one is for the engine that will drive the wheels, and the third one controls the ratio between the steering angle and the wheel angle. There is no delay, even a millisecond, while driving, and no vibration from the road is transmitted to the driver. In addition, vehicle weight decreases, which means better battery and fuel performance and lower emissions. Steer-By-Wire also has a control system that constantly perfects the driving experience according to environmental conditions. It evaluates the information it receives from the network communication, such as road condition, vehicle speed, weather conditions, and constantly optimizes the output value driving the wheel, providing an excellent driving experience with a sensitivity not found in conventional automobiles. In case of danger, Steer-By-Wire can perform the necessary maneuver within milliseconds before the driver, It can stop in a much shorter time and with a shorter braking distance, regardless of the road conditions. Our difference from our competitors is that it will be the first Steer-By-Wire that has no mechanical elements and is allowed to drive anywhere. This designed system is used not only in the automotive industry; “It can also be easily integrated into vehicles in the defense industry and agriculture,” he said.

Second project; produces six times efficient composite fuel cell membrane

The HydroBorPEM Fuel Cell Technologies project, which came second in the competition, produces a 6-fold efficient composite fuel cell membrane for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. As environmental pollution increases day by day and fossil fuels are likely to run out in the near future, the trend towards alternative energy vehicles is increasing. Today, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, one of the alternative energy vehicles, stand out with their efficient and environmentally friendly technologies. The HydroBorPEM project produces 6 times more efficient Boron and Perlite-added composite fuel cell membranes and fuel cell stacks for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

With the third project, the operation in warehouses becomes 2-3 times more efficient

The third project, Advoard Robotics, produces collaborative autonomous mobile picking robots for more efficient warehouses. Thanks to the autonomous mobile robot, it is aimed to increase the efficiency in warehouse operations by 2-3 times by performing error-free and efficient picking. The autonomous mobile picking robot specific to e-commerce and logistics warehouses is not produced in Turkey. Only six companies in the world are working on this subject. Thanks to this product developed in Turkey, a unique value is achieved that is cheaper than other companies, can carry more load, and has a more flexible structure when combined with any warehouse management application.

While Çağatay Karademir from Bursa Uludağ University took fourth place in the competition with his Hybrid Position Control Systems, he also received the award of 80 thousand TL. Serdar Sultanoğlu from Yıldız Technical University was chosen as fifth place with his Smart Vehicle Assistant with Hologram Image and Artificial Intelligence Technology project and won an award of 60 thousand TL.