Much ado and then nothing - Take part in the innofab_idea competition now

When something disturbs one's everyday life, many people get creative, including Daniela Schob. Early in the morning, too early, the cars were once again rumbling over the cobblestones of the street in front of her house. Annoyed by the noise, which brought the night's rest to an abrupt end, she complained to Philipp Maasch. When the two then discovered the innofab_ ideas competition advertised on Instagram, an idea quickly took shape. Inspired, the two mechanical engineers set to work; what was needed was "a gadget that eliminates ambient noise," Schob recalls, a "silencemaker."

The competition was an opportunity for realization and a first market test in one. Since digital pitching was required last year, the two transformed Maasch's apartment into a small TV studio for the purpose.... and were successful. The "Silencemaker" convinced the jury and the audience alike, the two secured two main prizes at once, and that made it possible to work on the prototype. "We wouldn't have started the project without the competition," reports Philipp Maasch. "Development is too expensive for that. The prizes reduced our financial risk - and that clears the head."

The creative duo invested in a workstation as well as in computing and acoustic technology, made progress, but has since also repeatedly discovered where theory meets its limits in practice. "There's a lot of trial and error," says Schob, describing the day-to-day work of the inventors, while Maasch adds with a smile that "you'd have to study electrical engineering, acoustics and computer science to be able to solve the individual problems." Both are employed at the BTU and are pleased that this environment allows them to get competent advice so that they can continue to work on the "Silencemaker" at least once or twice a week in their free time. As soon as the prototype is ready, the next step will follow. Two business managers from their circle of friends can hardly wait to test the devices in their open-plan offices.

The project "Finally" by Peter Kessel (formerly of TH Wildau) is completely different. How to deal with funeral culture, i.e. death and mourning, in a different way was already on Kessel's mind in his master's thesis, but after that the thoughts disappeared into a virtual drawer for the time being. He started his professional life and did not pursue his own start-up until the innofab_ ideas competition encouraged him to tackle the topic again. Ultimately, he and his platform neuebestattungskultur.de [Link: neuebestattungskultur.de/], which sees itself as a magazine and marketplace for new funeral culture, did not fit perfectly into the context of a more "technological prototyping," as Kessel himself describes it. "But the positive feedback and encouragement helped me as much as the pitch training." Thanks to that startup spirit, he's back on the topic and in the process of developing a business model.

So it's worth pursuing ideas or thinking ahead. Sometimes all it takes is a little push as an impetus. At this year's innofab_ ideas competition, innovations are sure to convince the jury and the public once again.

Forward thinkers and inventors can still submit their ideas until Monday, May 16, 2022.

During the Transfer Day on June 14 at the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg, a seven-member jury will evaluate the idea pitches and select the winners.

Info + application documents at innohub13.de/innofab/ [Link: innohub13.de/innofab/]