Reports

For the second time, the student team is participating in the Solar Decathlon Europe 21 competition, which focuses on sustainable, efficient and innovative construction using renewable energy sources. The students entered the event with a project called FIRSTlife. They are responding to an assignment focusing on the problem of limited capacity and quality of urban housing, including the urban context. The project, led by the Faculty of Civil Engineering and supported by the University's Energy Efficient Buildings Centre, elaborates on the theme of "Refurbishment and Extension" and applies it in the context of increasing the capacity and quality of student housing. The student team chose the Větrník student halls of residence in Prague as a model building. The project received the patronage of the Rector of CTU doc. Vojtěch Petráček, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic and the Czech-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The students of the Landscape Architecture programme at the Faculty of Architecture, Háta Enochová, Petr Stojaník, Marek Kratochvíl and Jan Trpkoš, are behind the design and implementation of the garden design, under the guidance of their tutor and experienced landscape architect Vladimír Sitta.

Global aerospace company Bell Textron Inc., a subsidiary of Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT), has signed an agreement with the Faculty of Electrical Engineering (FEL) of the Czech Technical University in Prague to collaborate on an innovative research project. The Intelligent Mobility Research Team of the FEL CTU Centre for Artificial Intelligence will model consumer decision-making when choosing transportation options. The findings will help Bell to develop a clearer picture of how it could integrate its state-of-the-art solutions into existing public transport infrastructure.

Five leading Czech and Moravian universities have joined together in 2019 to better promote their interests and break through among the best in Europe under the brand of a single elite association. The Association of Research Universities (ARU) was founded by Charles University, Masaryk University, Palacký University in Olomouc, Czech Technical University in Prague and the University of Chemical Technology in Prague, which ranked in the top five among Czech universities in the current international QS World University Rankings. As of 1 July 2021, Assoc. Vojtěch Petráček, Rector of the CTU in Prague, succeeded Prof. Tomáš Zima, Rector of Charles University, as ARU Chairman.

Drone footage from 2016 captured an unknown, fast-flying object in the US state of Utah, and many people have since lived under the assumption that it was a UFO. Five years on, on 4 June this year, it was proved that it was in fact a Great Horned Falcon. A detailed analysis of the available footage using the DeFMO method contributed to the refutation of the UFO hypothesis. Behind the special algorithm, which can reconstruct the original object from a single blurred image, is researcher Denys Rozumnyi from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering (FEL).

From 1 July 2021, the University Centre for Energy Efficient Buildings of CTU will be headed by Ing. Robert Jára, Ph.D., While Ing. Antonín Lupíšek, Ph.D. will head the research division. The outgoing director doc. Ing. Lukáš Ferkl, Ph.D., plans further cooperation with his current employer UCEEB in the start-up of the new spin-off company Envitrail.

On 23 June, Minister of Education, Youth and Sports Robert Plaga handed over the appointment decrees to the new professors appointed by the President on 15 December 2020. Among the new appointees are three professors from CTU.

Scientists from the Czech Technical University in Prague and the Technical University of Liberec presented a functional device for 3D printing from cement mixtures today at the Klokner Institute of the Czech Technical University in Prague. The University of Liberec supplied the print head and test printing equipment for the project. It is also developing a robotic arm that will carry the next generation of print heads. Specialists from the Klokner Institute's Concrete Laboratory are working on developing cement composites ideal for printing and providing valuable feedback for modifications to the 3D printer - testbed and print head.

Builders and property owners often need to have the rate of water seepage into the subsoil determined. They are legally responsible for the impact of the construction on the hydrogeological conditions of the land, which includes the management of rainwater and its eventual seepage. A hydrogeologist will determine the permeability of the rock environment by means of a seepage test depending on the type of soil. This cannot be done without field measurements because the subsoil is highly variable due to frequent changes in natural soil types and the presence of artificial deposits.

The Faculty of Transportation Technology (FD) opened a unique European laboratory on Tuesday, 22 June 2021, which will be used to develop and test communication systems between vehicles and between the vehicle and transport infrastructure, essential components for autonomous vehicle development.