Shell Eco-marathon is about more than track wins. Students are recognized for excellent communications, technical innovation, design, safety and perseverance.
Technical innovation award
Winner: Prometheus, National Technical University Of Athens, Greece
The innovation that won Prometheus the award was the advanced, near-autonomous driving control system in their vehicle. Their driver pushes a button, and from that point the vehicle uses GPS and other technologies to assess where they are and what forces are acting upon them. If the driver takes control temporarily and then returns to the system, the technology looks for ways to complete the lap as efficiently as possible.
Safety award
Winner: TUC Eco-Racing, Technical University of Crete, Greece
TUC Eco-Racing won for its excellent blend of vehicle design and safety, as well as their excellent approach to occupational safety while working at the event.
A lot of thought went into the structural integrity of the vehicle – their chassis had crumple zones that deform to protect the driver, while being very structurally rigid. They balanced safety, performance and design.
Communications award
Winner: Prometheus, National Technical University Of Athens, Greece
Prometheus had two clear objectives: raise awareness and raise funding or sponsorship. They succeeded in both by securing international crowd funding. They ended up with 104 separate investors giving them a total of 5,800 euro. Prometheus also used every means of communication from TV to press and digital media, as well as their own website.
http://www.shell.com/energy-and-innovation/shell-ecomarathon/europe/news-and-highlights/off-track-awards-2016.html