RTU and RSU support students develop an air purification robot

To enable students from Riga Technical University (RTU) and Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) to further develop a prototype of an air purification and disinfection robot, the two universities have signed an agreement to collaborate on the implementation of the Vertically Integrated Project (VIP) course.

Until now, the VIP has been supported by the Student Innovation Grant Programme, which concluded at the end of last year. Recognising the benefits for students and researchers, RTU continues to implement the VIP, in which students from different study programmes and levels collaborate on long-term research projects, while strengthening and expanding the research activities of academic staff members. The Smart Air Tracker team, which is developing a prototype of a robot, is the only VIP team in which students and researchers from RTU and RSU are working closely together. By signing the agreement, the universities agree to mutually identify opportunities and collaborate within the VIP course on mutually beneficial terms. The agreement is valid for two years.

Smart Air Tracker aims to create an efficient and mobile device for ensuring indoor air quality with air filtration and disinfection functions. This season, the team intends to test the solution they have developed in a controlled environment, to monitor indoor air quality to assess the concentration of different particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), and to prepare a scientific paper together with their VIP mentors. Prof. Anatolijs Borodiņecs from the Institute of Heat, Gas and Water Technologies at the RTU Faculty of Civil and Mechanical Engineering, and Senior Researcher Žanna Martinsone from the RSU Institute of Occupational Safety and Environmental Health, are assisting the students in data collection and processing and research and prototype development.

Universities around the world are implementing the VIP course in their study programmes to engage students in science. RTU has been implementing this activity since 2017, when the first three teams started their activities. Currently, there are seven VIP teams developing research projects in bioenergy, wastewater treatment, robotics, space, sensor technologies, power electronics and indoor air quality. The student teams are interdisciplinary and vertically integrated, i.e. the students represent different study levels, from the RTU Engineering High School to doctoral studies. This helps participants improve their knowledge, strengthen cooperation and communication skills, and acquire teamwork skills. Master’s and doctoral students supervise the work of undergraduate students in a design and research project, which may also be part of a master’s or doctoral student's research work. In the spring semester 2024, the VIP course is implemented at the Institute of Water Systems and Biotechnology in collaboration with the RTU Science and Innovation Centre, which provides quality control and assistance in design and prototype manufacturing.