Schaeffler FAG Foundation honors schools in Lower Franconia

Grammar schools in Hassfurt and Kitzingen awarded

"Visible Quantum Physics" and "Logistics Robots"

Foundation has been awarding prizes for school support for 20 years

The Schaeffler FAG Foundation has presented high schools in Hassfurt and Kitzingen with the Innovation Award 2021 for academic support. The prize of 1,500 euros supports schools that are particularly committed to awakening enthusiasm for mathematics, computer science, natural sciences and technology (MINT subjects) in young people.

"This year, too, we are very impressed by the well thought-out and committed projects," says Andreas Hamann, Head of Human Resources Europe at the Schaeffler Group and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Schaeffler FAG Foundation. "The tinkering, the work on technical solutions for the most diverse challenges of today and tomorrow - we are convinced that this is where we support the engineers of the future."

Quantum demonstrator for use in physics lessons

The Armin-Knab-Gymnasium in Kitzingen has built a quantum demonstrator that simulates and visualizes quantum physics, which is sometimes difficult to imagine. At the beginning of the 2020/21 school year, pupils in the eighth grade had watched a physics lesson video in which quantum mechanical phenomena are illustrated using a liquid droplet that "wanders back and forth" on the surface of the liquid.

The class loved it so much that they decided to recreate it as a demonstrator in the student exercises. The aim of the project was to create so-called "walking droplets" with a suitable apparatus; Droplets that, in the theory of physics, generate circular waves when they hit the liquid surface and move on it. The droplets thus combine wave and particle properties and can be used to simulate quantum mechanical phenomena. The demonstrator is intended to make physics easier for all future learners at the Armin-Knab-Gymnasium.

Semi-autonomous logistics robot

Astrid von Marklowski and Leander Hoffmann from the Regiomontanus-Gymnasium in Hassfurt built a logistics robot as part of the project honored by the Schaeffler FAG Foundation. The vehicle can be moved from a standing start in all directions and rotated and turned on the spot. In addition, the robot can travel autonomously by following a pre-drawn line.

In addition to manufacturing the components – using a 3D printer, among other things – the focus was on programming the vehicle. The young people used the Arduino open source platform to program a Raspberry Pi single-board computer. This processes the signals from several infrared sensors and controls the activity of the four stepper motors.

Schaeffler FAG Foundation as a motor for knowledge transfer

Since it was founded in 1983, the Schaeffler FAG Foundation of the globally active industrial and automotive supplier has distributed more than one million euros in grants. 20 years ago, in addition to university and science funding, "school support" was also launched. The foundation honors scientific and technical projects in schools.

“Getting enthusiastic about technology and research in children and young people at an early age is crucial in order to sustainably strengthen the innovative power of the economy. The outstanding work of the award-winning schools is essential for this,” says Andreas Hamann.