The focus of Innospace Masters is on knowledge and technology transfer between the aerospace industry and other sectors. This is not just about applying space solutions in other areas, but also about finding new approaches that could be useful for space exploration. Therefore, more than half of the submissions now come from non-space industries. The innovation competition is part of the Innospace initiative of the German Aerospace Center's (DLR) Space Administration.
The competition consists of five different challenges organized by the initiator DLR and its partners Airbus, OHB, DB Netz AG, and the German ESA Business Incubation Centre. The DLR Challenge focused on ideas and concepts that lead to improved technologies, processes, and applications for space travel itself. These included new propulsion systems and sensors for monitoring astronauts' health. The Airbus Challenge, on the other hand, sought practical applications for everyday life, including in the areas of mobility, 5G technology, and materials research.
Ocell wins DB Netz AG Challenge of the Innospace Masters
The DB Netz AG Challenge, on the other hand, went in search of new infrastructure solutions and found them, among others, in the Munich startup OcellThe company uses a network of professional pilots and sophisticated cameras to capture aerial imagery. Artificial intelligence then evaluates the images. Its primary customers are forest managers, whom Ocell helps to better characterize, manage, and protect their forests from threats. The solution is also used to maintain railway lines, pipelines, and power lines. The primary goal here is to prevent damage from falling trees. The system detects which parts of the vegetation could potentially damage the infrastructure. With this solution, Ocell was named one of the three winners of the DB Netz AG Challenge. David Dohmen, co-founder of Ocell, is delighted with the award:
"It is an honor to be among the winners of this year's Innospace Masters competition! We are delighted to have won the award with our innovative concept for data collection and AI-supported analysis. Ocell is bringing digitalization to the forest and can also make the acquired know-how available to infrastructure operators to avoid damage and delays."
In addition to the Munich-based company, the Ermes project from Theia from Coimbra, Portugal, and Pantohealth from Berlin were also selected. The winners of the five competition challenges will present their projects as part of the Innospace Mastersconference and awards ceremony on October 14, 2020, in Berlin. The overall winner of the competition will also be determined there, and the first places in each challenge will be announced and awarded at the conference.
