Limenko Gutić, favorite robot in Belgrade - blue-eyed hen soon in Savski Venac
It already becomes a tradition that web portal eKapija grants Aurea awards to the top investors of the year. This year's awards ceremony will take place at the end of March. Since the new cycle is approaching, we paid a visit to the companies that were shortlisted for last year's award to check what state of business development they reached.
Limenko Gutić (Tin Eater) has already become the favorite friend of kids in Belgrade's borough of Vračar, and people in the borough of Savski Venac will also get their own blue-eyed eco-hen soon. A bird robot, an art sculpture, which has both aesthetic and practical function since it recycles tin cans, will soon be placed in park Manjež, in the vicinity of the National Bank of Serbia. This environmental project is the creation of the Association of Citizens Sfera No and it is a part of the "Octopus 2" program. Artists, scientists and technologists made it possible for this system to stimulate citizens, in an entertaining and attractive way, to take care of their environment.
Speaking of the sustainability of this project, Biljana Biba Vicković, the President of Sfera No, told eKapija that their aim was to contribute with their activities to the development of strong awareness of citizen culture and responsibility towards environment.
The project is conceived as a long-term strategy for ecology education of children and young people who are interested in technological development with the aim of animating them, as future engineers and architects, to take care of the environment.
Educational environmental campaign was started upon the installation of the bird robot in Vračar, and this new inhabitant performs its function every day, in interaction with citizens and kids, by constantly eating tin cans. The bird robot animates passers-by by saying "hello, do you have any, I'm hungry" and by moving parts of its beak. When someone feeds it with a tin, the bird robot thanks its feeder by giving him or her the ticket with an eco-message. That ticket is also a lottery ticket for the prize game "Bird Robot".
By means of mobile system that is connected to micro-controller (microchip), the robot container sends an e-mail message with a report on number of tins in the storage or possible malfunction of sensors or electric motor.
The bird robot was named Limenko Gutić (Tin Eater). The name was suggested by Primary School Jovan Miodragović, which won three Art-Eco containers - for paper, PET and metal - as the prize.
The allotment of Art-Eco containers initiated the organization of non-tuitional ecological workshops for the purpose of educating elementary school children and high school
children on the importance of recycling process and the protection of
the environment, as well as good social habits, development of creativity and entrepreneurial spirit.
(Art-Eco containers)
- Art-Eco containers, which have interesting design and produce special light and voice messages, will be placed in primary schools. The money collected from the sale of recycleable raw materials will be spent on procurement of necessary equipment for pupils, while the pupils themselves will get to choose the priorities - says Ms. Vicković and points out that the plan includes creation of a serious network of collectors, organization of transportation and, finally, purchase of raw materials.
Association of Citizens Sfera No has established the cooperation with the Balkan Local Initiatives Fund in order to animate local self-governments to set aside funds in the budget for procurement of Art-Eco containers.
- Our projects comprises several phases. The "Knowledge for Sustainable Development" campaign includes installation of the bird robot, demonstration of the game and organization of two game competitions and an open competition for development of five new games. We have made the partnership with CET Computer Faculty - Computer Grammar School, and that institution helped us announce the open competition for development of games for the primary and secondary school pupils.
Therefore, the process is as follows - the bird robot will be installed in the borough, the open competition will be announced for the name of the sculpture, the winning school gets Art-Eco containers, the open competition for development of games is announced and followed by organization of the game competition.
- We will include 20,000 participants from 150 schools in more than 70 cities in the project for development of "Bird Robot" games. We will declare 5 winners from 5 cities of Serbia in April. The winners will get presents, and their schools will receive Art-Eco containers. We plan to establish cooperation with municipal administration and public utility companies in order to facilitate organization of collecting and recycling of collected raw materials - says Ms. Vicković.
She also points out that the funds have been granted for publishing of the book about the bird robot, which will be promoted in April, while the presentation of the bird robot abroad is in the pipeline.