Cervical Wearable, Jornada Segura (Safe Working Hours) and Óculos 4.0 (Googles) are the names of the three winning ideas awarded on Friday, March 18, at Senai Innovation Grand Prix Senai during Movelsul Brasil, the major fair of furniture and accessories in Latin America. For 40 hours, three multidisciplinary racing teams were challenged to create solutions for the furniture industry, developing projects focusing on energy, water, waste and occupational safety. The idea was to devise a technological innovation network to receive, select and create ideas, concepts and prototypes.

The project, held for the second time in Rio Grande do Sul, follows a Swedish showroom model. Firstly, three teams with seven members each presented 139 proposals to the industry. Then each racing team selected the ten most innovative ideas concerning the four themes presented this year. After that, the Grand Prix management chose the five most prominent projects developed by the groups. The criteria for the choice included coherence between the description of the proposal and the implementation of the work plan.

The ideas were presented on Friday to the judging panel, made up of representatives of exhibiting companies, organizations and individuals. Soon after that, they were evaluated by the members of the judging panel, who awarded 1st place to Cervical Wearable - a tape with sensors to be placed on the cervical spine, responsible for diagnosing ergonomics during activities; 2nd place was awarded to Jornada Segura (Safe Working Hours) - an electronic system that verifies workers’ identity,  authorizing their access to the company and allowing them to enter restricted areas; and the 3rd place went to Óculos 4.0 (Goggles) - a device with sensors to control the mandatory use of goggles in specific areas. "When the process is tuned, the results are extraordinary. Within the current Brazilian scenario, innovation plays a fundamental role in the competitive edge of products," says the member of the judging panel and president of Movelsul Brasil 2016, Henrique Tecchio. In addition to awarding the three best ideas, the teams were honored with medals, based on their score.

As they met all the necessary requirements, the winning projects were classified in the Innovation Public Notice, available at plataforma.gpinovacao.senai.br where they can be viewed at any time by companies. "Our goal is to support the industry by encouraging intelligence and enabling to put Brazilian ideas into practice," says Renato Bernardi, from the Senai Institute of Wood and Furniture Technology. The process complies with the Integrated Product Development (DIP) methodology, resulting from a partnership between Senai, the Consorzio Politecnico Di Milano (Poli.Design, Italy) and the Technological Institute of Aeronautics (ITA), supported by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT, US).

Learn more about the winning entries:

1st place: Cervical Wearable

A tape with sensors to be position along the line of the cervical spine. The sensors send constant signals to a device that controls, monitors and prepares a diagnosis of the worker’s ergonomics during his/her activities. For example, their posture at work, during sleep, when sitting, driving, carrying objects, etc. The results are transformed into position reports, in addition to sending alert notifications and messages to the user when risks are detected. The tape with sensors is aimed at occupational health and safety areas.

2nd place: Jornada Segura (Safe Working Hours)

The electronic system verifies workers’ identity, authorizing them to enter the company and allowing their access to machines/restricted areas. By monitoring vital signs, it is possible to measure their health conditions. Thus, people in charge of the first-aid department can intervene in the working hours when necessary.

3rd place: Óculos 4.0 (Goggles)

It consists of a system that aims to help control the mandatory use of goggles in specific areas. Sensors are installed in areas where control has to be exercised, interacting with the accessory. Óculos 4.0 have oculography technology, which measures the electrical pulse of eye movements. Each worker will have a specific numbered device. Machines that require the use of goggles have a sensor that will only allow its operation if the accessory is being used. The software that will manage the system will inform supervisors in real time about the equipment use conditions, allowing quick intervention.