Lighthouse Innovation Centre promotes drone technology in Klaipeda
On 27-28 November, Klaipėda will host a unique technology workshop “DroneLab: learn how to build a drone”, where, for the first time in Western Lithuania, all those interested in technology and innovation will have the opportunity to assemble their own drones, which will be a real help on the Ukrainian front. The event is organised by Lighthouse Digital Innovation Centre.
LTMilTech, headed by Algirdas Stonys, one of the five Lithuanian companies specialising in the production of defence drones, will provide full technical quality assurance during the workshop.
Innovation leadership in the Western Lithuania region is priority No. 1
The Lighthouse hub in Klaipėda is well known for its leadership in innovation and technology, for fostering the start-up ecosystem and for creating a vibrant community. The Digital Innovation Centre (DIC), which has been successfully operating in the Lighthouse Innovation and Business Campus for the past two years, is making a significant contribution to the digitisation of innovations in Western Lithuania and businesses across the region.
Drone collecting workshops have already been held in Vilnius and Kaunas, while Klaipėda has never hosted such an event. “After talking to the major social partners of DIC: Klaipėda City Municipality, Klaipėda Port Authority, we realised that the future strategic plans of the interested parties are closely linked to drone technologies. We also organised the first international EUDIS European Union Defence Hackathon in Klaipėda in the summer together with Kaunas University of Technology, and we missed more drone technology ideas from the participating teams. This made it even more of a priority to organise a drone assembly event” – said Mindaugas Kieža, CEO of Lighthouse Hub. Klaipėda is already an important hub for technology development in the Western region and such a hands-on skills development workshop will further contribute to the region’s innovation development.
Assembling drones – putting technology into practice
The Open Drone Workshop is open to everyone, regardless of their technical experience “If a person can assemble an IKEA chair, there will be no problems in the drone workshop – you just need to be thorough,” said Algirdas Stonys, the founder and head of the company LTMilTech, which will be curating both the theoretical and the practical parts of the drone event.
He said that it is very important to participate in the workshop organised by the Lighthouse Innovation Centre: the more people in Lithuania are aware of drone technology and its security applications, the more prepared the country will be for unexpected situations. “Klaipėda lacks a lot of offerings in this field, so the open and free workshop is a great opportunity for Klaipėda residents to get involved in the world of technology,” says A. Stonys.
Drones for Ukraine: a tangible gesture of support
The drones assembled at the workshop will be sent directly to Ukrainian troops to help them carry out various missions. Typically, up to ten drones are needed for an operation, so the number of drones collected during the workshop will be a significant contribution to the frontline.
On the battlefield, innovation and technological advances are becoming vital. As LTMilTech says, in the context of war, innovation means survival. “Innovation and logistics won World War II. Today it is even more important because technology literally saves lives,” says Algirdas Stonys. The company he heads has already delivered over 3,000 drones to Ukraine.
Drone workshop programme
On the first day of the event, 27 of November, there will be a 1.5-hour theoretical lecture on drones, open to all interested participants, during which they will learn all the key information on the technical composition, purpose and uses of drones, helping them to prepare for the workshop.
On 28 of November, a full-day workshop will be held where one stream of 6 participants will assemble 2 drones in 1 hour under the supervision of professional instructors. It is expected that during the whole workshop 5 streams of teams will collect a total of 10 drones. The event will end with a teleconference with the Ukrainian team, where the collected drones will be symbolically handed over. Certificates of appreciation will also be presented to all participating teams.
The Lighthouse Hub is part of the European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIH) network, which helps businesses in the Western region to embrace digital technologies. The event is free of charge and funded by the European Union’s Industry 4.0 Lab Platform: DI4LithuanianID project. The Drone Workshop is open to teams of companies (up to 3 persons) with sufficient de minimis aid balance and no financial difficulties.
Registration for the event you can found here.