Eni is gold sponsor of Maker Faire

Rome – “La Sapienza‘ University of Rome, 16-18 October

Rome, 9 October 2015 - Eni is gold sponsor of the “Maker Faire - the European Edition‘ which will be held in Rome form 16 to 18 October at the “Sapienza‘ University of Rome.

Maker Faire is the world’s biggest innovation event, the annual celebration of the “Maker Movement‘, an exhibition dedicated to the whole family of makers and focusing on creativity and inventiveness in the world of IT, robotics and automation. On this occasion the innovators of the third millennium will display and present the projects they are working on and share technological knowledge and skills related to the hi-tech world. The movement of makers is based on the recycling and sharing of results, as well as creativity and innovation. Technological innovation is also fundamental for Eni as it provides access to new energy resources, improves extraction, increases efficiency and reduces environmental impact.

Consequently, following the success of last year, Eni returns to the Maker Faire with a stand entitled “Innovation for Energy‘ to present the latest results of technological innovation by the ”six-legged dog’, with a focus on the issue of safety at work. In focus will be wearable technologies, the result of the MIT Energy Initiative’s Safety++ project, a collaboration between Eni and MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). Safety++ aims to improve the protective equipment used in industry (fireproof clothing, protective shoes, carabiners or safety hooks), making it intelligent and interconnected. Tested at Eni’s Safety Competence Centre in Gela, each wearable item allows a control room to collect data in real time about working environment conditions and the health of operators.

The R & D upstream “Operator Training System‘ project, which also focuses on the subject of wearable devices designed to increase safety at work, will be presented for the first time by Eni at the fair. The Operator Training System accurately simulates the behaviour of an industrial plant and makes it possible to interact and become familiar with a range of operational and emergency scenarios that considers the consequences of individual actions, “submerging‘ the user in a virtual world that faithfully replicates reality. The system can train operators on all day-to-day activities at a plant (navigation, safety inspections, maintenance) and allows the user to recognise equipment, instruments, valves and provides all the necessary information to conduct the activities planned in a simple and immediate way.

Safety at work will also be the subject of a competition in the form of a Hackathon, organised by Eni for the first time at the Maker Faire at the “MACRO‘ Museum – Rome’s Museum of Contemporary Art. In a 32-hour marathon, from 10 to 11 October, makers from around the world will compete to create design solutions to improve the safety of industrial workers. Eni will reward the winning team with a five-day trip to Boston and a visit to MIT. An important space will also be dedicated to the issue of renewable energy, with the flagship projects of the Eni-Donegani Research Centre for Non-conventional Energy, luminescent solar concentrators (LSC) and highly flexible organic photovoltaic panels (OPV). Both these technologies will be presented in a number of practical applications by the students of PiùLab, the cutting-edge 3D-printing laboratory of the Milan Polytechnic. Eni’s technological focus Eni for this edition will be completed by SAR (Automatic Supply System), a machine that can ensure fast and efficient refuelling, allowing drivers to remain in their vehicle, increasing safety and reducing the waiting time by up to 30%. Maker Faire will also be an opportunity to talk about smart mobility. Enjoy, the event’s official car sharing operator, will present to the Roman public the first scooter sharing system, in partnership with the Piaggio Group and Trenitalia, and already operating in Milan.