1. PoC proposal: Novel low cost materials for in-situ treatment of oil drilling wastewater- MOFBAG
Applicant’s Full name: Emmanouil Manos
Host Organization Name: NanoViis SA
City: Athens

Abstract:

The proposed project aims to address an emerging need related to the removal of crude oil and oil residues from oil drilling wastewater treatment facilities. The technologies that are used to treat wastewater produced from oil drilling are based on flotation and separation of crude oil and subsequent entrapment of oil residues in sorbent beds. This process, however, is limited by the relatively fast saturation of the sorbents requiring frequent regeneration which is associated with high operational and investment costs as it is time-consuming. To deal with this problem we propose herein the fabrication of filter bags modified with super hydrophobic coatings and materials, which can be used either independently or in combination with the currently employed technologies. The developed filter bags will be modified using low-cost precursor materials based on an easily scalable synthetic process, developed in our laboratory, that enables to remove crude oil, oil residues or both. The use of such filter bags, either in combination with the current methods or as stand-alone treatment platform is expected to have significant advantages to oil drilling wastewater treatment by offering a versatile tool that is easily adoptable to the available facilities, requires no specialized infrastructure and is easily replaced while offering high removal yield of dispersed crude oil and high purification ability for dissolved oil residues. The technology which is already in an advanced state of development will be evaluated in a pilot plant available at the facilities of NanoViis SA which is a major supplier of oil removal materials in the Norwegian oil extraction facilities. For this reason, we
expect that this technology will be of immediate interest to the market. In a long term perspective, we expect ths technology to attract the interest of many other end-users (oil industriles) in Europe and worldwide.

2. PoC proposal: Monitoring & reporting hull fouling in shipsApplicant’s Full name: Spiros Kapotas
Host Organization Name: Ioannis Loukeris
City: Patras

Abstract:
Shipping companies must paint the hull of their ships with a special paint, which is called antifouling (a/f) coating, to prevent the fouling (dirt). Failing to paint a ship properly, results in increasing the hull roughness due to fouling, which in turn results in fuel overconsumption. Moreover, the ship will need to be cleaned multiple times before being repainted, usually after five years. The overall cost of the antifouling coating miss performance is many thousands of USD per ship, per year. Although painting the ship with the proper antifouling coating is critical, it is of equally importance to prevent, or rather delay, the fouling during the operation of the ship. There are many factors, which affect the performance of the antifouling coating. Most of them, such as the temperature of the sea and the biomass concentration in the ports, constantly change. Therefore, it is extremely difficult for the shipping company to predict if and when a ship’s hull is fouled. It is even more difficult to adjust ship’s operation in order to prevent the fouling. The most reliable method to detect the fouling is the underwater inspection by experienced divers. If the inspection shows that the hull is fouled indeed, then the shipping company has an underwater cleaning performed when the ship is at berth. These underwater works cost some thousands of USD depending on which port they take place. In general, the fewer underwater cleanings are needed the better for the ship is, cost-wise as well as operation-wise. The proposed service will be monitoring the factors, which impact the performance of the antifouling coating during the operation of the ship and will generate reports, which will be handed over to the owner. In this way, we shall help the shipping company to take actions in order to avoid the fouling or decide when it is the right time to do an underwater cleaning.

3. PoC proposal: Back Brace with IoT sensors:
Applicant’s Full name: Dimitrios Moustakas
Host Organization Name: AIDPLEX OE
City: Thessaloniki

Abstract:
The proposed pilot use aims to examine further iterations of an orthopedic back       brace solution designed by AidPlex with the aim of higher comfort levels and retrofitting the resulted design with IoT sensors capable of monitoring the progress of a patient’s spinal condition (e.g. scoliosis, kyphosis etc), whilst gamifying the process to achieve higher rates of adherence in back brace usage. Use Scenarios: Scoliosis, kyphosis or similar spinal deformities are currently treated with heavy incumbent back braces, which lead to fatigue, reduced manoeuvrability and potential social exclusion especially in younger patients. The overarching goal is to finetune the design of a back brace by examining aspects like weight distribution, modularity, size, adaptability and overall comfort, whilst IoT sensors will help patients self-assess and adapt their back braces leading to higher degrees of adherence and outcome. The IoT component of the solution will also support gamified processes which stand to help patients follow through treatment and exercises more diligently achieving better results and subsequently increase their quality of life.

1. Poc Proposal: MaGOS-Rehab
   Appicant’s Full name: Grigoris Agriopoulos
   Host Organization Name: QUANTA & QUALIA IKE / Private Company
   City: Agrinio
   
   Abstract:
   
   MaGOS-rehab is a unique portable human-computer interaction device (2 wearable-gloves PCinterconnected) accompanied by the relevant s/w(data-sheet&3D depiction of the hand/fingers movement)for rehabilitation cases. MaGOS–Rehab is a tool to assist experts(hand-therapists) to record the finger/hand movement of their patients and safely, propose treatment. Also, MaGOS-rehab aims to become the motivation tool for patients track their success on specific tasks while not in the medical environment. Our possible users are persons that require finger-hand rehabilitation a great majority of which are stroke survivors(worldwide-10million/year). Our clients, at first, will be rehabilitation clinics. Global Physiotherapy Services Market: $165.73 Billion by 2023-CAGR 5.34% Taking into consideration the problem, the hard way patients have to follow in order to rehabilitate their hands we understand this is a great social-impact project. MaGOS possesses the characteristics of an enabling technology, so, we may target multiple adjacent markets(i.e. sign-to-speech, input-device for computer-systems, IoT control device, Motion-captureacting, Robotics and surgical-robotics) We are a multi-disciplinary team of young people which has invested huge effort and time in this project and holds all the necessary hard & soft skills to make this project a huge-success-story. Through this proposal we seek of the required funding for the next step of our project.
   
   
2. Poc Proposal: Incident Response Beekeeping Safety system
   Appicant’s Full name: Sotirios Kontogiannis
   Host Organization Name: Department of Mathematic / University of Ioannina
   City: Ioannina
   
   Abstract:
   
   The most significant problems of modern beekeeping are threats that affect the viability of the bee swarms and the destruction-theft of bee array hives. Such threats are caused by extreme environmental conditions or human interventions or animal attacks. Since beekeepers investment is most of the time exposed to distant and inaccessible areas, the safety of the beekeeping installation is a primary concern, especially if it is a moving or migratory apiary. The proposed system (IRBS) to be implemented within this PoC proposal is an incident response system focusing on the safety of beehive arrays. IRBS includes beehive security mechanisms using sensors and low energy transponders placed in the beehive cells of the array. Low power and long range wireless communication protocols collect the data of each array and transmit them periodically to a cloud service via Internet connected intermediate gateways. The bee cells integrated safety mechanisms and the proposed system communication protocols capture array incidents, record them to a cloud based information system and enforces appropriate data mining logic to decode and evaluate which type of threats are involved. Incidents are then asynchronously delivered from the information system to the end-user beekeeper through a mobile phone application.
   
   
3. Poc Proposal: Digital colorimetric DNA analysis in real-time
   Appicant’s Full name: Giorgos Papadakis – Electra Gizelis
   Host Organization Name: Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology / Foundation for Research and Technology
   City: Crete
   
   Abstract:
   
   A new trend in molecular diagnostics is to have the actual diagnostic assay at the location where a sample is collected or a patient is treated. The so-called “point-of-need” diagnostics require simple, rapid and accurate methods that could be performed not only outside the traditional lab environment but in any place and under any circumstances, such as in space. In our lab we have invented such a method that can provide quantitative and rapid results with the help of a smartphone regarding the presence of a genetic biomarker in real samples and at the point-of-need. This under patenting method has been experimentally proven in our lab and an appropriate prototype system is currently under development based on 3D printing manufacturing technology. Physicians, patients, farmers and food manufacturers could all benefit from the system which could also be used for research purposes by lab scientists or at schools where students could become familiar with DNA biotechnology. By the end of this project we expect to have reached a precommercialization stage for our prototype.