“The Mediterranean is sending out an SOS”

The project “The Mediterranean emits SOS” is an innovative environmental proposal that was implemented by students of the Thessaly Development Centre and was presented at the final of the Panhellenic Competition of Educational Robotics (STEM), held at the Paleo Faliro TaeKwon Do Indoor Stadium on 30 March 2024 by WRO Hellas. The project won the impressions in terms of its practical application and the innovative idea and was ranked 8th among the 36 teams of the final of the Panhellenic Competition being the only participation from the region of Thessaly.

The idea focuses on the need for more effective waste management on the Mediterranean coast, starting from the local level. The students developed a smart system to monitor the fullness of recycling bins, which is linked to a mobile app and automatically informs the relevant services when the bins are full. When the fullness of the bins exceeds 80%, an e-mail is automatically sent to the competent collection service so that the relevant process can be immediately mobilised.

The application also allows citizens to record complaints, while one of the most important advantages of the system is the saving of fuel, by plotting the optimal collection route, based on the data on the fullness of the bins. The project contributes to maintaining clean coastlines, enhances recycling, reduces the environmental footprint and fosters environmental awareness, demonstrating the power of student creativity in tackling real challenges.

The AKETH PIRATES team that created “The Mediterranean SOS” consists of: Konstantinos Apostolikas, Pantelis Varbobitis, Konstantinos Gida, Yannis Katsiavas, Panagiotis Koutsostergios, Konstantinos Kostoulas, Konstantinos Tsiolis, and their coaches are Georgios Gida and Evangelos Mantzanas. Sponsors of the team were : Violanda Cookies S.A., STEM eshop and Karakikes Shopping Center.