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This page was translated automatically using artificial intelligence (DeepL). The German version is binding. More information about automatic translation
Last Wednesday, the Faculty of Engineering Sciences presented this year’s winner with the Gerhard Neumann Prize. The prize went to Elias Peter Weiße, a recent graduate of the Bachelor’s programme in Mechanical Engineering specialising in Resource-efficient Manufacturing Technology, for his final-year project ‘Design and Development of a Concept for a Fuel Cell-Powered Multicopter’.
Research is currently being carried out into the suitability of fuel cell propulsion systems for a wide range of mobility applications, with the aim of achieving a greater range compared to battery-powered systems. The market and the fields of application for multicopter drones are constantly growing; it is anticipated that hydrogen-powered drones will account for a very large market share in the future.
Expert reviewer Professor Jörg Hübler, from the Faculty of INW, attests to the thesis’s very high level of innovation. “The result was the development of a fuel-cell-powered multicopter with a payload of five kilograms,” the report states. “This can be used in future as a research platform for comparing different energy systems.”
The Gerhard Neumann Prize stems from the legacy of Mittweida graduate Gerhard Neumann, who, after completing his mechanical engineering degree, shaped the development of modern jet engines as a senior engineer and later as Vice-President of General Electric, thereby laying the foundations for the widespread commercial use of air travel whilst ensuring economical fuel consumption. The prize is awarded annually by the Faculty of Engineering Sciences for an outstanding final-year dissertation.
Text: Annett Kober, Helmut Hammer
Photos: Helmut Hammer