As an important player in drone research, Széchenyi István University has founded ABZ Innovation Ltd., a drone development company, with ABZ Drone Ltd. and MIB Invest Group Ltd. The company’s innovation for the international market is an agricultural spraying drone series. The series was a great success at one of the world’s largest food industry trade fairs – Fruit Logistica, Germany. According to experts, drone development could be followed by further technological triumphs based on the scientific innovations of the university.
This year’s Fruit Logistica international trade fair in Berlin broke all participation records in its 30-year history, as 2600 exhibitors from 92 countries were welcoming visitors from around 140 countries. A great spectacle of the event was the L10, a product of ABZ Innovation Ltd., the collective endeavor of Széchenyi István University, ABZ Drone Ltd., and MIB Investment Group Ltd.
The self-developed and manufactured agricultural spraying drone – designed for domestic and European agricultural conditions – combines all the current innovations available on the market. The product offers farmers safe and easy-to-use drone technology with the guarantee of ongoing support and service.
The ABZ Innovation Ltd. stand at the Berlin trade fair was a constant scene of interest.
“Our company has come a long way in a short space of time, as we are now at the point where we are receiving interest from all over the world. So far, people from more than ten countries have come to us to learn more about our product. They are also curious about the new technology because this is the first European spraying drone to be CE certified, which means it has EU-level compliance.” – Said Gyula Török, managing director of ABZ Drone Ltd. He added that the first official international presentation took place at one of Europe’s largest food industry trade fairs, which further boosted the significant interest.
The intellectual capital of Széchenyi István University is dedicated to innovative technological innovations in the spirit of sustainability.
“It became clear that there was a huge demand for a high-quality spraying drone made in Europe. At the exhibition, we not only had forward-looking discussions with companies within the continent but also received several concrete inquiries from South America.” – Stressed the managing director. He underlined that the next step is to continue to develop the drone and to use the relationships established to generate as many orders as possible, both in Hungary and on the international market.
The presentation of the drone, developed with the participation of Széchenyi István University, was also well attended.
“The aim of building the university innovation ecosystem is to produce development results that can stand their ground on the international market. To do this, first and foremost we need excellent research results, and we plan to launch several programs to support this. These will aid international networking and the production of high-quality research publications.”
– Said Gábor Dósa, managing director of Uni Inno Ltd., the utility company of Széchenyi István University. He added that besides supporting start-ups, the institution is building partnerships with large companies, in which the university and its industrial partner create a joint intellectual product. “Our strategic goal is to be a model institution in Central Europe in the areas of R&D, innovation, cooperation, and effectiveness,” he said. He stressed that the search for the best solutions to real market needs is also the success of ABZ Innovation.
The video on the opening page of the Fruit Logistica exhibition website also starts with a shot of the Hungarian spraying drone.
“In the field of drone development, we are not stopping at agriculture, as our capabilities can take us to the point of fully serving global market needs,” said István Drotár, head of the university’s Digital Development Centre. In addition to drone technology, he mentioned that Széchenyi University is carrying out significant scientific work, research, and development in many other areas, which, together with industrial partners, can bring similar success. These include 5G developments, telecommunications, artificial intelligence, and autonomous vehicles in cooperation with the university’s Automotive Research Centre.
“The key question for the university’s technological achievements is in which sectors we utilize them. With our innovative solutions, we can help the automotive industry, motorsports, telecommunications, and agricultural digitalization, just as healthcare, future transport, precision farming, modern food industry, and ultimately sustainability.” – Drotár concluded.
