What could greater sustainability in the automotive industry look like? We're not going to open up the electric vs petrol car debate today. We're going to focus on the materials used to make cars, exteriors and interiors. In fact, the EKX department at Škoda Auto is, among other things, looking for materials that could be more circular - from interior elements made from biomaterials, which are still in the prototype phase, to the bumper-to-bumper project, i.e. the production of bumpers from used, demolished pieces from, for example, a car wrecking yard, which could go into production in the near future.

In the last episode, we discussed the IPA2X autonomous robot that stops cars approaching a crossing so people can cross safely.

The multimodal app, which has been running in Prague since 2019, has a new custom backend system that our team has created directly for the app. For 4 years now, the app has been helping users move around Prague more efficiently, and thanks to the new backend, we can better integrate a wider range of services and make it even easier for travellers to get around Prague.

The IPA2X robot is a so-called intelligent pedestrian assistant. The autonomous vehicle should ensure greater safety at crossings, for example for children or people with mobility problems, but of course for all pedestrians in general. It has two main parts. A chassis with wheels powered by electric motors and a two-meter long pole, which is basically its brain - LiDAR and cameras that allow it to recognize objects in its surroundings. Then on that head is also what's called an HMI, a set of screens that signal both drivers and pedestrians. In addition, the rover can send a signal to an approaching car, for example to its infotainment system.

Unfortunately, the number of accidents at railway crossings is constantly increasing. Drivers who ignore warning devices or are not careful enough at unprotected intersections are often to blame. But Škoda Auto has developed an application that warns drivers of an approaching train - and should thus increase safety at crossings.

On Friday, 3rd of February, the two-day hackathon of leading Czech IT specialists and developers called Race2Code, organised by Škoda Auto together with Škoda Auto DigiLab in Prague's Cubex centre, culminated. The meeting of experts from companies operating in the IT sector in the Czech Republic opens up space for presenting new ideas, solving specific tasks and establishing cooperation. The most successful teams will be given the opportunity to participate in future projects within the Volkswagen Group. The Race2Code Hackathon is also part of Škoda Auto's activities contributing to the development of the Czech Republic as an important centre of the modern automotive industry, electromobility and digitalisation.