Greeting the attendees, Rector prof. Krzysztof Jóźwik stated, ‘The driving force behind any change is either a strong need or a brilliant idea. The distinguished representatives of industry here today, as well as we as Lodz University of Technology, aim to prepare a workforce capable of building future mobility, by which I mean anything that involves the movement of people and goods, but is ahead of its time. They will shape the way it looks, with what it is associated, what its use is, what our expectations are, and what risks arise. That is the underpinning of the discussions during the Forum. Our university has designed a master degree program in Future Mobility. It will be delivered in cooperation with our industry partners, which is how the Forum is also relevant from the point of view of our students and the advancement of research in this field.’
Invited by Lodz University of Technology were leading aerospace and automotive companies that included manufacturers and designers of navigation systems, autonomous and electric vehicles, vehicle safety systems, Connected Car, 5G, and ICT technologies.
Tomasz Krysiński, Head of Research and Innovation Airbus Helicopters, presented the corporation's forward-looking projects, and emphasized the contribution of the researchers from Lodz University of Technology, the Airbus Helicopters engineering design office in Łódź, and the test center in Stryków. Joining in the discussion were specialists from Harman Automotive Poland (an international manufacturer of software, consumer electronics, audio solutions for the automotive industry), Tom-Tom (navigation systems), Forvia (car seat plants in Poland), ZF (autonomous vehicles, vehicle safety systems), and MakoLab (Connected Car technologies).
The Forum was convened on the initiative of the Council of Lodz University of Technology, and was moderated by dr hab. inż. Damian Batory, TUL professor, Head of the Department of Vehicles and Fundamentals of Machine Design.