The latest achievements in the field of drone technology, circular economy, sustainability, and the start-up ecosystem were presented this year at the 87th Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF). The significant technological and financial event kicked off in Thessaloniki, Greece, on September 9, featuring the honoured country Bulgaria, 1,500 exhibitors, and 18 international participants. 4i Magazine was present at the exhibition, closely monitoring the latest technological advancements and related topics.
Attendees at the TIF Expo enjoyed the opportunity to witness robots, 3D printers, and drones in action. They also had the chance to embark on a journey through ancient Greek history with augmented reality and virtual reality tools and participate in workshops focused on artificial intelligence and smart technologies.
Technology and Culture
What stood out was the comprehensive interactive culture experience that everyone was able to experience by visiting the Ministry of Culture Culture Tech booth. With the use of augmented reality and virtual reality technologies, visitors could be guided to the archaeological site of Delphi and, from there, within minutes, to Ancient Olympia. A 3D virtual tour of the Delphi archaeological site was available via an app similar to Google Earth. What made it unique was that visitors could click on inscriptions and captions to reveal more information.
To enhance the immersive experience, visitors could use a gaming console to explore Delphi’s points of interest within a game-like program. Ancient Olympia retains its historical appearance, and thanks to an application developed in partnership with the Ministry of Culture and Microsoft, visitors can receive guidance both inside and outside the site and closely examine the exhibits.
A Bulgarian start-up that reimages how we move goods
Dronamics, a Bulgarian startup, is changing how we transport goods through drone technology. The world-leading company presented its cargo drones at the TIF Expo, which can, for example, transport mail and parcels, with a total weight of around 350 kg, about a load of a small van, and travel 2500 kilometres to deliver their cargo on the same day. The startup is the first to receive permission from the EU authorities to transport cargo with drones. It is about to start its transport project from Greece.
The company was founded by two young brothers, Konstantin, an engineer and Chief Technology Officer (CTO), and his economist brother Svilen, the CEO of Dronamics. Although it started as a “brazen” project, as they say, it was not only developed to provide innovative solutions but already has a presence in other European countries. The aircraft Research and Development centre is located in Sofia, Bulgaria. There are also groups of the company in the United Kingdom and Malta. As the founders of Dronamcis note, this mobility solution saves time, costs, and carbon dioxide emissions.
87th TIF Expo: Climate crisis and sustainability
During the Economist conference held at the TIF Expo, speakers emphasized the pressing importance for humanity to comprehend how its actions contribute to the increasingly severe effects of climate change. They stressed the need to initiate measures aimed at preventing natural disasters. This discussion took place in the section titled “Natural Disasters Today: Assessing the Actual Consequences.”
“We have to stop doing what we have been doing all these years and see how we can continue our activity, but differently,” pointed out the president of the National Scientific Committee on Climate Change, Kostas Synolakis. He described the summer of 2023 as a summer of extreme natural disasters that will be hard to forget. He pointed out that even the biggest denier of climate change/crisis should now be convinced that it is here and its impact is significant.
The dedication to the circular economy at the event piqued the interest of both businesses and visitors. Participating companies showcased innovative heating and cooling systems, specialized applications, products, and intriguing concepts for modern construction. Visitors to the Honored Country, Bulgaria’s booth, had the chance to witness a presentation of the Supercomputer, a state-of-the-art petascale computer. Additionally, the booth featured presentations and demonstrations of cutting-edge technologies and offered educational activities focused on innovative STEM learning methods.
