Bridges, screws, ideas, and minimal time. That's exactly what the strojLAB Challenge at FME BUT looked like

Twelve teams from the Czech Republic and Slovakia received the same assignment, the same components, and only a few hours to design and build a bridge that could be unfolded from one bank, assembled as effectively as possible on the other side, and still allow a remote-controlled car to drive across it. The students from Gymnázium Matyáše Lercha in Brno handled the challenge best. The competition was organized by the DiSTT project team at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of BUT, with Honeywell as its partner.

In the workshops of the strojLAB construction lab, where the competition took place, everything could be seen: quick sketches made on the fly, last-minute concept changes, laser cutting and 3D printing in action, and above all, teamwork. A hackathon in practice – limited resources, limited time, and maximum focus.

The results? Technically smart, creative, and sometimes surprisingly elegant. A trio of students from Gymnázium Matyáše Lercha assembled a structure that could be deployed and retracted the fastest across a 420 mm wide gap. “The winning team demonstrated a high level of diligence and precision. I liked how the team proceeded systematically and continuously tested their design. The clamps that the team produced using 3D printing to secure the structure significantly contributed to the stability of their mechanism,” described the main organizer of the competition and strojLAB project guarantor David Škaroupka from FME BUT.

The students thus won the main prize for their school in the form of a 3D printer, which was donated to the competition by Honeywell. At the beginning of the competition, Tomáš Szaszi, Senior Director for Technology and Strategy at Honeywell Aerospace, introduced the students to the concept of Design Thinking. This approach can help in solving a wide range of challenges, not only engineering ones. “In aviation, we often deal with an equation where time and resources are the unknowns, but the result must be flawless functionality. The hackathon format perfectly prepares students for this reality. We are pleased that, on behalf of Honeywell Aerospace, we can be part of this and support young talent,” said Szaszi.

This is also confirmed by the competition mentor and doctoral student from the Institute of Machine Design, Petr Křivohlavý. “In the case of the strojLAB Challenge, it’s not about winning, but primarily about the process of handling the challenge. The competitors learn the assignment only on site and have just a few hours to complete it. It’s an opportunity to try out teamwork, engineering skills, creativity, working under pressure, and personal resilience. In the end, everyone was looking forward to seeing the solutions devised by the other teams and expressed mutual appreciation,” Křivohlavý described the atmosphere.

Placement	Team Name	School	Points
1	GML	Gymnázium Matyáše Lercha, Brno	87.3
2	Dlouhý, široký a krátkozraký	SPŠ a VOŠ Brno, Sokolská 1	76.8
3	Absolutní strojírenství	Střední průmyslová škola Resslova 5, Ústí nad Labem	48.4
4	Elektronici ze Ždáru	SPŠ Žďár nad Sázavou	43.7
5	PurkyRacers	Střední průmyslová škola Purkyňova, Brno	28.4
6	SPŠ Dubnica	Stredná priemyselná škola, Dubnica nad Váhom, Slovakia	27
7	Znojmo Trojmo	GPOA Znojmo	25.8
8	Projekt Pleš	Gymnázium Blansko	24.6
9	LoPaTy	Gymnázium Jana Blahoslava Ivančice	24.1
10	Sokolíci	SPŠ a VOŠ Brno, Sokolská 1	16.3
11	SpšseČB	Střední průmyslová škola strojní a elektrotechnická, České Budějovice	13.3
12	Bravo6	Gymnázium Třinec	11.9

International project and partner support

The competition was held as part of the international DiSTT project, funded by the Interreg Central Europe programme. The event took place under the auspices of the Dean of FME BUT, and its partner was also Honeywell, which provided the main prize for the competition.

Source: Faculty of Mechanical Engineering

---

Author	Mgr. Radka Španihelová
Published	2026-01-20 09:09
Link	https://www.vut.cz/en/but/f19528/d317275