Whether individual participants or teams of applicants, the winning design will receive 5,000 euros and the accompanying chair an additional 2,000 euros in prize money. As in the previous year, there is no earmarking for the prize money. The award ceremony will take place publicly in a dignified setting in fall 2018 after the documents have been evaluated. André Weßling, responsible for global marketing at ACE, is the contact person for interested candidates.

The safety catch and the locking and opening logic as well as the communication concept are evaluated with equal weighting of 30 points each. The energy supply function is awarded 10 points. There are no specifications for the release of the latch. Mechanical, electrical and hydraulic solutions as well as any combination of these approaches are conceivable.

The shape and size of the combination of the safety gear and the catching and holding device can also be freely selected. The safety gear must be able to send the open and closed positions to a smartphone. If the safety gear is then suspended in the holding device, the mechanism must be able to hold twice the weight force of ten kilograms. More than 30 percent of the kinetic energy should be absorbed during the deceleration or damping of the safety gear. The mass should be moved into the impactor without an oblique impact. A polymer buffer made of SLAB, ACE's vibration-insulating panels, is to be used as a damping element. ACE engineers are on hand to advise on the selection and verification of the damping element.

The submission deadline for the competition documents is August 31, 2018. ACE provides further information and a PDF file with the tender documents at this link: www.ace-ace.de/de/unternehmen/ace-awards/innovace-2018.html as