A recent contest held by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey offered students the chance to showcase their innovative spirit, while trying to solve some real-world problems.

As part of the first Catwalk Challenge Exhibition, 20 teams across 18 high schools in New Jersey and New York were tasked with reimagining the 2.5-foot-wide catwalks that run the length of the Lincoln and Holland tunnels.

The teams spent the last few months brainstorming, sketching and testing their designs, as well as providing updates to Port Authority staff. Ultimately, the winning group came from the Garden State.

Requirements of the Catwalk Challenge included incorporating two-way communication, cameras and mobility. Then, the projects were judged on how they addressed the challenge’s needs. Beyond providing emergency response for drivers inside the tunnel, the design’s feasibility, ease of implementation and matching aesthetic with the Port Authority’s priorities around safe, modern operations were evaluated.

Students from Bergen County Technical High School Teterboro designed the winning project: an autonomous one-stop shop for roadside emergencies located along the tunnel catwalks dubbed HOLL-E. The winning team included Jenna Forte, Thomas Liu, Jacob Kupperman, Erisa Tarnowski and Randi Gill. Nicholas Elefther served as the faculty advisor.

Features of the autonomous robot include: an AED kit, jumper cables, a fire extinguisher, an LED screen with CPR instructions, LiDAR sensors, a two-way communication system and rechargeable battery.

The results of the contest were announced at a Jan. 31 event held at One World Trade Center’s One World Observatory in New York City.

The Bergen County Technical High School Teterboro team took home a $750 check for the school’s robotics program. Additionally, there is the possibility the Port Authority could implement some or all of the HOLL-E design.

‘Real-world’ experience

“We’re just really thankful to get a real-world problem to solve,” said Elefther. “I think that’s helpful for them to get motivated and to use their really good brains on an interesting problem. This pulls together a lot of the skills they learned throughout their four years.”

“This allows users to quickly address any issues they may be experiencing in the tunnel and get all the cars moving,” said Forte, a senior at the school. “We can address any safety issues as quickly as possible.”

Moving forward, the Port Authority says it plans to host more student innovation competitions like this.

“It’s incredibly valuable for us to bring these young voices into the fold,” said Port Authority Chief Engineer Rizwan Baig. “It’s helping them envision how their work can apply in the real world, and hopefully providing a bit of a spark that can power them onto this incredibly important and rewarding career path.”

In the making

The contest marks the continuation of the Port Authority’s efforts around innovation.

Last year, NJBIZ highlighted the agency’s Innovation Hub, which allows employees to pitch executives on new technology that could help advance the Port Authority’s work. Then, those ideas are tested through pilots. Several recent, notable projects include autonomously platooned airport shuttles (click here to see a vide of the demonstration), cargo delivered via drone, and a driverless electric street sweeper.

Agency officials say the next challenge – already in the planning stages – will ask students to apply autonomous vehicle technology to airport ground support equipment.

Seth Wainer, who spearheads the Innovation Hub, stresses these annual student challenges will open a new dimension for the agency’s innovation work.

“This is all about we, at the Port Authority, listening to the next generation,” said Wainer. “We’re hoping to give the high schoolers a feeling that what they’re doing matters, that government cares very much about solving these problems together, and maybe give them some idea of a possible career path in front of them.”

“It was really cool to contribute to something in our community,” Forte added. “We’re excited that hopefully our design can make some change and we can help people around New Jersey and New York travel through safely.”