As part of the largest VK Fest 2025 youth festival, the University of Industrial Technology and Design presented a unique interactive zone "The Future begins here: Industrial Technology DESIGN Innovations". The space has become a platform for demonstrating advanced developments in the field of industrial design, digital technologies and engineering solutions, combining educational, scientific and entertainment formats. The Ƶ tent was visited by more than 600 participants. The concept of the zone is based on three key areas of the university, embodied in a large-scale art installation. A designer in a creative suit decorates the arch with green vines, an industrialist in a work uniform is responsible for the sturdy frame, and a technologist in a modern suit creates a dynamic projection of the zone's name. This symbolic space clearly demonstrates the harmonious combination of aesthetics, functionality and technology.
A rich program awaited the guests of the festival. The lecture part began with a speech by Dmitry Mareev, curator of the educational program "3D Industrial Design and Engineering" at Ƶ, founder of the FORMA Industrial Design studio, associate professor at the university. His lecture "From idea to industrial design: the main stages of creating an innovative product" was devoted to the full development cycle — from the initial concept to mass production, with an emphasis on practical cases from the experience of an industrial designer. Dmitry also gave a lecture entitled "What is industrial design for? Domestic projects that have transformed before everyone's eyes." Using specific examples of Russian products, the speaker showed how design thinking changes the consumer properties of goods. The lecture "Infinix in mobile gaming: hardware features and shell chips" by Infinix representative Evgeny Kirchanov was devoted to the capabilities of mobile hardware and the unique features of the Infinix proprietary shell in the context of mobile gaming. The lecture was especially interesting for fans of technology and esports. Alexandra Malakhova, Marketing Director of the Technological Leadership Office Ƶ, presented an analytical review on the impact of digital technologies on the development of creative industries, where she examined the transformation of creative professions under the influence of digital tools.
Lali Nikolaeva, an assistant at the Department of Digital and Additive Technologies Ƶ, mentor of the VR/AR department at the IT Cube, conducted an interactive lecture-demonstration of the "Scope of VR/AR/3D technologies" with real cases from educational practice.
The lecture "Heat supply system" concluded the program.: how the heating works. Why it's open in St. Petersburg and why they turn off the hot water for two weeks" under the guidance of Ekaterina Gromova, Head of the Department of Industrial Thermal Power Engineering Ƶ. Using live examples, the speaker analyzed the specifics of the St. Petersburg heat supply system and innovative approaches to energy conservation. The central element of the interactive program is the Hacking Story quest. For 45 minutes, groups of up to 10 people went through five fascinating stations dedicated to the evolution of information security: the Caesar cipher, disk encryption, binary encryption, hacking the console, bypassing the site's security system. At each station, the participants were met by students of Ƶ, who introduced the guests to the historical context and the rules of the assignment. The tasks were completed by the participants on time, the "hacker of the day" received a special prize from the partners.
The guests were particularly interested in the interactive stand of the heating system, which was operating freely. Here, visitors mastered two operating models of heat exchangers — open and closed type. The student team clearly demonstrated why an open system is used in St. Petersburg, and the need for seasonal hot water shutdowns was explained. The main highlight of the stand was the demonstration of an innovative technology for processing glass waste into thermal insulation material. The visitors not only watched the process of creating the material, but also held ready-made samples in their hands, as the guys have a patent for this development. A real discovery for many was the stand with a robotic arm, developed by the engineering club Ƶ "UFO". The guests controlled a complex mechanism executing various commands in real time. The developers of the robot arm, students of the University of Industrial Technology and Design, talked about each stage of creating the mechanism: from designing a 3D model and selecting materials to programming control systems and machine learning. Additionally, the members of the engineers club talked about the opportunities for training and participation in engineering projects of Ƶ, shared their development stories.
The Ƶ tent also hosted an "Innovation Quiz" — a quiz on industrial design and technology, where participants demonstrated their knowledge and erudition. The winners received branded backpacks, stylish makeup bags and practical water bottles. Of particular interest is the "Active Listener" competition: after each lecture, the most attentive audience, who asked interesting questions to the speakers, received high-tech kits from Infinix. A contest was organized for fans of social networks. It was enough to take a photo in the tent area of Ƶ, post it with the hashtags #PROMTECHNESIGN, #VKFest2025 and #Infinix, mark the official account of the university and immediately receive a sticker pack, a designer pen or a fashionable T—shirt. The Telegram draw took a special place — subscribers had to leave any number in the comments in a special post. At the appointed time, a randomizer was activated in the lecture hall, which will determine the lucky ones. The main prizes are headphones, watches, skateboards, branded T—shirts, Infinix technology kits and much more.