Young engineers in Uzbekistan have presented a range of inventions spanning assistive technology, rapid health screening, industrial efficiency and unmanned systems. The projects were recognised at the national Kelajak muhandislari, or Engineers of the Future, competition in Tashkent.
The event brought together 1,925 applications, with 90 finalists selected. Winners were honoured on 29 September, according to information from Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation. The projects remain at different stages, from early prototypes to devices their creators say are already being used in clinics, public institutions and industrial facilities.
Smart glove translates Uzbek sign language into speech
Among the recognised projects was ImoVox, a sensor-equipped glove developed by engineering student Abduqodir Latifjonov. The device is designed to help people who use sign language communicate with those who do not understand it.
Adapted for Uzbek sign language, the glove tracks finger and hand movements in three dimensions. Individual gestures are linked to meanings, which the system then converts into speech. Artificial intelligence is used to combine separate signs into more natural-sounding sentences.
Latifjonov developed the concept after seeing the communication barriers faced by some sign language users. His project won second place in the student category for Best Idea. At this stage, ImoVox is described as a prototype rather than a widely deployed medical or communications product.
A 90-second device for preliminary health checks
Another project aims to bring several basic health measurements together in one machine. Body Tester, developed by Asadbek Urunov and his team at Turin Polytechnic University in Tashkent, records six readings in approximately 90 seconds:
- Height
- Weight
- Pulse
- Blood oxygen levels
- Body temperature
- Blood pressure
The results are stored digitally, and the device provides preliminary recommendations. Urunov said the same measurements can take considerably longer when carried out separately with conventional equipment.
The developer stressed that Body Tester is intended for initial assessment and should not be used to make a final medical diagnosis. He also said the device is already being used by about 30 organisations, including public bodies and clinics. The project won third place in the student Best Project category.
Mining innovation targets energy consumption
Industrial engineering was another major theme at the competition. Bekzod Gafforov won first place in the student Best Invention category for a redesigned lining used in ball mills, machinery that crushes and grinds ore before further processing.
The lining was developed with specialists from Navoi State University of Mining and Technologies. It combines wear-resistant steel and cast iron and is intended to improve the durability and efficiency of the rotating equipment.
Gafforov said the design is already being used at facilities operated by Navoi Mining and Metallurgical Company. According to figures provided by the developer, the lining’s service life increased by between one and a half and two times, grinding efficiency improved by 30 to 35 percent, and energy consumption fell by 5 to 10 percent.
These figures were presented by the project team and were not independently assessed in the competition information. They nevertheless illustrate the potential economic importance of engineering improvements in mining, a significant sector of Uzbekistan’s industrial economy.
Hybrid ground vehicle moves towards production
Dilmurod Rustamov, also from Turin Polytechnic University in Tashkent, developed BARLOS, a modular unmanned ground vehicle that can operate using electricity or petrol. Its design allows different equipment to be fitted according to the intended task.
Rustamov said the platform had been demonstrated to the head of Uzbekistan’s State Security Service and described the technology as military-related. According to the developer, nine vehicles have been produced after the team received an order for eight units in four configurations.
The team also said it had been tasked with producing 100 units in 2027. The reported order and future production plan come from the developers’ account; the competition material does not provide further details about the customer, specifications or deployment arrangements.
Drone interceptor reaches field-testing stage
The first prize in the student Best Project category went to Biloliddin Ismoilov, a second-year student at Tashkent University of Information Technologies, for Shunqor-8.
The locally developed system is designed to intercept unmanned aircraft. Information released by Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation says it can reach speeds of up to 450 kilometres per hour and engage targets at a reported distance of 8 to 10 kilometres.
Ismoilov said the system had completed eight rounds of field testing, with further trials planned. Those claims indicate that the project is progressing beyond the initial concept stage, but the available information does not establish whether Shunqor-8 has entered operational service.
Hand-controlled computing offers an alternative to a mouse
Davron Polojanov, who placed third in the student Best Invention category, created the Hand Control Mouse K10G. The device uses three-dimensional hand movements to control computers and other electronic equipment without a conventional mouse.
Its possible uses include education. A teacher could move through a presentation while walking around a classroom instead of returning repeatedly to a computer. The system could also have applications in settings where users need to operate equipment without touching a flat surface.
Why the competition matters
The Engineers of the Future competition highlights the breadth of Uzbekistan’s emerging engineering ecosystem. The finalists’ projects address practical challenges in communication, healthcare, mining, education and security technology.
They also show the difference between invention and deployment. Some projects are prototypes requiring further development, testing and investment. Others are reported by their creators to have reached organisations or industrial sites, but their performance and safety may require additional independent evaluation.
For Uzbekistan, competitions of this kind provide a route for university researchers and young engineers to present ideas to state institutions and industry. The next challenge will be turning promising demonstrations into products that can be tested, regulated and scaled responsibly.
Conclusion
Uzbekistan’s young engineers are developing technologies with applications ranging from accessibility and preliminary healthcare to industrial production and drone defence. The projects recognised in Tashkent are not all at the same level of maturity, but the competition shows how student-led innovation is being connected with public institutions and businesses. The key test now is whether the most promising prototypes can achieve reliable, independently validated and responsible real-world use.
