On September 5, a memorial plaque in honor of the inventor of the piezoelectric motor, senior researcher, honored scientist of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute Vyacheslav Lavrinenko (1939-2019) was unveiled on the facade of the academic building No. 12, where the Faculty of Electronics is located.
Yuriy Yakymenko, Assistant to the Rector of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, Academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, addressed the participants with a welcoming speech. He emphasized that Vyacheslav Lavrinenko's contribution to the development of the national and later the world piezoelectric motor industry cannot be overestimated. The electric motor, which the inventor created in 1964, does not have any wire windings or magnetic fields, but is able to convert electricity into mechanical energy with a high efficiency, which in some cases exceeds 90%.
Yuriy Yakymenko reminded that Lavrinenko's invention has been indispensable in spacecraft systems, charged particle accelerators, and robotics for almost 60 years. The piezoelectric motor gave impetus to the invention of piezoelectric transformers, filters, etc. On the basis of these electrical devices, drives for antennas and surveillance cameras, lens assemblies for DSLRs of world-famous brands, and a wide range of industrial and household products were developed. Vyacheslav Lavrinenko's developments were decades ahead of similar work abroad. He received many copyright certificates and patents for the invention of the piezoelectric motor, more than 50 of which were granted in Europe, the United States, and Japan.
"By unveiling this memorial plaque," Yuriy Yakymenko emphasized, "I am fulfilling a triple mission as a representative of the university administration, as his friend and fellow scientist. A hard-working, purposeful scientist-practitioner who created the laboratory of piezoelectric motors, he was highly respected among students, teachers, and engineers. Despite the difficulties in his personal life, he successfully worked in the Thesis Defense Council, as a member of sectoral and interdisciplinary scientific and technical commissions. Let's hope that Viacheslav Lavrinenko's students will continue the work of the famous practicing scientist... In 2018, Ukrposhta presented a stamp dedicated to the outstanding discovery of the piezoelectric motor and its author in the series "Inventions that Ukraine gave to the world".
Professor Oleksandr Borysov, Head of the Microelectronics Department, Dmytro Tatarchuk, Head of the Acoustic and Multimedia Electronic Systems (AMES) Department, Serhii Naida, and Chief Engineer of the Storm Design Bureau, Serhii Pukha, recalled interesting facts from Lavrinenko's life at the opening ceremony. Students loved him, and he was engaged in career guidance work using his own methodology. It is interesting that after Vyacheslav Vasilyevich's meetings with applicants, the flow of applicants to the FEL became much larger. Vyacheslav Lavrinenko was also known among yachtsmen. Sails and the sun - the romance of river and sea travel, which he loved in his free time from his scientific and pedagogical work, helped him dream and live, create and teach young engineers and scientists.
The memory of Viacheslav Lavrynenko, who studied, taught, researched and invented at Kyiv Polytechnic for 60 years, was immortalized on the facade of the 12th building of the FEL.
The scientist developed a unique piezoelectric motor for converting electrical energy into mechanical energy with high efficiency. Today, his invention is used in astronomy, space exploration, robotics, and even installed in DSLR lenses.
This innovative development quickly spread beyond the borders of our country: piezoelectric motors are used in Japan, China, and the United States.