SEEING-EYE BELT: Qingyi Wang models the Infrared Navigator for the Blind. Photograph by Douglas Fraser.
Five students created a wearable infrared obstacle detector to help the visually impaired. Their prototype was designed to be inconspicuous, quiet, durable, and power-efficient, with a range of 1.5 meters and a low $30 price tag. Inventors Mncedisi Sikhondze ’11, Harold Dansu ’12, and dual-degree students Irina Cazan, Ermira Murati, and Qingyi Wang won the Phillip R. Jackson Award for outstanding performance in ENGS 21: Introduction to Engineering. Their teaching assistant was Christian Ortiz ’11.
Image courtesy of Take-a-Breather Group.
When asthma strikes, people can regain their breath by using an effective but inconvenient electric nebulizer, a small but inefficient metered dose inhaler (MDI), or an MDI that has a long spacer attached to it to ensure that the medication reaches the lungs. Take-a-Breather improves on the MDI by adding a collapsible spacer and dual-flow mouthpiece. The telescoping spacer keeps the MDI pocket-size. The mouthpiece allows users to breath naturally, like using a nebulizer. Zakieh Bigio ’10, Betsy Dain-Owens ’10, Catherine Emil ’10, Sarah Feldmann ’11, and Sarah Rocio ’10 developed Take-a-Breather for ENGS 21: Introduction to Engineering. Their teaching assistant was Ashley Heist ’08 Th’09.
For more photos, visit our Student Projects set on Flickr.
The Bike That Grows
Alden Adolph ’11, Thomas Collier ’11, Max McClorey ’11, Kevin McGregor ’11, and Chris Zentner ’11 designed a bike that grows as a child grows. The bike uses only one set of 20-inch wheels but can be adjusted to mimic the geometries of a bike with 16-, 20-, and 24-inch wheels. The students won the Phillip R. Jackson Award for outstanding performance in ENGS 21: Introduction to Engineering. Their teaching assistant was M.E.M. student Eric Klem ’08.
Self-Sanitizing Keyboard
Forget the Purell. ENGS 21 students Sean Currey ’11, Elizabeth Kemp ’11, Heather Kluk ’11, and Yolanda Lin ’11 built a self-sanitizing keyboard. Keyboard covers rotate after use for cleansing by ultraviolet light. The group’s teaching assistant was B.E. student Scott Lananna ’08.
For more photos, visit our Student Projects Flickr page.
Dartmouth students use 8,572 kilowatt hours per day, much of it wasted by leaving on lights and appliances. The “Hit the Lights” system requires students to insert their Dartmouth ID card into a radio-frequency card reader to activate lights and outlets in dorm rooms. No card, no current — except for designated outlets for appliances that need constant power. The foolproof system reduces energy usage up to 33 percent. Creators Michael Bush ’11, Eric Durell ’11, Michael Lewis ’11, Thomas Mandel ’11, and Paul Seebacher ’11 won the Phillip R. Jackson Award for outstanding performance in ENGS 21: Introduction to Engineering. Their teaching assistant was Andrew Herchek Th’09.
HIT THE LIGHTS: No card, no current. Photo courtesy of “Hit the Lights” group
For more photos, visit our Student Projects Flickr page.
Learning to use hand-activated brakes on bikes can be tricky and dangerous. Too much pressure to the front wheel brake can send the rider flying over the handlebars. A spring mounted at the connection of the brake cable and the hand lever ensures even pressure for non-spill stops. Kyle Betts ’10, Benjamin Meigs ’10, Adam Powers ’09, and Jeff Spielberg ’10 developed the device for ENGS 21: Introduction to Engineering. Their TA was Laura Weyl Th’09.
For more photos, visit our Student Projects Flickr page.
Night Runner
An L.E.D.-studded belt acts as both flashlight and reflector for safety in the dark. Abraham Clayman ’07, Daniel Harburg, Sanderson Hull ’09, Michal Jablonski ’09, and Alex Lippai ’09 won the Fall Term 2006 Phillip R. Jackson Award for outstanding performance in ENGS 21: Introduction to Engineering. The team’s teaching assistant was Deborah Sperling ’06 Th’07.
Night Runner. Photograph by Douglas Fraser.
Nordic Exchange
For developing strength in cross-country ski double poling, the Nordic Exchange leaves other trainers in the cold. Dual degree students Robert Courtney, David Drennan, Chris Klabes, and Christa Miller-Shelley, and Alix Toothman ’08 earned a Phillip R. Jackson Award honorable mention. Brian Hendrickson ’06 was their teaching assistant. You can see the Nordic Exchange in action on YouTube.
Nordic Exchange. Photograph by Douglas Fraser.
For more photos, visit our Student Projects Flickr page.
With the Self-Powered Remote, couch potatoes will save more than their own energy. They’ll reduce the need for the 3 billion batteries Americans use in their homes each year. The Self-Powered Remote utilizes a magnet traveling though a conductive coil to generate its own electricity. A 30-second shake is all it takes to produce enough voltage to change channels 70 times. Project team Fahmi Enam ’08, Lauren Miller ’09, Nandan Shetty ’07, and Stephanie Trudeau ’09 won the Phillip R. Jackson Prize for outstanding performance in ENGS 21, “Introduction to Engineering,” last spring. Maxime Guimond ’06 was the team’s teaching assistant.
Self-powered remote. Photograph courtesy of Stephanie Trudeau ’09
CAD images courtesy of Elisha Tam
Prototype
Ever wonder if you remembered to turn off the burner on your kitchen stove? With the Remote Access Cook-Top Notification System, a left-on stovetop will alert you via cell phone. You’ll even be able to shut the stove off by phone. The prototype is pictured above, the finished product below. Team members Catherine Gaito ’07, Marc Lajoie ’08, Prahbu Perumalsamy ’08, Kimberly Rocio ’08, and Elisha Tam ’07 won the Philip R. Jackson Award for the best project in ENGS 21 (“Introduction to Engineering”). Their T.A. was M.E.M. student Eleanor Alexander ’04, Th’05.
Finished product
For more photos, visit our Student Projects set on Flickr.
FlexTech Roller Ski
FlexTech improves on currently available roller skis by accurately simulating the dynamic weight shifts involved in the classic cross-country skiing stride. Monica Martin de Bustamante ’08, Ben Koons ’08, Ashley Heist ’08, and Patrick Biggs ’06 won the Phillip R. Jackson Award for outstanding overall performance in ENGS 21 (Introduction to Engineering) last spring. They hope to bring their product to market. Their teaching assistant was Gail Sweeney ’03, Th’05.
Image courtesy of Monica Martin de Bustamante ’08.
Boof Buster
Boofing, a whitewater kayaking maneuver for descending waterfalls, often leads to broken ankles as kayakers smash against their craft’s bulkhead — or their kayak hits rock. So ENGS 21 students Diede van Lamoen ’05, Bennet Meyers ’08, Justin Sanford ’08, David Strauss ’08, and Alfred Umbhau ’08, four of whom are kayakers, designed a bulkhead shock absorber that uses springs to safely suspend the kayaker at the moment of impact. Kayak manufacturer LiquidLogic has expressed interest in the product. Erik Dambach ’04, Th’05 was the team’s teaching assistant.
Image courtesy of Alfred Umbhau ’08.
For more photos, visit our Student Projects set on Flickr.
Gyrobike
Forget training wheels. The Gyrobike keeps beginners upright every time. The novel bike features a gyroscopic flywheel fitted into the front wheel.
Inventors Hannah Murnen ’06, Augusta Niles ’07, Nathan Sigworth, and Deborah Sperling ’06 won the Phillip R. Jackson Award for most outstanding overall performance in last fall’s ENGS 21 (Introduction to Engineering). M.E.M. candidate Jon den Hartog ’03 was the team’s teaching assistant.
Photograph by Douglas Fraser.
Four-Wheel Jog
The four-wheeled “Better Jogging Stroller” improves on the stability and steering of three-wheeled models. A twist of the handlebar turns the front wheels right or left. ENGS 21 students Jennifer Crist ’07, Kevin Olds ’07, Patrick Rodjito, Brenda Zarate ’05, and Mike Hart ’07 designed the stroller. The team’s teaching assistant was M.E.M. candidate Jeff Hebert ’04.
Image courtesy of Michael Hart ’07
For more photos, visit our Student Projects set on Flickr.
