Purdue students to display innovations during senior design finale
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue University mechanical engineering students in their senior capstone design course will demonstrate a diverse collection of inventions that includes a robotic stair cleaner, an autonomous surveillance helicopter and a solar-powered motorized baby stroller.
The students will display their works during the School of Mechanical Engineering Thomas J. & Sandra H. Malott Innovation Awards competition on Friday (April 27). More than 40 senior design projects will be on display from 1-3 p.m. in the second-floor atrium of the Mechanical Engineering Building's Gatewood Wing. First- through third-place, and judges' choice award winners will be announced from 2:45-3 p.m.
"The students came up with some very creative concepts and then designed and built their prototypes in one semester," said Professor John Starkey, director of the PEARL Laboratory and the senior design class. He and eight other faculty of the School of Mechanical Engineering served as advisers for the senior design projects, which include:
* An automatic gift-wrapping machine.
* A robotic stair cleaner.
* A baby stroller propelled with a solar-powered motor.
* An autonomous surveillance helicopter (YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMIZrPpXpAM).
* An automatic interior painter.
* A magnetic levitating and remote-controlled car.
* An autonomous electric grand prix kart.
* An automatic toilet seat sterilizer.
The senior design teams were advised by faculty members John Nolfi, Fu Zhao, Tahira Reid, Xianfan Xu, Hokum Mongia, Galen King, Peter Meckl, and Greg Shaver.
Writer: Emil Venere, 765-494-4709, venere@purdue.edu
Source: John Starkey, 765-494-8607, starkey@purdue.edu
Note to Journalists: Broadcast quality B-roll and sound bites are available for download and use at ftp://news69.uns.purdue.edu/Public/MESeniorProjectsSpring2012/. For more information, contact Jim Schenke, Purdue News Service, at 765-237-7296, jschenke@purdue.edu
