Final 2.009 projects make outdoor living better
Staying dry while biking through a downpour, improving your odds of rescue from a distressed boat, or simply cooking up a delicious meal in the wilderness: All could be among the benefits of a slew of inventive devices unveiled Monday night before an enthusiastic audience at MIT’s Kresge Auditorium. The proposals came from students who presented their final prototypes after a semester of working in the MIT mechanical engineering course 2.009 (Product Engineering Processes). The theme of this year’s competition: the outdoors.Two product designs aimed to help prepare meals in the wild. One of these, a two-burner propane stove called Ferno, features a slim design just one-sixth the volume of a typical folding camp stove and weighing 4 pounds less — potentially big advantages on a long hike. The Ferno features a built-in windscreen that doubles as a support for the stove’s cooktop. The students on the team said they’ve...