Student product ideas range from lifesaving to just plain fun
The theme for this year’s student projects in the mechanical engineering class called Product Engineering Processes was “rough, tough, and messy,” but the student teams’ product ideas were much more pleasant and positive than that may sound: All eight were designed to be life-saving or health-enhancing, or at least lots of fun. Three of the products introduced Monday night, in a raucous, enthusiastic, and music-filled set of final class presentations in MIT’s Kresge Auditorium, were designed to assist people with medical conditions or physical limitations, and two others were intended to be protective equipment for workers. The remaining three products were: a device to prevent ice dams on roofs, a fun new interactive arcade game for kids, and a musical device. Now in its 21st year, the class, known by its course number, 2.009, is led by professor of mechanical engineering David Wallace and a large team of assistants and mentors. It...