Yesterday, third year Mechanical Engineering students exhibited their Design, Make and Test projects in the College Main Entrance.

Several teams worked for Imperial Racing Green on improving the racing cars for the Formula Student and Shell EcoMarathon competitions, as well as the ZEPHiR electric motorbike. One group invited visitors to test the strength of the EV3 chassis materials with their own weight:

Other types of vehicles were also on display, such as underwater drones and an all-terrain motorboard. Robots and robotic arm prototypes were also exhibited, including surgical robots, a bionic hand designed specifically for interacting with touchscreens, and a robotic arm for manipulating objects in outer space.

Sustainability and environmental issues were also a topic of interest, with teams tackling pollution on the London Underground, commuting with a bicycle or growing an indoor garden.

Some of the groups took on projects related to sports and outdoors activities, from a roller-skating aid to a portable canoe slide which allows entry into the watercourse from steep angles.

The projects also proved that engineers are able to think of solutions for a wide range of problems, such as soothing babies to sleep through the motion of a smart cradle or a vibrating pram. 

More photos of the exhibition can be found on the Imperial Mech Eng Flickr account.