His design was for a low-cost durable supercharger for an internal combustion engine , 100 percent customizable based on the size of the engine . The supercharger shoots air into the engine by compressing it with a small electric motor , and Stuart chose to put emphasis on the design of the air routing system . In testing the device on a riding mower engine , the design boosted the horsepower of the engine up to 10 percent .
Matthew Stuart ’ s supercharger
Stuart was pleased with the energy payoff that he saw in testing .
“ What I really wanted to see was more power from the engine than I put in electrically into the motor ,” said Stuart . “ Overall you just save energy , money , gas , using something like that .”
In the mobility / medical portion of Braskem ’ s competition , first place went to mechanical engineering majors Joshua McLevain and Chase Basham for creating a cuff that can be used by someone who has lost part of an arm . The cuff is customizable to the size of a person ’ s arm and provides a fast , secure fit for prosthetics that could serve different purposes .
Because the fit is created exactly to personal measurements , comfort can be maximized to best suit the unique needs of a user ’ s body .
McLevain and Chase also created two prosthetic attachments , one for riding a bike and one for driving a car . Because these two activities require a different range of motions , these prosthetic options provide a user with tools ideally suited to the task .
“ I ’ ve always liked the biomechanics side of mechanical engineering ,” said Basham . “ Being able to do a project like this that is very useful and helps others has always been an interest of mine .”
From NASA to prosthetics , each of this year ’ s projects have been an achievement to themselves . Together they stock a wall of trophies for new solutions that make a better world , and are no small source of pride for a professor watching creative energy and ingenuity in action . Williams remains an ardent fan of the students who produce that energy and ingenuity , and is also a little amazed at the awards earned by young engineers just starting their careers .
“ Virginia Tech was awarded first place in SME ’ s two international 3D printing student design competitions ,” he said . “ This has never been done before . In addition , not only was Virginia Tech only one of four universities to be invited to participate in an industry-sponsored university competition , but our students won every prize available . These results truly show our students ’ passion and readiness for innovating with the future technologies of advanced manufacturing .”
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