Posted on 02/11/2012 4:13:13 AM PST by afraidfortherepublic
Daydreaming during class paid off for UW-Madison student Eric Ronning.
He won $11,250 on Friday at UW-Madison's annual Innovation Days for an invention he came up with during an engineering lecture.
"I space out a lot," Ronning admitted, a sophomore from Lincolnwood, Ill., who is majoring in mechanical engineering.
His invention, called the Manu Print, is an inexpensive prosthetic hand for amputees in developing countries. He said the prototype he created used only $20 of material. Other prosthetic hands on the market cost more than $1,000.
More than $27,000 in prizes are awarded at Innovation Days, which is in its 18th year and rewards students for creative, patentable inventions. Past winners include Matt Younkle, whose TurboTap is now used to pour beer in stadiums across the country.
Students, either individually or in teams, entered 14 inventions this year.
Ronning took the top prize by winning first place in the Schoofs Prize for Creativity, which came with an award of $10,000. He also won second place for best prototype, the Tong Prototype Award, which came with $1,250.
Wisconsin Innovation Prize to UW Engineering Student ng
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There are some wonderful kids around today. Most of them seem to be in engineering. Way to go, Kid!
Gotta hand it to the kid...
Engineers are one of my favorite groups of people. Their brains work in amazing ways that I can’t come close to.
Well, Im married to one and the mother of 2 (engineers) so I love ‘em too!
Being he is from UW, I am surprised the hand doesnt come with any sort of special attachments for being converted to a
roach clip or a beer holder. They could call it the Spicoli.
“. Past winners include Matt Younkle, whose TurboTap is now used to pour beer in stadiums across the country”
Sniff. He makes me so proud.
Whatever helps pay off those student loans!
It better come in colors other than white.
Note the task chairs and casework in photo @6.
Cost is not part of the equation.
It's Madison. What can I say?
You’d think it would come with a built in
cheeze slicer...
There have been some huge advances in prosthetic devices in recent years. While still at the “component” level, I expect eventually there is going to be a superior, unified system. Some things that stood out:
1) Rubber tubes of numerous sizes, wrapped in a strong net sheath, change shape when air is pumped into them, creating a very good simulation of smooth and gentle muscle movement. Since they are powered by air, they are lightweight and low energy consumption.
2) For strong, fast and hard muscle movement, a different group created the equivalent of a piston drive. A spray of concentrated hydrogen peroxide onto a catalyst powers the piston. This system can be stronger than human muscle, and the only pollution produced is a little water.
3) There have been some major breakthroughs in battery technology and direct brain/prosthetic interface.
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