Creativity, ingenuity and brains: engineering students present final-year projects

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Electric powered roller blades, a robotic weed remover and a device that can help blind patients avoid obstacles in their path.

These are but a small sampling of the inventions and tech gadgets on display for the final-year electrical, computer and biomedical engineering Poster Day, taking place Wednesday, April 10 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in CIBC Hall, McMaster University Student Centre.

The event is the culmination of an entire year’s work, where students had to first identify a complex engineering problem – from computer algorithms to robotic mechanisms — then work closely as a team to address it.

There are 40 projects in all, involving more than 140 students.

Some highlights for Poster Day include:

  • Heads Up Display GPS navigation, showing turn-by-turn directions on the windshield to keep driver’s eyes on the road
  • eCoach: a device that takes input information from a standard soccer kick and critiques kick quality using accelerometer data
  • Solar-powered window blinds
  • Visual aid for the blind: a device is designed to help blind patients travel in a confined environment. They are given directions using audio feedback, and ultrasound technology is used to help them avoid any obstacles in their path

Representatives from companies including BlackBerry, Texas Instruments and General Electric will judge the projects.

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