Ingenious students’ innovations have real-life applications

Ingenious science and engineering students from the University of Adelaide will showcase their best ideas at this year’s Ingenuity event in Adelaide.

“At Ingenuity, University of Adelaide final year STEM students will show how they explore real-life applications of architecture, engineering, science, technology, computer and mathematical sciences,” said the University of Adelaide’s Professor David Lewis, Acting Executive Dean of the Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Technology.

“The projects on display demonstrate a wide range of innovations including sustainable packaging, a system to test technology against vibration and sound, a way to make sustainable lunar building materials, a bio-inspired robot that resembles an ant, and new methods for urban greening.”

More than 1000 school students will attend the day-long showcase to find out about the career opportunities in science and engineering.

Ingenuity is attended by several thousand people each year: primary and high school students, university staff and students, and the general public. Industry and government representatives will also view the 200+ student projects and the teams responsible at the Adelaide Convention Centre on Wednesday 30 October 2024.

“The projects on display demonstrate a wide range of innovations including sustainable packaging, a system to test technology against vibration and sound, a way to make sustainable lunar building materials, a bio-inspired robot that resembles an ant, and new methods for urban greening.”Professor David Lewis

One of the teams, a group of engineering students, has built a powerful sound generator to simulate the noise levels produced by rockets and jets.

“Technology that is sent into space must be designed to withstand the noise and vibration associated with take-off,” said team member Mitchell O’Hara, who’s studying Mechanical Engineering.

“We designed the noise generator using a computer aided design (CAD) model for assembly and used MATLAB engineering software to control the noise levels and frequencies generated.

“Compressed air is forced through two moving cylinders with holes in them. When the holes in the cylinders align, they open and close generating high pressure waves, which is perceived by the human ear as sound.

“The project will help companies test the durability of satellite and aircraft components ensuring that they can withstand the extreme noises and vibrations during launch and flights. This will ultimately improve the safety and reliability of these technologies.”

Once it’s finished, the sound generator will be the loudest of its type in the Southern hemisphere. Currently, companies must send technology for noise and vibration testing overseas.

Another team has been inspired by the natural world to come up with a robot that looks like an ant and aims to be more agile than traditional lunar rovers.

The robot, named FLIK (Formicidae-like Lunar Investigation Kinetobot), can tackle challenging terrain while also morphing into a smaller size for transport.

“The new era of extraterrestrial exploration in which humanity seeks to establish a sustained presence in space demands innovative robotic solutions,” said team member Natasha Polglase, who is in the final year of a Mechanical Engineering course at the University of Adelaide.

“Our project aims to design and develop a bio-inspired morphing robot to traverse the lunar terrain, overcoming challenges previous rovers have experienced.

“FLIK is inspired by an ant – Formicidae being the insect’s scientific name. It has three body sections with hinges in the middle and WHEGS – a combination of wheels and legs – which help it move over rocks and obstacles.”

Robots such as these could be deployed from larger carrier rovers and be used to collect samples or explore remote regions of the Moon.

More information about Ingenuity and the ingenious innovations featured is available on the University of Adelaide’s website.