Middlesex University wins Design Challenge 2016

Team wins Institution of Mechanical Engineers’ annual Design Challenge

Engineering students from Middlesex University have beaten other undergraduate teams to be crowned overall winners of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers’ Design Challenge.

The Design Challenge Competition gives undergraduates a taste of the ‘real world’ of engineering by setting them a challenge to design and create a device to a strict technical specification. This year the challenge involved teams designing an electrically-powered line launcher to simulate transferring goods between ships on the high seas. The challenge was open to six university teams, with one from each region (Greater London, North East, North West, Wessex, Midlands and Yorkshire).

Aleksandar Zivanovic, Team Leader of Middlesex University, said: “The competition required our students to follow the complete design engineering process, from conception through design and implementation to operation. They worked really hard as a team to develop their device and were successful on the day. The experience will stand them in good stead as they develop their engineering careers."

Dr Colin Brown, Director of Engineering at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, said: “We set up the Institution's Design Challenge to show first-year students that their academic studies had real life application. We want to build on their interest to study the subject into an interest to subsequently follow an engineering career.  

“The Challenge adds the further real life experience of competition and highlights the need to perform on the day. The winning teams are invariably the ones who have taken the most professional and structured attitude to solving problems. They give us great confidence for the future of engineering in the UK.”

The Design Challenge Competition involved five elements:

1. Working in a team to design, build and test an electrically-powered line launcher to simulate transferring of materials or goods between ships on the high sea.
2. Competing with other teams to produce the most accurate device. This involves line launching a squash ball from a range of six metres to hit a target grid. The winner of this element is the team that achieves the most accurate shot.
3. Producing a poster to explain and publicise the team’s work.
4. Delivering a presentation explaining the rationale for the team’s work.
5. Taking part in a peer assessment to determine the ‘best’ design.

The Design Challenge is an annual student competition conducted regionally with the National Finals held at the Institutions Head Quarters and is now open to entries for 2017 via our website.

To find out more about the Design Challenge