Six teams from Loreto took part in the competition to design to build various devices and present their results to a team of judges.

 

One of the challenges was to use household items to produce energy. While one team came up with an amazing miniature electricity generator in the heel of a shoe which could be used to charge a mobile phone several other teams designed and built small wind and water turbines.

  

In another category one team designed and built a very useful car parking device which warned the driver of the proximity to other cars. In the third category another group designed and built a system for delivering electricity over large distances from the power station.

 

Head of Physics Mr Martin said the challenge was a great success and pushed students to think like problem-solving engineers.

 

“All really enjoyed the week and the team work and learned a lot about how engineers approach challenges in the real world,” he said.

 

The School of Mechanical Aerospace and Civil Engineering at Manchester University has over 1000 undergraduates.