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“Through the whole process, I actually began to see my design turn into a prototype, and now my prototype might actually become a patented reality. By the end, I was so happy that I had chosen to take a chance on myself and do something that brought my engineering and hooping life together.”
—Danielle McIntosh
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“I thought of this product two years ago—I wrote it down and kind of forgot about it for awhile. And I realized that if I didn’t do it, I’d always regret it, so I just decided to pursue it. The competition is a great outlet for anyone interested in innovation and development. The experience gives you the tools to develop the idea and the confidence to continue.”
—Daniel Gartenberg
Now in its second year, the competition awards cash prizes to the undergraduates whose inventions are judged most creative, novel, innovative, patentable and likely to succeed in the marketplace. The contest is sponsored by Richard J. Schoofs (BSChE '53), president of Schoofs Incorporated.
By attending a series of free seminars, contestants learn how to develop their ideas, patent their devices or processes and develop business plans. Then on Edison Day, the annual celebration of Thomas Edison's birthday, the inventors present their projects to a panel of industry professionals. This year's Edison Day observance, a collaboration between the college and the department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, included firing up the department's Edison generator and a lecture by human-powered vehicle expert Paul MacCready, chairman of AeroVironment Inc. of Moravia, California.
Younkle, a senior in electrical and computer engineering, and Meyers, a senior in engineering mechanics and astronautics, improved upon current beverage dispensers by using a low-turbulence valve, bigger tubing and, at the tube's end, a receptacle to collect the beverage. Using the Turbo Tap is like pouring a beverage from one container to another, which reduces foaming significantly and fills a pitcher in about 15 seconds.
The second place winner was also inspired by a common, but vexing, event. City snowplows had built a snow wall in front of Peter Parker's driveway in Baraboo. As a sort of rite of passage, Parker had assigned his nine-year-old son the task of removing the ice-encrusted mound at the driveway's end. "He was having a tough time of it," Parker recalls, "and I thought 'there's got to be a better way.'" His better way-a snow-plow accessory that lets truck drivers better control where snow is deposited-won him $7,000.
Parker's "Snow-Hold Fin" is a blade that is held in a frame that is attached perpendicular to the plow's right side. Normally, the blade is retracted, allowing snow to pass through the frame. But as the plow approaches a driveway, fire hydrant or parked car, the operator flicks a switch to move the fin forward, trapping the snow for up to 15 feet.
"But that also means a malevolent driver could deposit extra snow on your driveway," joked UW Provost and contest judge John Wiley. Weathering the scrutiny and gaining the insights of the panel helps contestants prepare for the for the next step for any fledgling inventor. "I'm pretty excited about getting a full patent and manufacturing it myself," Parker says. He already has a working prototype installed on his small pickup truck and the City of Baraboo has agreed to install an industrial-strength version on a municipal plow.
Senior James Hoffman, an electrical and computer engineering student, demonstrates his invention, "Robot Warrior." The radio-controlled toy that plays laser tag placed fourth in the Schoofs Prize for Creativity. (large image) |
Younkle and Meyers are also investigating patenting their invention, which has also drawn national attention. USA Today described the Turbo Tap, which led to a gag during Jay Leno's Tonight Show monologue. Radio interviews on stations across the country, including Chicago, San Diego, California, Toledo, Ohio, Dubuque, Iowa and Augusta, Georgia soon followed. "The national exposure achieved as a result of this competition is quite overwhelming," Younkle says. "Rob and I are very enthused, to say the least."
The third prize of $4,000 was won by mechanical engineering seniors Anthony Eggert, Mike Martinelli, and Jim Webb for their in-line roller skate suspension system. Current in-line skates can offer a rough ride, especially for off-road enthusiasts. The invention is a modular suspension system the fits most skates that have a removable wheel chassis. It is a combination of stiff springs, guide posts, and damping pads.
There were three fourth prize winners at $1,000 each. James Hoffman, a senior in electrical and computer engineering, invented a radio-controlled toy vehicle that plays laser tag. His "Robot Warrior" is small radio-controlled armored car equipped with both high-intensity light emitting diodes that act as a laser beam and photo-receptors that sense an opposing car's beam. When hit, the vehicle makes a gruesome sound and a counter registers a point.
Richard Schneider, senior in Civil and Environmental Engineering, designed an electronic parking meter that both senses the presence of a vehicle and accepts payment from bar-coded drivers licenses and debit cards. The meters are also equipped with radio transmitter/receivers that allow them to communicate to a central station that monitors parking patterns and overdue meters.
And Turbo Tap co-inventor Matthew Younkle also won for an electronic musical instrument that is controlled by a person humming. The computer-based device filters the human voice and converts it to a digital signal, which then triggers stored sounds.
