| 17 June 2010 | | |
| A Mechanical Engineering team at the Durban University of Technology (DUT) were awarded first prize as overall winners of the Cyber Junkyard 2009/2010 Challenge which was held at the Indaba Hotel in Fourways, Johannesburg, on 20 May. The national annual competition was sponsored by technology companies, Siemens, Festo and Lapp Cable and was open to universities within the Southern African Development Community (SADC). Project Leader, Professor Krishnan Kanny said: “Cyber Junkyard is an industrial inter-tertiary competition aimed at bringing industry and education closer together. This year’s theme titled, “Play the Game, Save the Planet” focused on the use of a mobile technology demonstration unit, in the form of a high-tech soccer game, using renewable energy. Twelve universities competed against each other and DUT emerged as the overall winners, with the best design. The project took three months to complete and is valued at R245 000. In comparison to other university submissions, DUT’s project is unique and is admired for its simplicity and ingenuity. The team is elated with this feat”. He said DUT has received R120 000 in equipment as sponsorship for the innovation. The demonstration unit will go on a mobile exhibition, together with other university projects, at various 2010 FIFA World Cup soccer venues around the country. The competition culminated in a head-to-head challenge between all participating universities. Team DUT includes innovative undergraduate engineering students, Brett Binnekade, Ruarie Procter, Cody Lister and Joshua Swain who are currently completing the degrees in mechanical and mechatronics at the university. “Students were given the opportunity to apply their programming skills, knowledge of process control, electronics and mechanical engineering. This has contributed towards reinforcing their theoretical knowledge, encouraging team work and the ability to manage a project under a strict budget and within a time frame. The funds received through this project will go towards upgrading the university’s Mechatronics Laboratory”, said Prof Kanny. Team spokesman, Brett Binnekade said: “The idea of participating in an extra-curricular activity relating to our interest in Mechanical Engineering stemmed from my visit to the recent Industrial Design Expo. Building the demonstration unit has deepened our interest in our career paths and has improved our automation skills. It has also inspired us to engage in more projects. During the manufacturing and programming phase, several pilot tests were conducted, which raised a lot of interest amongst students.” He said the team is keen to engage in other projects involving engineering, industrial design, automation and robotics with other departments, universities and FET’s. The project was divided into different areas and the work load was allocated accordingly. It involved electrical wiring, creating a circuit, the installation of a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) and a Human Machine Interface and manufacturing of panels for the fabrication of the demonstration unit. |
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