On 16 January afternoon, more than 90 Engineering and Management of Innovation and Entrepreneurship 1st year master’s students at Instituto Superior Técnico presented their final projects developed within the Product Development and Entrepreneurship curricular unit. The session ‘celebrated creativity, multidisciplinarity and the impact of challenge-based learning’. The students showcased the work developed over seven weeks in the Challenge Based Learning format, allowing them to go through all the stages of product development, from identifying real problems to designing and building technological prototypes that offer practical solutions. This year, the students of this curricular unit used the newly equipped Sustainable Production Laboratory, funded by the Department of Mechanical Engineering, which provided the necessary tools and a collaborative environment for turning ideas into reality.
‘This experience allows students to develop practical skills that go beyond the traditional model of just studying for an exam. It prepares them to face real challenges’, emphasised António Alves de Campos, professor of the Product Development and Entrepreneurship curricular unit.
‘The laboratory enabled all students to create functional prototypes and demonstrate the viability of their solutions, emphasising the importance of thorough conceptualisation before construction’, he added.
During the session, the students presented their projects in a fair format, which included explanatory posters, pitches and demonstrations of the physical prototypes. The solutions developed addressed a wide range of challenges, reflecting the diversity of skills and perspectives of the multidisciplinary groups. The projects included innovative devices for safety and mobility, sustainable technological solutions for optimising resources and reducing food waste, intelligent systems designed to improve organisation, accessibility and efficiency in various everyday contexts.
The positive experience of collaborating with colleagues from different areas, with new perspectives and skills, and the help this gave in thinking of more complete solutions for the projects were some of the aspects highlighted by the participating students. The students particularly valued teamwork and learning from different perspectives. They have also faced practical challenges during the process that simulated real situations in the professional environment.
The students in group 3 – one of the 11 participating groups – defined the experience as ‘challenging but very rewarding’. Getting out of their comfort zone several times to find the best ways to approach problems and working as a team to find the right solution were the challenges highlighted by the team.
The curricular unit brings together students from different fields of engineering, such as Aerospace, Engineering Physics, Biomedical, Electrical, Mechanical, Information Systems and Computer Engineering, and Management, promoting the integration of knowledge and skills.
List of participating groups:
- Group 1 – Assisted Climbing Rope Inspection Tool
- Group 2 – The ADHD – friendly backpack
- Group 3 – Carousel Shelves
- Group 4 – NightKnee
- Group 5 – Skylift
- Group 6 – Frutique
- Group 7 – Wakey
- Group 8 – FallArm
- Group 9 – Smart Velcro Glove
- Group 10 – SmartBlink Helmets
- Group 11 – MoorIT
