Student Project

Under the guidance of U.S. senior engineers, in this project students will apply the principles of global engineering innovation to solve a real-world engineering problem.

Project Topic

Students are assigned to work as teams to solve the following real world engineering problem:

Automobile accident occurs when a vehicle collides with another vehicle, pedestrian, animal, road debris, or other stationary obstruction. A number of factors contribute to the risk of automobile accident, including: driver’s behavior, human error, driver’s difficulty to see obstructions in all directions.

Design a system to avoid automobile accidents.

Project Hints

There are many approaches to solve the real world engineering problem, for example, students are encouraged to come up with innovative solutions from the following areas:

Mechanical System
Material
Sensor/Electronic System
Robot Vision
Vehicle Communication
Traffic Intelligence
Error/Injury/Loss Prevention
Computer Software
Others…

Students are encouraged to form interdisciplinary teams with members coming from different majors.

Project Deliverables

The project tasks include Group Element and Individual Element.

(1) Group Element (to be completed as teams)

Problem identification & problem statement
Research for existing solutions on the market and focus on creating innovative ideas to improve the existing solutions as a way for innovation for team project.
Concept generation and selection, and propose improved or disruptive innovation
System design (for senior year students only)
Prototype (for senior year students only)

(2) Individual Element (to be completed as individuals)

Each member within a team will complete a Personal Project Report, due at the end of the semester

Individual Evaluation/Comments on the Entire Group Project
Personal Contributions to the Project
Learning from the Project

Project Requirements

Students are required to apply creativity, invention, innovation and entrepreneurship principles to solve the real world problem;
Students are encouraged to learn how to succeed in multidisciplinary teams;
Solutions must be proposed in a global, economic, environmental, and societal context;
Solutions must take culture and sustainability into consideration;
Students must first “sell” their ideas to their team members and to arrive at solutions, and then “sell” the solutions to their international mentors in the global community, during which students will be asked questions in defense of their proposals.

Project Showcase

“Project Showcase” is an event for students to show and explain projects to a broad audience, which includes instructors, classmates, and the university faculty and administrators. The Project Showcase guideline is as follows: