GO BEAR!: One of last semester’s projects, from Professor Kazarooni’s undergraduate ME class showcased an electronic teddy bear. The bear’s head could be moved to the right by simply putting on a wired baseball hat and tilting it.

Inventor’s Open House showcases undergraduate technical savvy

Last semester, on a quiet, overcast afternoon right before finals, the hallways of Etcheverry buzzed with tiny electric cars and wagons, shined with the beams of souped up headlights, and swung with models of industrial indoor cranes. There were even a few “designated drinkers.”

This event, part block party, part schoolwork, part technology showcase, is the annual Inventor’s Open House, held by ME Professor Homayoon Kazerooni’s students.

The class was ME102B: Mechanical Engineering Design II, one of the upper division core classes that mechanical engineers need to graduate.

The mission was to build a device that uses mechanical and electrical elements and incorporates machining, design work, and programming.

“To my knowledge this is the only undergraduate course in the college where students have to plan, build, test, and demonstrate a computer- controlled machine,” says Kazerooni, adding that this class gives students confidence in their ability to build machines and invent things.

The result was a plethora of creative inventions that could tackle life’s big and small problems, entertain young and old, and potentially save lives and limbs.

Some projects focused on convenience. For the lazy golfer there was a smart loader, a device that electronically loads balls onto a tee.

More sweat-saving inventions included the personal trailer, a little cordless red wagon that follows behind like a little lap dog, while carting heavy books or bags. There was also a semiautomatic cablecar turntable that allows old fashioned manually turned cable cars like the ones on Powell Street to be turned with a feather-light touch.

Who says engineers don’t know how to have fun? Toys at the open house included a robot that played Go and a bear puppet that could be controlled with the movements of a baseball cap.

But most of the projects fell into the category of safety or life-saving devices. There were headlights that allowed people to see farther ahead while cornering or turning their cars. And several indoor cranes that stopped heavy loads from oscillating in midair and injuring workers.

Other products included the Stay Awake Monitor, which keeps people from falling asleep at the wheel while driving. The device works by monitoring heart rate. Anytime the heart beat slows to a sleeping rate an alarm goes off. The alarm turns off when it senses movement and a higher heart rate.

One group came up with Acculin, a precision insulin injector, that draws the right amount of insulin into the needle every time.

There was even an invention that kept you safe whether you liked it or not. The BAC blood alcohol tester is a device that keeps intoxicated people from using the breath of a sober friend to start their cars. The product’s cheat-proof elements ensured that the person breathing into the device is the one who is driving. The exhibit featured a “designated drinker” and plenty of beer to let observers properly test the product.

For more on the Inventor’s Open House, go to xtc.me.berkeley.edu.

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