Commissioned by the DraxImage biotechnological firm to design an automated quality control system to be integrated at the end of the production line of a specific drug, a group of students in mechanical engineering at McGill University brilliantly took up the challenge of putting engineering at the service of health. Called Radioactive Brachyseeds (in the form of a mini-capsule measuring 4.4 mm by 0.8 mm), the drug is the latest and most efficient protection against prostate cancer. Injected directly into the organ through the rectum using a special syringe, the geometry of the particles must be perfect. If not, the syringe can become blocked and cause enormous displeasure for the patient. As the demand has called for an increase in the production of this drug, human inspection is no longer sufficient. Using an analogical camera and the LabView computer program, the team of students succeeded in automating the visual inspection of the product while meeting their client’s specifications and requirements. Today, each sample can be meticulously analysed so as to purify the product and facilitate its administration.
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To land a world title is quite a feat and something that the students in agro-environmental engineering at the Université Laval succeeded in doing at the American Society of Agricultural Engineers' 2002 tractor design and pulling competition in East Moline, Illinois. The ULtrac team beat teams from over 30 universities (including Kansas State, winner of the three previous years), dazzling both jury members and the officials of the agricultural machine industry. During the competition, the Laval prototype, which combines simple maintenance and manufacturability, obtained the highest score for its design and its performance during the pulling trials, and a second place for manoeuvrability. Bolstered by these wins, the ULtrac team then participated in several local and international events, including the Salon international de la machinerie agricole in Paris, the World Convention on Rural Engineering in Las Vegas and the Expo technologique in Montreal. The new ULtrac team will use all their engineering skills to hold on to its title when it competes again this year.
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Every year, people with a passion for aeronautics gather in the California desert to compete in the prestigious Aero Design West competition. The event involves the design and construction of planes that can take off carrying maximum weight. Since 1996, a group of students from the École polytechnique de Montréal have used the event to showcase their innovative spirit and participate in an enriching experience. And the Comité Avion Cargo teams from the Polytechnique have also been successful. Required to start from scratch each year due to modified rules and requirements, the students won their first victory in 2000 in the Regular Class category. Encouraged by that win, the 2002 delegation won the Open Class category. For the occasion, their prototype, called Goliath, succeeded in taking off with a 39-kg load, as opposed to just 29 kg for the second place winners. They showed that Quebec's engineers of tomorrow are a promising generation!
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