The event was hosted by the IMechE’s Young Member Representative for the region, Samantha Deoraj, Americas Chair Jim Cowling, Chairman of the Chartered Engineers Pacific (CEP) Dr. Suresh Vishwakarma and the active support of the CEP committee.
The Competitors
The competitors for the Americas Region SOfE Final were Jessica Bo representing the Chartered Engineers Pacific (CEP) Region and Jeremy Lalchand representing the Pan Caribbean Group.
Jessica presented on the topic of "Sensory Substitution for Upper Limb Prosthetics". Jessica highlighted that here is limited usability in today's prosthetic devices as they do not offer haptic sensory feedback. Modern myoelectric EMG prosthetics are becoming increasingly common, but despite the body’s naturally integrated sensory motor control loop which uses sensory feedback information to plan motor tasks, these prosthetics have seen very limited development in the sensory area. H4ptic is a non-invasive device that captures tactile sensation from the prosthetic and transmits that sensation to the user’s arm. The scientific principle of the device is based on a theory called maladaptive cortical plasticity and is implemented through sensory substitution, a method which has been established in past literature. The working prototype is made with force sensors, a microcontroller, vibration motors, and LEDs display. The design can be adapted to people's existing prosthetics, making it practical for people to integrate H4ptic into their daily lives.
Jeremy’s presentation focused on a maintenance and reliability review of two positive displacement diaphragm pumps. The presentation detailed the methods used to capture data, the challenges faced, analysis of findings and recommendations for improvement of the current maintenance systems to help better identify bad actor components for this type of pumps on the facility in which the pumps were located.
Both presenters delivered 20 minute oral presentations on their respective topics, followed by 10 minutes for discussion and questions from the judging panel. Ninety percent of the total marks were given for presentation with only 10% for technical content.
The Judges
The judges for the final included George De Ridder, Chair of the judging panel, Jovan Kovacevic and Professor Rahul Bachute.
George De Ridder is a registered Chartered Engineer with the Engineering Council, UK and professional engineer with Engineers and GeoScientists of BC; he is also a Fellow of the Institution of Structural Engineers. George has 44 years’ experience in structural and related civil engineering, having designed and managed design teams to produce a wide variety of buildings, liquid retaining tanks, waste-water treatment plants, tunnels, canals, dams, towers, silos, numerous complex structures, such as domes and masts, seismic upgrades and blast/ballistic resistant buildings in industrial, petrochemical and military applications.
Jovan Kovacevic is a registered professional engineer with Engineers and GeoScientists of BC. He is a graduate in electrical engineering from University of British Columbia. He has more than 15 years’ professional experience at engineering positions in consulting sector currently working as Vice President – Engineering at ZE Power Engineering, a leading engineering consulting company in Western Canada. Jovan’s technical expertise, combined with a strong understanding of industry standards – ensures quality engineering solutions. He brings extensive underground and overhead design experience encompassing residential systems, feeders, duct banks, non-standard structures, and crossings. Jovan is also the client representative for the BC Hydro Customer Build Program and has transmission, substation, and project management experience. His diverse set of skills and collective experience contribute to the successful development of the company.
Prof. Rahul Bachute is Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at DY Patil Institution of Engineering and Technology in Pune, India. He has undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering, master’s degree in mechanical design, and a PhD in Mechanical Engineering in Manufacturing. Professor Bachute has approximately 20 years’ experience in teaching graduate students and guiding research scholars at leading engineering institutions.
The Competition
Our Speak Out for Engineering (SOfE) competition aims to foster public speaking among engineering students, focusing on conveying a technical subject to a non-technical audience.
The competition is open to any Affiliate, Associate or Young Member of the Institution who has been professionally registered for ten years or less. It is aimed at promoting the ability to communicate mechanical engineering subjects effectively. It is specifically concerned with verbal and visual communication in describing and explaining technical subjects as well as designed to promote interest in the art of communication.
Chair Judge, George De Ridder awarding the 2nd prizes to Jeremy Lalchan
The Results
The Chair of the judging panel, George De Ridder announced the winner of the America’s SOfE Final, with feedback being given to the competitors by each judge.
Jessica Bo was declared the winner of the competition and will be moving forward to the Global SOfE which will be hosted in Abu Dhabi on April 01, 2020.
Further information
For more information on the Americas Region and volunteering opportunities, please do not hesitate to contact: