The winner of the PneuDrive Challenge 2010 was announced in Johannesburg on 29 July after two days of intensive judging by a panel of industry experts. The University of Stellenbosch took the top spot for the third time with their ‘Tshabalala Soccer Ball Shooting Machine’. The design was done by four Stellenbosch mechanical engineering students: Mr Deetlefs, Mr T Mofokeng, Mr RS du Plessis and Mr AC Oelofse.
![[L to R]: Mr Deetlefs, Mr T Mofokeng, Mr RS du Plessis and Mr AC Oelofse – mechanical engineering students at Stellenbosch University](articles/SA Instrumentation & Control - Published by Technews/C14202.jpg)
The overall aim of the PneuDrive Challenge competition is to feature design innovation in the field of mechatronics. Students engaged in the 2010 PneuDrive Challenge competition were instructed to design an application using SEW-Eurodrive and Festo products with the theme this year’s competition being 'motion in sport'. The Stellenbosch team identified the training regimes of soccer teams as the greatest opportunity to design a sporting solution with meaning, which was complemented by the excitement and enthusiasm created by the World Cup.
A possible shortcoming of many soccer training sessions could relate to goalkeeper and set-piece training. When goalkeeper training takes place, many players may be required to take kicks at goal (which limits their training time), and the incoming shots are predictable in contrast to the reality of a game. The machine designed by the Stellenbosch students can simulate set-piece training as well as generate random and unpredictable kicks on goal to help teams maximise the training time of outfield players and heighten the effectiveness of goalkeeper training.
The user friendly solution offers control of the system via a wireless console by the coach. The project report backed up the design with relevant calculations, structural analysis and empirical data where applicable. Safety precautions were put in place and energy efficiency, costing and business viability was discussed in detail. The detail in the design drawings as well as the time and effort spent on the project plan were two of the things which particularly impressed the judges.
The team worked under the leadership of Professor Anton Basson who led the two previous Stellenbosch teams to victory. Professor Basson expressed surprise when the winner was announced: “I am thrilled for the students and the university. The fact that the judges were impressed by the level of detail in the design is particularly encouraging. I always tell the students that the secret is in the detail. It takes a lot of extra time and effort to pay attention to the smaller things but it is always worth it in the end.”
The competition has now been won by Stellenbosch University two years in a row. “It is definitely a case of Stellenbosch having the winning recipe for the competition – a dedicated lecturer and the fact that the competition forms part of the syllabus which allows students more time to work on their designs,” commented Norman Maleka, electronics manager for SEW-Eurodrive and a member of the judging panel.
Judges were impressed by the level of entries received this year. Dale Oosthuizen, technical director for machines builders Abtech and a member of the judging panel for three years said that the entries get better every year. “The level of creativity is always the most interesting aspect of the judging for me,” he added.
The winning team receives an all-expenses-paid 10-day trip to Germany, membership to the SAIEE and R100 000 worth of SEW-Eurodrive and Festo equipment for their university.
A summary of the winning designs can be viewed at www.pneudrive.co.za where details for the 2011 competition will be available from November.
For more information contact Rene Rose, SEW-Eurodrive, +27 (0)11 248 7000, rrose@sew.co.za, www.sew.co.za
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