The representatives of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology at the Nigerian Genius Engineering Challenge have been announced first runner-up of the competition. The team left on Saturday, April 25, for the two-week long challenge in Aba, Abia State. Although forty-five universities were shortlisted for the competition organised by Clintonel Innovation Centre, four universities made it to the finals.
The four universities include: Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Federal University of Technology, Minna (FUTMINNA), Federal University, Otuoke (FUOTUOKE) and University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN).
The LAUTECH team included Oyewo Taoheed Oyetayo (500l Mechanical Engineering), Abisoye Akinloye Samson (500l Mechanical Engineering), Ayanwole Iyanuloluwa Moses (500l Mechanical Engineering), and Boluwatife Adegoke Zion (300l Engineering).
The competition was created to encourage tertiary institutions to improve their engineering education, pay attention to relevant skills in the tech industry, equip engineering students with essential industry and manufacturing skills, and boost local technology to result in employment opportunities and economic development. The program was sponsored by ACT Foundation, Engineering X (Royal Academy of Engineering), and Autodesk.
“The LAUTECH team spent two weeks at Clintonel Advanced Engineering Centre Aba, learning advanced engineering skills that can solve Nigeria’s power generation problems using manufacturing technology, one of the team LAUTECH members,” Taoheed Oyewo mentioned.
The team was able to manufacture and design a Solar-Wind Hybrid Generator, powered by two renewable energies: wind and solar. A sensor capable of rotating with two-degree freedom was part of the device, and this device can power phones and other electronic appliances.
Other teams include team UNN, which designed and built a Portable Water-Powered Electricity Generator that can be installed in homes, team FUOTUOKE, which designed and built a Hybrid Solar and Wind Electricity Generation System with a mobile phone tracking function, team FUTMINA; which designed and built a Hybrid Solar and Wind Electricity Generation System with a mobile phone tracking function.
After two weeks of learning, manufacturing, and designing technological devices, the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) took the first position, followed by Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) occupying the second position. Federal University Otuoke (FUOTUOKE) and Federal University of Technology Minna (FUTMINNA) occupied the third and fourth positions respectively. Annnouncements were made at the gala night of the 2022 Nigerian Genius Engineering Challenge.
Each team member was certified by Autodesk in the following courses: 3D printing, product design, laser cutting, designing for manufacturing, laser engraving, 3-Axis CNC Machining, 4-Axis CNC Machining, and Lathe CNC Machining.
