"Innovative in Water" was the title that the TV Youth Magazine, "Oops!" gave their report on "budding ETH engineers developing pedalos". They are the result of one of the most popular classes in the course studies in mechanical and process engineering: the Innovations Project. The 22-year old engineering student, Reto Jost, is TV spokesperson for the group "Barracuda-Pedalo" (1). In front of the camera of Swiss Television he appears pleased but surprised when asked about the maiden voyage of his pedalo two weeks ago. "The thing nearly sank on one side, but it's fast!" He is especially chuffed that Swiss Television is present this morning at the launch. The extra effort for the camera was definitely worth it, even if the team had to skip that morning's Measurement and Control lecture. "It's not very exciting anyway, far too theoretical," says a team colleague.

Up to their navels in Lake Zurich

Far more hands-on is the afternoon lesson on product development.. Dressed in swimming trunks and armed with a screwdriver and a spanner the team members stand up to their navels in the warm lake, making adjustments on their prototypes. (see picture below). Small wonder they're nearly all here at the lake, apart from a few industrious colleagues who, despite a deep blue cloudless sky and burning sun, can't do without the information on Measurement and Control.

Swiss Television follows the "Barracuda"pedalo's maiden voyage. large

The head of the Innovations Project is fully aware of the danger that students might spend too much time and energy on the production of their prototype. This is why Professor Markus Meier from the Centre for Product Development strongly advises students "in addition to the motivating work and learning successes provided by the Innovations Project not to neglect the other subjects of their studies and to conscientiously fulfil the practical course requirements."

From theory to practice

The Innovations Project (2) is a project-oriented learning, aimed at helping students to put the theoretical part of the subject "Product Development" into practice. During the academic year, 180 students work their way through all processes of the development of a certain product, from finding an idea, to market analysis, design, engineering, as well as production and the construction of a prototype. After rescue sledges, baby buggies and lawnmowers (3), this year's theme was kept more general. Students were called upon to develop prototypes of new sport, rehabilitation or cleaning appliances. Most teams decided to work on the development of cleaning or sport appliances. In view of the record high June temperatures this year several teams turned their attention to water sport appliances, like the pedalo.

Highly motivated

One of the big advantages of this learning method according to Markus Meier is the students' high level of motivation for their own project work. Working in teams also gives them a great opportunity to develop their social skills. In addition, strong networking activities take place with other universities and colleges,and their respective cultures. Business students from the University of St. Gallen (HSG), for example, advised the ETH teams on their marketing and business plans, while students from the University of Art and Design in Zurich (HGKZ) helped them to optimise the design of the prototypes. Apprentice workshops in industrial companies were included and supported the team at the production stage of the prototypes.

This co-operation between institutions of higher education functioned well too within the "Katwalk" team (4) that decided to build a pedalo. Michael Meier from the team tells us: "We've got three HSG students in our team, too. They mainly did things like business plans and marketing concepts, while we concentrated more on working on the prototype itself." Another Meier agrees. Strange to say, practically all the members of the "Katwalk" team seem to be called Meier. Strange, that is, until we find out that the teams are put together using an alphabetical list.

Developer Heidi Hautala on her "Katwalk": "It's not just difficult to steer, it's also very hard on the muscles." large

More practice than in Finland

One person in the "Katwalk" team sticks out amongst all the prospective Swiss engineers called Meier. It's Heidi Hautala, 22 years old. She speaks High German instead of Swiss dialect and she is the only women in the team (see photo above). The white-blond exchange student from Finland is enjoying the practical part of her mechanical and process engineering studies. "We did similar stuff in Finland, but we never got past the concept and drafting stages."

More circumspectly than her male counterparts, the Finn climbs on to the prototype, which is rocking on the waves of Lake Zurich and moves off, out of the harbour at Tiefenbrunnen. "I was a bit scared when I boarded the prototype that one of the higher waves would tip the thing over and sink it," admits Hautala after her first try. But now she feels more confident, even though there's room for improvement. "When the spray covers the walking strips, they becomes very slippery," she says. This problem isn't easy to rectify. The material for the walking strip was copied from gym appliances–and there are no waves to cope with there. In addition, she says, "Katwalk" is difficult to steer and taxes ones energy and strength.

Wobbly and cumbersome

"It does take quite a bit of muscle power in arms and calves" agrees her team colleague, the 21 year-old Stephan Meyer. He suggests further reduction of the friction caused by the mitre gear over which the walking strip is re-routed to the waves. He also proposes a solution to the slipperiness: "We could reduce the effect of the spray by covering the walking strip with Plexiglas," he muses. He also finds that the fastenings of the hulls are still too wobbly and the whole construction too heavy. "We've got to make our pedalo more stable but cut down considerably on material and weight none the less," is how he sums up the dilemma.

They've already invested CHF 19,000 in material for their prototype, calculates another Meier. That's without counting the hours of work that the team has put in. Just like all other teams, "Katwalk" received a start-up credit of CHF 3,000 from ETH. They had to raise the rest of the funding themselves, no easy task given the current economic slump .

Funds down to connections

The responses of the Swiss machine industries to the fundraising inquiries from the ETH students varied. While the "Katwalk" team, for example, were sponsored with CHF 6,000 worth of material from the apprentice workshop of SAir-Technics, the gas turbines giant, Alstom, offered just CHF 200. It must be said, though, that other teams had more luck with Alstom: "They got a cool grand! But they've got connections," whinges yet another Meier from the "Katwalk" team.

Just the ticket at the end of the semester: the pedalo prototype "AQA" is an ideal companion for a siesta on the lake. large

In addition to the missing spray protection and the slippery walking strips, the problem of mooring the "Katwalk" pedalo doesn't seem to be entirely satisfactory, yet. So for the group picture of all teams for the TV camera the author had to act as a human buoy. The slippery moss covering the ramp proved to be too much for him and he landed in the lake in the middle of all the pedalo :-(