2.009 Experience Goes Wild

There was a lot of excitement and energy in Kresge auditorium on Monday night for the annual product prototype launch event of the class 2.009 course, which had the theme “WILD!”

Class 2.009, also known as “two-double-oh-nine,” is a popular mechanical engineering course at MIT. Students work in teams to design, build, and create a business plan for a product prototype in just three months, with a budget of $7,500. The event attracts a large audience both live and online.

This year, the teams had to come up with products that could assist users in various “wild” experiences, such as engaging in risky sports or overcoming physical limitations. The six teams presented their products, ranging from healthcare solutions to home crafting systems to a track cleaner for mass transit systems.

The audience in Kresge auditorium cheered on the teams as they demonstrated their prototypes and shared their business plans. There were also entertaining animated shorts and video montages throughout the night.

During a musical interlude, the band played Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” to honor Stephen Haberek, a staff member retiring after 29 years at MIT. The band and course instructor, Professor David Wallace, danced along as the crowd sang along.

Purple Team

The Purple Team presented their prototype called “Sway,” which is a medical bed attachment and sheet system designed to aid nurses in patient repositioning. Sway is a remote-controlled bed sheet and roller system that lifts and cradles the patient, making the repositioning process quicker and easier for nurses.

Green Team

The Green Team presented “Wake Buddy,” a water skiing handle and monitoring system that allows for two-way communication between the skier and the boat driver. The system includes buttons on the handle for the skier to control the speed and a vibration system to alert the skier of potential hazards.

Pink Team

The Pink Team introduced “Contour,” a laser-powered cutting machine that can create user-designed outline drawings on organic materials. It is a software-free option for crafters who have complex designs and do not want to use traditional cutting tools.

Blue Team

The Blue Team conducted a survey of MIT students and found that many students do not regularly wash their reusable water bottles. To address this, they presented “nami,” an automated water bottle cleaner that can be installed alongside water bottle filling stations on college campuses.

Yellow Team

The Yellow Team presented “Feedback,” an automated fish food dispensing system for commercial fish farmers. The system monitors oxygen and temperature levels in fish tanks and calculates the optimal amount of food to dispense, minimizing waste and labor costs.

Red Team

The Red Team presented “On Track,” an automated device that cleans contaminants off of railroad tracks to improve safety and minimize travel delays. The device uses steel-wire brushes to scrub the tracks and has safety features to avoid obstacles.

At the end of the night, Professor David Wallace thanked everyone involved in making the event a success and encouraged the students to continue pursuing their wild ideas. A replay of the event can be found on the course website.