Research, Technology & engineering

Students engineer solutions to industry challenges

By Roxanne Makasdjian

This year’s Capstone engineering projects included the “WaveCarpet,” the “Numa” battery and the “Skintillates” wearable technology.

The work of students in UC Berkeley’s Capstone Project course — more than 50 displays and demonstrations — was unveiled recently at Hearst Memorial Mining Building. This video by Berkeley News ’ Hanna Juehan Ye and Stephen McNally highlights three energy-related devices: one that produces electricity from ocean waves, a saltwater-powered battery and a trendy electronic tattoo.

Capstone is a nine-month course offered by the Master of Engineering degree program and run by the Fung Institute for Engineering Leadership in the College of Engineering. Under the mentorship of a faculty member or an adviser from a private company, government agency or nonprofit, teams of three to five students carry out independent projects to address present-day engineering industry challenges. Students prepare a report and deliver oral presentations to accompany their project, which can be anything from product prototypes to algorithms, conceptual design and software code.