As breathtaking as large, panoramic photos often are, the process of creating them is, to many photographers, a much less attractive prospect. While painstakingly stitching together images from a recent vacation, Technische Universität Berlin graduate Jonas Pfeil came up with a better idea: a spherical camera, called a camera-ball, that can take 360-degree panoramas in a single snap. Once the softball-sized sphere is tossed into the air, a built-in accelerometer tells when the ball has reached its zenith. Then a microcontroller triggers simultaneous action by 36 two-megapixel cellphone cameras, capturing a mosaic of images.

Pfeil, a computer engineer, and his research team have built a prototype with an exterior protected by small blocks of foam and a flexible interior made of a resilient nylon material that can be 3-D printed. A lithium-polymer battery is housed in a protective cage in the center of the ball. Once the panorama has been captured, users can transfer it to their personal computer via USB cable.

So, next time you want to preserve a gorgeous mountaintop view or photograph your whole family reunion, just throw your hands (and the camera) in the air. Don’t forget to “cheese.”

Images courtesy of Jonas Pfeil

2011 was another busy year for engineers all over the world. From inventing a device that turns air into water to exploring the oceans in a tiny submarine, scientists and engineers are exploring uncharted territory.

Like last year, we at eGFI have chronicled the most awe-inspiring innovations and stories, so in case you missed one, we present:

The Most Popular, Interesting, Weird, or Just Plain Cool eGFI Blog Posts of 2011

	Turning Air into Water
	Jetman: Flying Soon to a Landmark Near You
	Vertical Forest Coming Soon to Milan
	And Now: Flavor-Shifting Ice Cream
	Solar Decathalon 2011 Powers Up
	The World’s Sweetest Printer
	Water Bottles to Illuminate a Million Homes
	Airbus Presents a Futuristic Vision of Air Travel
	Students Create an App to Diagnose Malaria
	Berkeley Engineers Help Student Walk
	Underwater Scooters are the New SCUBA
	Virgin Oceanic Goes Many Leagues Under the Sea
	Cynthia Breazeal Wants You to Make Friends with Robots
	New Shirt Measures Athletes’ Performances
	Watson vs. The World

Scholarships that target students interested in engineering provide an excellent way to help pay for the rising costs of higher education. Since engineering scholarships are plentiful and come from a variety of sources, such as corporations, non-profits, foundations, institutions, and governmental bodies, future engineers have a host of opportunities available to them.

Below is a list of the engineering scholarships we’ve found, as well as collections that other websites have compiled. (NOTE: Links go directly to scholarship pages.) Unless otherwise noted, the scholarships are related directly to engineering. You can use the navigational links below to jump to individual sections.

ASEE | Collections | Companies | Government | Non-Profits | Universities

Administered by the American Society for Engineering Education

• NASA AERONAUTICS SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM – Undergrad and graduate awards, internships, support.
• NAVAL RESEARCH ENTERPRISE INTERN PROGRAM – Intern research program with Office of Naval Research.
  
• SMART SCHOLARSHIP – Undergrad and graduate, $25,000 – $41,000, internships, support, and more.

Collections and Lists

• EMBRY-RIDDLE AERONAUTICAL UNIVERSITY-FLORIDA – A short list of sources for finding scholarships.
• FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION – A collection of scholarships and grants, as well as search websites.
• FIRST ROBOTICS – Large list of scholarships associated with participation in the FIRST Robotics Competition.
• NATIONAL SOCIETY OF BLACK ENGINEERS – Scholarship repository: corporations, organizations, regional, pre-college, alumni, etc.
• SCHOLARSHIPS.COM – Good list of names and descriptions of engineering scholarships; does not provide application information unless you register and pay.
• UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI – Database of science and engineering scholarships.
• UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-LINCOLN – List of national and internal scholarships.

Companies and Corporations

• AES ENGINEERING – $500 scholarship, high school seniors and higher.
• BMW – Renewable $1,500 scholarship.
• CATERPILLAR – “Engineers for Tomorrow” scholarship program.
• GENERAL MOTORS – Scholarships, for minority groups especially.
• INTEL – Science Talent Search competition, $7,5000 – $100,000 college money for winners.
• NORTHROP GRUMMAN – Engineering scholars program, $2,500 per yer for four years.
• RAYTHEON – Scholarships.
• XEROX – Minority group scholarships, undergrads, $1,000 – $10,000.
• YANMAR AMERICA CORPORATION – Renewable $1,000 scholarship; partnership with SAE.

Government

• CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION – Scholarships and awards.
• DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE – List of scholarships, including SMART.
• ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION – Civil engineering scholarship, $7,000.
• INDIANA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION – Scholarship, $3,125 per semester.
• KENTUCKY TRANSPORTATION CABINET – Civil engineering scholarship, $4,400 – $4,800.
• NASA – Aeronautics Scholarship Program: undergrad and graduate awards, internships, support.
• NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCY – Stokes Educational Scholarship Program:  computer science, electrical or computer engineering.
• OFFICE OF NAVAL RESEARCH – Internship for research, with ASEE administering.
  
• UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE – Scholarships and internships.
• VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION – Scholarship program, $3,500 per semester.

Non-Profit Organizations and Societies

• AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY – Scholarships for chemistry, biochemistry, and chemical engineering.
• AMERICAN INDIAN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING SOCIETY – Range of scholarships, $1,000 – $5,000 per year for undergrads; $2,000 – $10,000 for graduates.
• AMERICAN SOCIETY OF AGRICULTURAL AND BIOLOGICAL ENGINEERS – Awards, scholarships, student info.
• AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CIVIL ENGINEERS – Scholarships and fellowships.
• AMERICAN SOCIETY OF HEATING, REFRIGERATION, AND AIR-CONDITIONING ENGINEERS – Scholarships, grants, and aid.
• AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERS – Large list of scholarships, some internationally available.
• AMERICAN SOCIETY OF NAVAL ENGINEERS – Scholarships, undergrads and grads.
• AMERICAN SOCIETY OF SAFETY ENGINEERS – Large amount of scholarships and awards for undergrads and graduates.
• THE ELECTROCHEMICAL SOCIETY – Awards, grants, and fellowships.
• GREAT MINDS IN STEM – HENAAC Scholars Program. Goal of more than $200,000 in scholarship funds available. NEW!
• ILLUMINATING ENGINEERING SOCIETY – Scholarships and grants.
• INSTITUTE OF ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONICS ENGINEERS – Scholarships and fellowships. See also: IEEE Computer Society $2,000 scholarship.
• INSTITUTE OF INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERS – Large amount of scholarships and fellowships.
• KOREAN-AMERICAN SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS ASSOCIATION – Scholarships, undergrads and grads.
• MATERIALS RESEARCH SOCIETY – Scholarships, fellowships, and internships.
• THE MINERALS, METALS, AND MATERIALS SOCIETY – Range of scholarships, $2,000 – $5,000.
• NATIONAL ACTION COUNCIL FOR MINORITIES IN ENGINEERING – Pre-engineering scholarships, related fields, $1,500.
• NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR AMATEUR RADIO – Range of scholarships, $500 – $5,000.
• NATIONAL SOCIETY OF BLACK ENGINEERS – Scholarships; must be paid, active member.
• THE OPTICAL SOCIETY – Fellowships, grants, and two scholarships.
• SOCIETY OF AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERS – Scholarships, high school seniors to Ph.D. See also: Siegel Service Technology scholarships for Montana residents.
• SOCIETY OF MANUFACTURING ENGINEERS – Scholarships for high school students, undergrads, and graduates.
• SOCIETY OF PETROLEUM ENGINEERS – Scholarships and fellowships.
• SOCIETY OF WOMEN ENGINEERS – Range of scholarships, $1,000 – $10,o00.
• SPIE – Scholarships: optical engineering, available internationally.
• TAU BETA PI – Engineering honor society Maryland scholarships.

Universities and Colleges

The absence of a school on this list does not mean that it has no engineering scholarships. Some schools offer scholarships to students only after they have applied. Contact institutions or engineering departments directly to learn if aid is available and what policies are in place.

TIP: For links to lists that contain different types of scholarships, try using your internet browser’s Find function (ctrl+F in Firefox) and searching for the word “engineering.”

• ALFRED UNIVERSITY – Various scholarships.
• AUBURN UNIVERSITY – Scholarships divided by engineering type (use left-side list of types to navigate).
• BAYLOR UNIVERSITY – Sizable list of scholarships.
• BINGHAMTON UNIVERSITY – Large list of scholarships and awards.
• BUCKNELL UNIVERSITY – Large list of mixed field endowed scholarships with many for engineering.
• CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY-FULLERTON – Academic Catalyst for Excellence Scholarship: up to $2,000 per semester for seven semesters, other benefits.
• CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY-LONG BEACH – In-house and affiliated scholarships.
• CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY-SACRAMENTO – Table of scholarships.
• CALVIN COLLEGE – Mixed list of scholarships.
• CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY – Blog of scholarships.
• CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK – STEM scholarships; (scroll down to appropriate section).
• CLARKSON UNIVERSITY – Engineering scholarships, including for participation in Project Lead the Way, and awards.
• CLEMSON UNIVERSITY – Science and engineering scholarships; (click “Restricted” circle).
• CLEVELAND STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships.
• COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY – Mixed scholarships, includes engineering.
• DARTMOUTH UNIVERSITY – Scholarships, awards, grants, and programs.
• DREXEL UNIVERSITY – Mix of specific scholarships, providers, and scholarship search engines.
• EMBRY-RIDDLE AERONAUTICAL UNIVERSITY-FLORIDA – General information on internal scholarships offered, list requires sign-in.
• FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY – College of Engineering scholarships (hit search without entering any fields to see all scholarships). See also: College of Engineering Sciences, Technology, and Agriculture scholarships.
• FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY – Two scholarships in list: Hicks Scholarship Endowment and Milton and Gladys Meisner Scholarship Fund.
• FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY – Scholarship listing (click departmental links for each list).
• GANNON UNIVERSITY – Engineering-based scholarship range: $500 – $3,000.
• GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY – Scholarship search engine, use keyword: engineering.
• GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY – General information about GWU scholarships, includes engineering.
• GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY – Internal and external scholarship information.
• GROVE CITY COLLEGE – Engineering scholarship, $2,500 (scroll down).
• HARVEY MUDD COLLEGE – President’s Scholars Program features engineering component.
• ILLINOIS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY – Mixed list, contains engineering.
• INDIANA UNIVERSITY-PURDUE UNIVERSITY-INDIANAPOLIS – Major-specific scholarships for Indiana residents (scroll down to School of Engineering and Technology). See also: Non-Indiana Residents scholarships.
• IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships, grants, and loans.
• JACKSON STATE UNIVERSITY – Engineering scholarships under separate section and mixed in.
• KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships and information.
• LAMAR UNIVERSITY – Scholarship, $15,000 per year.
• LeTOURNEAU UNIVERSITY – Scholarship, computer science and electrical engineering.
• LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarship information.
• LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY – Scholarship information, organized by departments.
• MARSHALL UNIVERSITY – Scholarships, internal and external.
• MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY – Scholarship, Engineering Dean’s Top Scholar Award.
• McNEESE STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships, engineering.
• MIAMI UNIVERSITY OF OHIO – Scholarship, paper science and engineering.
• MILWAUKEE SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING – Scholarship list, mixed internal and external.
• MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarship list.
• MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships and information.
• NATIONAL UNIVERSITY – Scholarships.
• NEW JERSEY INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY – Two engineering scholarships in mixed list.
• NEW MEXICO STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships and information.
• NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarship list and information.
• NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarship information and contacts.
• NORTHERN ARIZONA UNIVERSITY – List of scholarships by department.
• NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY – Large list of scholarships and outside resources.
• OHIO UNIVERSITY – Large mixed list, contains engineering.
• OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships.
• OREGON INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY – Mixed list of scholarships, includes engineering.
• OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships and information, multiple levels.
• PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY – Search-able database, select “Maseeh College of Engineering and
  Computer Science.”
• POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE OF NEW YORK UNIVERSITY – Scholarship and grant information.
• PURDUE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships and awards. See also: Purdue Civil Engineering.
• RICE UNIVERSITY – Engineering scholarship (in mixed list), renewable $6,500 – full tuition.
• ROCHESTER INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY – Scholarship in mixed table list (scroll), $6,000 per year.
• SAN FRANCISCO STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships, .doc format.
• SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITY – List of scholarships by engineering major and information.
• SANTA CLARA UNIVERSITY – Dean’s Scholarship contains engineering.
• SOUTHERN METHODIST UNIVERSITY – Scholarship, engineering.
• STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK – Environmental, paper science and engineering scholarship.
• STEVENS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY – Mixed scholarships, including engineering.
• STONY BROOK UNIVERSITY – Scholarship, Women in Engineering (scroll down).
• SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY – Mixed scholarships, (use right-side list).
• TEMPLE UNIVERSITY - Science and engineering fair-related scholarships (scroll down).
• TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY – Scholarships information (use links to go to individual lists).
• TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY – Large list of scholarships.
• TRINITY UNIVERSITY – Several engineering scholarships in mixed list.
• UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA – Scholarship information.
• UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA – Scholarship information.
• UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS – Scholarship information.
• UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-SANTA BARBARA – Scholarships.
• UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA – Scholarship information.
• UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI – Scholarship search engine (select engineering college).
• UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO-BOULDER – Scholarships and information.
• UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT MERCY – Dean’s Scholarship includes engineering, $14,5000 per year.
• UNIVERSITY OF EVANSVILLE – Toyota Scholarship (scroll), minimum $14,000 per year.
• UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI’I – Search engine, large list of scholarships (keyword: engineering).
• UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON – Information on automatic engineering scholarships, interns program.
• UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO – Large list of scholarships.
• UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-CHICAGO – Scholarship information.
• UNIVERSITY OF IOWA – Scholarships and information.
• UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS – Scholarship information.
• UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY – Scholarships.
• UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE – Scholarships, information, and contacts.
• UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE – Scholarship information (scroll).
• UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND – Scholarships.
• UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS-AMHERST – Scholarships, must be enrolled in engineering college.
• UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS – Scholarships and information.
• UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA – College of Science and Engineering scholarships.
• UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI – Scholarships and information.
• UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI – Scholarships and information.
• UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-LINCOLN – Scholarships, information, and external list.
• UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE – Large list of scholarships.
• UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO – Scholarship information.
• UNIVERSITY OF NORTH DAKOTA – Scholarships.
• UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS – Dean’s Scholarship.
• UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA – Scholarships and information.
• UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND – Scholarship and contact information.
• UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS – Scholarships, endowments, and funds.
• UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH ALABAMA – Scholarships, undergrads and above only.
• UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA – Scholarships, separated by department.
• UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA – Scholarships for currently enrolled students.
• UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE-CHATTANOOGA – Scholarship search (keyword: engineering).
• UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS – Scholarship information.
• UNIVERSITY OF THE PACIFIC – MESA Scholarship, $2,500 – $4,200.
• UNIVERSITY OF TOLEDO – Large list of scholarships.
• UNIVERSITY OF UTAH – Range of scholarships.
• UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON – Scholarship information.
• UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON – Scholarships and information.
• UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY – Large list of scholarships.
• VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC AND STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships.
• WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships.
• WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY-ST. LOUIS – Scholarships and fellowships, including full tuition.
• WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarship information.
• WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY – Scholarships, general and by department.
• WESTERN NEW ENGLAND COLLEGE – Scholarships in mixed list.
• WICHITA STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships.
• WIDENER UNIVERSITY – Scholarship information and free laptops program.
• WRIGHT STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships.

Know one that you don’t see here? See a broken link or error? Email us.

IMAGE: flickr – stevendepolo | CC 2.0

Mark Rober, this costume’s proud creator, works as a Mechanical Engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Gizmodo reports that he has spent the past 5 years developing hardware for the next Mars Rover, set to launch this Thanksgiving. Clearly he does some pretty amazing things in his spare time, as well. Props to the most creatively engineered costume this year!

Like our new magazine cover? Snatch up the 44″ x 25″ poster

What do the blockbuster movie Avatar, high-performance sports gear, the Angry Birds phone app, and pollution-eating bacteria have in common? They are among a host of fascinating innovations developed by engineers and featured in the newest edition of the American Society for Engineering Education’s (ASEE) Engineering, Go For It magazine.

The publication is now available in our online store. You can find a free preview of the magazine here.

The kid-friendly magazine is part of ASEE’s campaign to inspire more K-12 students, particularly young women and underrepresented minorities, to pursue engineering careers. Illustrating how engineers make a difference in the world, the new edition includes:

• Stories featuring robots that imitate animals, Hollywood special effects, clean energy innovations, and technological advances giving athletes a winning edge.
• Engaging profiles on an array of engineering careers and disciplines.
• Fresh, cutting-edge examples of engineering innovations that are transforming fields from aerospace and medical care to architecture and materials science.
• Interviews with eight students currently participating in the Science, Mathematics and Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship sponsored by the Department of Defense and administered by ASEE

In addition to producing a print magazine, eGFI blogs weekly for students and teachers, and can be found on Facebook and Twitter.

Imagine if someone gave you up to $41,000 in cash to realize your dreams. That – plus full tuition and other education-related benefits – is what the SMART scholarship offers students majoring in science, engineering and mathematics. SMART scholars also get paid summer internships and a job placement after graduation.

ASEE invited eight current SMART scholars to spend a day in Washington, D.C., and talk about what got them into engineering:

Brian Wybrecht
Civil Engineering

Carlos Manuel Torres, Jr.
Electrical and Computer Engineering

Ebone Pierce
Mechanical Engineering

Isabel Anderson
Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering

Jaclyn Mathis
Materials Engineering

Lonnie T. Parker
Electrical and Computer Engineering

Nicholas Silva
Electrical Engineering

Tamara Cottam
Aerospace Engineering

Dillard University, New Orleans, La.

Mechanical Engineering & Physics

“I really chose to become a mechanical engineer because I love to build and create things that will benefit others. I love to help people, and to see a smile on their faces is when I feel most accomplished.”

The Science, Mathematics And Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship for Service Program is an opportunity for students pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines to receive a full scholarship and be gainfully employed upon degree completion.

Participants in the SMART Scholarship for Service Program receive:

• Full tuition and education related fees
• Cash award paid at a rate of $25,000 – $41,000
• Paid summer internships
• Health Insurance reimbursement allowance up to $1,200 per calendar year
• Book allowance of $1,000 per academic year
• Mentoring
• Employment placement after graduation with the Department of Defense

The SMART Scholarship for Service Program is open only to citizens of the United States, and students must be at least 18 years of age to be eligible. For more eligibility information click here.

Applications for 2011 open on August 15 and will close December 1 2011.

Website: http://smart.asee.org/

Image: RDECOM/Flickr

When University of California, Berkeley senior Austin Whitney walked across the stage at graduation on May 14, 2011, it was more than just a personal triumph. His rise from a wheelchair represented a triumph for paralyzed people everywhere–and for engineers whose adaptive technology designs have helped disabled individuals overcome mobility limitations.

“Ask anybody in a wheelchair; ask what it would mean to once again stand and shake someone’s hand while facing them at eye level,” Whitney, 22, said in a pre-graduation university news report about his feat. “It will be surreal, like a dream.”

The souped-up leg braces that enabled the history and political science double major to realize his dream were developed by Homayoon Kazerooni, professor of mechanical engineering, and his team of UC Berkeley graduate students. The project so humanized their work on robotic exoskeletons to enhance human endurance in Kazerooni’s Robotics and Human Engineering Laboratory they named it “Austin” in honor of its first human test pilot.

Austin Whitney certainly showed the fortitude of a test pilot. The San Juan Capistrano, Calif., native was steering toward a rosy college future upon graduation from high school in 2007. He’d emerged with a 4.0 GPA, played sports, and was involved in student goverment and theater. That July, after drinking with friends, Whitney got behind the wheel of a car and crashed into a tree. His spinal cord severed just above the hip, he spend the next 41 days in a hospital, then started college at UC Santa Barbara just 10 days after being released.

Whitney’s parents and sister were on stage as he took his first steps since the accident. “This is the greatest day of my life,” said his mother. Whitney hoped his success would provide hope to other paraplegics that affordable machines will help them regain some of their mobility. “This technology can be accessible to a large number of people, and that is our mission,” said Prof. Kazerooni, also on the graduation stage. “We’re telling the community that this is possible. This is just the beginning of our work.”

Watch Austin Whitney walk to receive his diploma:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Photo © Copyright Steve McConnell/UC Berkeley. Used with permission.

A product-design student in Derby, England, has invented a wheelchair alternative he hopes will give people with mobility issues more freedom, the BBC reported. Martin Harris, 21, noted that current wheelchairs are often restricted to paths. His battery-powered device “can work either indoors or outdoors – a leg can simply pick itself up and step over an obstacle.”

The chair, which can be steered by a joystick in the armrest, has six pairs of legs underneath the seat that consist of 216 pieces bolted together. Two conventional wheelchair motors power the “walking” chair, which can travel at up to 4 mph – the maximum allowed for battery-powered wheelchairs.

Harris says the chair can negotiate almost any surface, including dirt, sand, grass, carpet, polished floors, and even  moderate slopes. What inspired him to design such a chair? None other than Theo Jansen’s Strandbeesten, a series of skeletal, beach-roaming kinetic sculptures created by the Dutch artist and engineer.

Harris chose to use Jansen’s design, which has been developed over several years, in a wheelchair “to provide a practical purpose for it.” He sees many potential other uses for his invention, including in agricultural machinery or military vehicles.

Watch Strandbeesten in motion:

Image: University of Derby