Knowledge made tangible: medical students build exoskeletons
On May 15, ETH Zurich will honor particularly innovative teaching projects with the KITE Award for the fith time. In a short series, we present the three projects that made it to the final.
In the five-day block course "Medical Technology 2" run by ETH professors Roger Gassert and Olivier Lambercy, students work in small teams to develop a gripper for an elbow exoskeleton from scratch. They apply their basic knowledge from the previous course.
The block course is set at a brisk pace, and the intensity is intended to further encourage the students' commitment. At 6 p.m. on the first day, the teams that have just been formed deliver a project plan, followed by the first 3D visualizations the next day. The students take on the roles of specialists for design and prototype construction, programming, electronics and sensors, user evaluation and presentation or as group leaders. The teams present their grippers on Friday morning.
In between, there are inputs on design and prototyping, innovation, electronics and sensor technology, as well as presentations from medical technology companies and discussions with people with disabilities. The aim is for students to learn how to consistently focus on the needs of users. They receive support in handling the laser cutter, 3D printers, soldering and the basics of assembling Mechanics - and from the mentors, who are always on hand to answer questions.
The course ends with a competition in which the teams have to complete everyday tasks with their grippers. The format is inspired by the Cybathlon, the international competition in which people with disabilities with assistance systems compete in various disciplines.
Together with the presentation, the competition serves as proof of academic achievement. It also enables self-assessment through direct comparison with the other teams and therefore has a great learning effect.
In addition to the intensive learning experience, the course organizers are keen to arouse interest in the engineering sciences among future doctors and to promote cooperation with engineers.
The faculty conference praised the project in particular for the idea of challenging medical students with a technical practical task and for its high intensity.
Register now for the KITE Award ceremony
The KITE Award will be presented as part of the Innovation in Learning and Teaching Fair on 15 May from 5 p.m., with speeches by Rector Günther Dissertori and Angela Owusu-Ansah, Provost of Ghana's Ashesi University.
The event combines the Learning and Teaching Fair, at which ETH lecturers exchange innovative teaching projects and ideas, and the KITE Award, with which the faculty conference honors particularly convincing teaching innovations every two years.
KITE Award, information and registration
All projects of the Innovation in Learning and Teaching Fair
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