Dubai students represent UAE in US design contest

Academy’s mechanical department students develop all-terrain vehicle for Baja SAE 2018

Students of the Mechanical Department of School of Engineering and Information Technology, Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Dubai, unveiled their self-made all-terrain vehicle (ATV) on the first day of Technovanza 2018, the student-organised technology fest of the academy.

A team of 15 students, named Team Agni, had worked for over 10 months on the project that cost Dh40,000, said a press release.

It is the only team to represent the UAE in Baja SAE, an inter-collegiate vehicle design competition organised by the Society of Automotive Engineering (SAE), to be held in Pittsburg, USA from May 17 to 20, the release said.

Baja SAE is an annual competition for universities across the world, held on a rotation basis across the USA. MAHE Dubai has been participating in the competition for the last few years.

The members of the team that developed the all-terrain vehicle are divided into four groups — suspension, design, brakes and transmission.

Prasanth Nair, the team captain, said: “We are all set for the competition in the USA. The vehicle is responding well, the design has garnered appreciation from all corners, and we are confident to better our previous performances and reach in the top 20.”

The competition focuses on building of small off-road cars, with same engine specification — unmodified Briggs & Stratton Model, 19 Vanguard engine single-cylinder with a displacement of 305cc and power output of approximately 10bhp (7.5kW). The design process of the vehicle should be iterative and based on various engineering and reverse engineering processes, depending upon the availability, cost and other such factors.