From coffee to concrete: Engineering solutions to our most pressing problems

As part of the venture, a keen coffee-drinking RMIT engineering lecturer and his students have looked to the construction industry for a novel solution to reduce coffee grinds – using it in concrete.

Most concrete mixes contain up to 80% sand – the third most used resource on the planet. But even this seemingly endless resource cannot keep up with current demand, and its extraction from places with fragile ecosystems can have a huge environmental impact.

The group found they could replace up to 10% of sand in a concrete mix with coffee grounds and have even produced sample “coffee bricks”, which will be on display at RMIT’s EnGenius event on Wednesday 23 October.

The event will see more than 1,000 final year engineering students from 11 disciplines showcase their projects and products to industry and the public.

Another project to be presented at EnGenius is a three-digit prosthetic hand which mimics the human tendons, muscle, and bone structure.

Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) student Sabrina Meikle designed a better solution to current prosthetics, which don’t require constant power consumption by the user to hold onto objects.

Her 3D model is capable of gripping objects passively, to provide amputees with the realistic feeling of a limb.

Weathering the storm of displacement

Bachelor of Engineering (Civil and Infrastructure) (Honours) Theo Mimoun discovered a different global issue, when he travelled to Vietnam last year as part of an RMIT internship and witnessed first-hand the power and destruction of tropical storm Pabuk.

Determined to find a solution, the trip became an inspiration for him and four other students to design and develop a temporary shelter design for the thousands of families displaced from their homes each year due to natural disasters.

The design is more robust and substantial than existing options on the market – capable of resisting cyclone winds and being constructed on hard surfaces, soil, and sand, and is intended to be set up easily by two people within 30 minutes.

Mimoun said it had become a passion project for them.

“We told ourselves, ‘If we can build these people a shelter, they can focus on building a better life,’” he said.

Bright young things

Executive Dean School of Engineering, Distinguished Professor Adrian Mouritz said RMIT was proud to produce the next generation of engineers who were designing solutions to real world problems.

“EnGenius takes engineering out of the classroom and brings it to life,” he said.

“Visitors to EnGenius can see and interact with more than 350 innovative student projects, from prosthetic fingers that can be extended and flexed to a lightweight shelter that can be set up quickly after a natural disaster.

“Many of these projects focus on making our world a better place, be it more inclusive or more sustainable.”

Mouritz said RMIT was committed to preparing students for life and work.

“Industry has been central to our identity for more than 130 years,” he said.

“Meaningful partnerships and events like EnGenius provide opportunities for industry to meet its future workforce and students to connect with employers.”

-       Ends

For EnGenius event access, interviews and media enquiries, please contact RMIT Communications: 0439 704 077 or news@rmit.edu.au