| Abstract: | Oakland University has pioneered a unique approach to capstone design projects. Multidisciplinary student groups invent a new electrical, mechanical, or electromechanical game or toy, design it, and build a working prototype. The prototype is then delivered to an internationally‐known toy and game agency. The best of the prototypes are then presented by the agency to major national and international game and toy companies. If the toy or game is selected for production, the possibility exists for significant financial benefit both for the school and the students. Real world considerations such as creativity, project feasibility, and costs (particularly in mass quantity), all factor into the ultimate student goal, which is to have their project selected by the agents. The burden of devising the projects is largely removed from the professor and copying from earlier projects is virtually impossible. Design of a good game or toy is often much more difficult than it appears—projects invariably knit together the many engineering skills a student has acquired through the course of obtaining a bachelor's degree as well as from the rest of their life experiences. Ultimately, the engineering school also benefits from these projects through the possibility of substantial publicity, either with local display of student projects, or through press coverage surrounding a successful project picked up by a major international toy company. |
