Senior Arni Lehto Wins Design Competition

An overflowing crowd of over 1,200 packed Kresge for the popular competition (Pic: 2.009 Website)

Senior Arni Lehto and his mechanical engineering design team recently participated in and were crowned winners in MIT's 2.009 Competition. This competition, the culmination of semester-long work in 2.009, MIT's Product Engineering Processes class, involves teams that "design and build working alpha prototypes of new products."

Lehto's team, who created a bicycle helmet "vending machine" in HelmetHub, beat out seven other teams' designs, which included a sonar-operated faucet, a heating and cooling unit for paraplegics, and an electric power boost for mechanical wheelchairs. Lehto's presentation in front of a packed Kresge Auditorium can be watched below (Lehto speaks from 2:12-6:18).

Lehto has been part of all three MIT conference championships (Pic: Tom Gearty)

Lehto, a native of Finland, is a four-year member of the men's hoops squad and a two-time Academic All-Conference selection. He and senior Billy Bender will graduate as MIT Basketball's all-time winningest class, and currently hold a record of 75-23 (.765).