Students from The Infinity Math & Science Academy and Glenbrook South High School presented their Illinois Innovation and Technology Challenge solutions to Bison Gear and Engineering. The schools each proposed new ideas, identifying potential applications for Bison's new ServoNOW® motor.

Bison Gear and Engineering worked closely with associates from the Illinois Math and Science Academy (IMSA) as well as teachers from the participating high schools to bring this year's ILIT challenge to life. Each school was given a $250.00 stipend, a ServoNOW motor and tasked with producing a working prototype solution to a real-world application. Mike O'Donnell, a Bison servo expert, acted as a technical adviser. While the students took the lead on the project, Mr. O'Donnell was able to troubleshoot any issues the schools faced during the design process.

With only a few weeks to create a finished product, the students had to work fast to take their designs from initial concepts to working prototypes - both of which were inherently different. Using the ServoNOW to control the rotation of an extended output shaft equipped with special tooling for cutting, the students from Infinity Math, Science and Technology High School created a flavored ice maker where users could control not only the flavor of the ice, but also the size of drinks made.

The students from Glenbrook South took a different approach. They created a fun and unique gumball machine. Their design uses single and multi-axis movement, driven by the ServoNOW, to kick a gumball towards a pre-determined point into a waiting cup that was also driven by ServoNOW - adding a bit of entertainment while customers wait for their candy to be dispensed.

Both schools proposed their design in a creative, multimedia presentation where they highlighted what factors led to their idea, the challenges each school faced, the data they collected to test and refine their design and finally suggestions on how to market the product.

Bison Vice President of Business Development, Matt Hanson, reflected, "Since we wanted to introduce the ServoNOW as an easy way to integrate motion control into an application, it seemed like the perfect design challenge opportunity for the students. They came up with great ideas and even had suggestions for improvements to the product. All in all, it was a great experience for everyone involved."