Students’ Mechanism Design Contest (SMDC)
Update: The submission of initial proposals closed on 6th June 2025. Thank you to everyone who submitted their entries. An acknowledgment email has been sent for each submission received.
Objective
The Association for Machines and Mechanisms (AMM) aims to foster innovation among young students by integrating a Mechanism Design Contest into the iNaCoMM conference series since 2009. This contest encourages students to apply their theoretical knowledge in Machines and Mechanisms to develop practical solutions for real-world challenges.Awards & Recognition
The Association for Machines and Mechanisms (AMM) has approved the following prizes for the Student Mechanism Design Contest – iNaCoMM 2025:
🏆 First Prize: ₹10,000
🥈 Second Prize: ₹6,000
🥉 Third Prize: ₹4,000
The Evaluation Committee, in consultation with AMM, reserves the right to limit the number of prizes if the entries do not meet the required quality standards. If necessary, the committee may recommend awarding only the first prize or adjusting the number of awarded prizes accordingly.
📜 All finalists will receive a Certificate of Participation.
Exciting Opportunity for Winners!
In addition to the cash prizes, contest winners of iNaCoMM 2025 will be recommended for a student project under the MSME initiative to foster innovation. As part of this initiative, selected student projects can receive funding up to ₹2.5 lakh, providing an opportunity to further develop and implement their ideas.
Eligibility
Participation is open to individuals or groups (up to three members) who are full-time students, research scholars, or project staff at recognized institutes.
How to Participate?
Participants must submit proposals for the design, construction, and operation of innovative mechanisms that solve challenging design problems. These problems can be from various fields, including agriculture, rural technology, automation, biomedical applications, and multi-physics-based systems. Some examples include:
• Human effort-reducing fruit/vegetable peeling or cutting mechanisms
• Improved spectacles design
• Advanced lock and key mechanism
• Mechanical logic gates
• Make-shift bridge design for emergency and disaster response
• Smart toy designs
• Energy storage mechanisms integrating hybrid kinetic and magnetic systems
• Bio-inspired/Bio-mimicking mechanisms
• Multi-physics integrated mechanisms for sensors and actuators
• Foldable mechanisms for space-efficient furniture and disaster relief shelters
• Hospital bed with dynamic support to prevent bedsores
• Negative pressure wound-care mechanism with automated healing monitoring
• Automated operation of traditional games (e.g., table tennis return system)
Guidelines & Constraints
• The mechanism can be manually powered or operated using a small motor or engine.
• Operational safety is paramount. Unsafe designs will be disqualified.
• The mechanism should be lightweight, compact, and easy to transport for presentation.
• AI-driven robots are not allowed, but remote-controlled mechanisms are permitted.
• Each prototype must be successfully demonstrated in front of judges, with a maximum of three attempts allowed.
Evaluation Procedure & Deadlines
The contest consists of three evaluation stages:
Stage 1: Initial Proposal Submission
• Participants must submit a 2-page proposal detailing the problem statement, existing solutions, proposed solution, superiority of the proposed solution, and impact of the solution by 15th May 6th June 2025. (Template for proposal )
• The proposal should be emailed with the subject ‘SMDC | <Project Name>’ to inacomm2025@mae.iith.ac.in
• Decision notifications will be sent by 20th June 2025.
Stage 2: Detailed Design Submission
• Selected teams must submit a detailed report, including design progress, by 1st September 2025.
• The submission should include photographs and videos demonstrating the development process.
• Review decisions will be communicated by 30th September 2025.
Stage 3: Prototype Development & Final Demonstration
• Teams progressing to this stage must submit a 5-minute explainer video (.avi/.mp4) of the design by 15th October 2025.
• Successful participants will be invited to present their prototypes at iNaCoMM 2025.
• Participants attending the final round will receive TA/DA support.
Judging Criteria
• Innovation and originality
• Complexity of the problem addressed
• Effectiveness of the proposed solution
• Functionality and real-world applicability
• Impact and potential scalability
Important Dates
• Submission of Initial Proposal: 15th May 6th June 2025 (closed)
• Decision on Initial Proposal: 20th June 2025
• Submission of Detailed Design: 1st September 2025
• Decision on Design Submission: 30th September 2025
• Prototype Progress Report Submission: 15th October 2025
• Final Demonstration: Between 7th-10th December 2025
Contact for Queries
For any queries related to the contest, please contact inacomm2025@mae.iith.ac.in