Engineering Digital Design Competition
Ready to revolutionize forklift technology with Toyota Material Handling? Alongside Autodesk and the College of Engineering and Computer Science, Toyota Material Handling is launching an extraordinary challenge that puts students at the forefront of industrial automation design. Working with Autodesk Fusion, teams will create solutions that could transform how automated forklifts adapt to diverse warehouse environments. This is a chance for your students to dive into real-world engineering, tackle industry challenges, and potentially shape the future of material handling technology.
Top teams will receive awards and prizes, but more importantly, all participants gain invaluable experience solving real-world engineering challenges using industry-standard tools. Ready to participate? Complete our registration form with your institution's details, team information, and your contact information.
This Year's Challenge
Teams will develop a groundbreaking modular attachment system for automated counterbalanced forklifts. This exciting project tasks students with creating a universal mounting system and interchangeable attachments that can revolutionize forklift versatility across different environments. The challenge aims to:
- Enhance operational flexibility in automated material handling
- Improve equipment utilization while reducing costs
- Boost worker productivity through innovative attachments
Who Can Participate
We welcome teams from universities and community colleges within California. Each institution can field one team comprising 2-5 undergraduate students and a faculty advisor. This is your chance to showcase your institution's engineering talent on a statewide stage.
Key Dates
Mark your calendars for these important milestones:
- Registration closes: February 14, 2025
- Virtual kickoff: February 28, 2025
- Technical report submission: April 4, 2025
- Virtual presentations: April 18, 2025
- Awards ceremony: April 25, 2025
Frequently Asked Questions
After your faculty advisor submits the interest form, you'll receive access to a dedicated Canvas page with all competition materials. Regular updates will be sent through your faculty advisor and the Canvas page. To get started, please have your faculty advisor complete the registration form.
Undergraduate students from universities and community colleges, including students in associate degree programs, can participate. Each school can have one team consisting of 2-5 students and one faculty advisor.
Teams will work on developing a "Modular attachment system for automated counterbalanced forklifts" in partnership with Toyota Materials Handling, using Autodesk Fusion for design.
No, the use of AI chatbots and extensions (like ChatGPT, Claude AI, Google Bard) is prohibited. The only allowed AI tool is the Generative Design feature within Autodesk Fusion.
The final score is split between a technical report and technical presentation. Teams are evaluated on various criteria including objective, design, methodology, marketability, and presentation skills. Details regarding this scoring will be passed along to participants during the competition.
Teams have 10 minutes for their presentation, followed by a 10-minute Q&A session with the judges.