A new invention now being tested by
students and faculty at the South Dakota School
of Mines & Technology could increase the aerodynamic properties of
vehicles and improve gas mileage.
Mark Rotert and John Parker Chandler IV won the inaugural Braun Student Inventor
Award with their invention called TwisTech. The product is a vortex generator
that reduces drag on cars and semis. In initial testing, the team found
TwisTech can offer increases in fuel efficiency by up to 10 percent for cars and
7 percent for trucks.
The Ann and Dave Braun Student Inventor Award encourages students to develop
creative skills and come up with inventions that could become patents. The
award includes $5,000 and a free patent application from Goodhue, Coleman &
Owens, P.C.
“If TwisTech shows any continuing statistically significant improvement in
fuel economy this will be a very important patent,” says Braun. “If the gains
they have shown to date hold up in further tests then this is a huge
breakthrough,” he adds.
Dave Braun completed his undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering at
SD Mines in 1961 and a master’s in 1967. Braun went to work for 3M, a company
known for pioneering cutting-edge technology and innovation. During his career
he was part of multiple patents and ideas that are now used in the
marketplace.
“When I was at Mines, I would come up with ideas and in some cases, there was
little support for the kind of creative thinking that can lead to eventual innovation.
Many professors wanted students to only focus on the rigorous engineering
education,” says Braun.
By establishing this award, the Brauns hope to grow the culture of creative
thinking, problem solving and support for innovation that exists at SD Mines today.
The effort aims to foster new ideas that can become spin-off companies to fuel more
economic growth centered around the university.
“When you have a very complex problem, where there is no straightforward
answer, you have to learn to think differently, you need to study all the
technical parameters around it, and then step back and give some time to allow
your subconscious to work on it, and then you might have a eureka moment,” says
Braun.
Rotert and Chandler also won the SD Mines CEO
Business Plan Competition with their
company “Tornado Aerodynamic Solutions, LLC”. The business partners say
their company’s aim is to improve fuel economy via aerodynamics on automobiles
and trucks with a particular focus on agriculture.