Republic of the Philippines

DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

PHILIPPINE SCIENCE HIGH SCHOOL SYSTEM

Subject Code ENGINEERING Selected Topics in Engineering

Module Code 1.0 Branches and Fields of Engineering

Lesson Code 1.5 Emerging Fields of Engineering

Time Limit 90 minutes

TARGET (Time allocation: 1 minute) Actual time allocation: _____ minutes

By the end of this module, the student should be able to:

1. Identify the emerging fields of engineering in the 21st century.
2. Discuss and describe how these emerging fields came to be and what for.
3. Understand that engineering is a continuously evolving discipline due to surrounding
circumstances.

HOOK (Time allocation: 19 minutes) Actual time allocation: _____ minutes

Mechanical Engineer Amos Winter has been renowned for his wheelchair which can traverse uneven
terrain yet fit enough for indoor use. He was a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) graduate
student when he created the innovation, and he is now a professor there. In a TED Talk for Boston, he
talks about the innovation and emphasized his learnings in the words “Constraints push innovation”.

Watch the clip of their team’s innovation and be inspired with how new fields of engineering are born
from the needs of the environment and society we’re in.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6qTwqiHnAM

Transcript of Youtube Video subtitles was downloaded using https://savesubs.com/ extract and
download tool.

-Start of Transcript-
“Living with a physical disability isn't easy anywhere in the world, but if you live in a country
like the United States, there's certain appurtenances available to you that do make life easier.

If you're in a building, you can take an elevator. If you're crossing the street, you have
sidewalk cutouts. And if you have to travel some distance farther than you can do under your
own power, there's accessible vehicles, and if you can't afford one of those, there's accessible
public transportation.

But in the developing world, things are quite different.

There's 40 million people who need a wheelchair but don't have one, and the majority of these
people live in rural areas, where the only connections to community, to employment, to
education, are by traveling long distances on rough terrain often under their own power.

Selected Topics in Engineering – Grade 11 or 12 – Page 1 of 8

And the devices usually available to these people are not made for that context, break down
quickly, and are hard to repair.

I started looking at wheelchairs in developing countries in 2005, when I spent the summer
assessing the state of technology in Tanzania, and I talked to wheelchair users, wheelchair
manufacturers, disability groups, and what stood out to me is that there wasn't a device
available that was designed for rural areas, that could go fast and efficiently on many types of
terrain.

So being a mechanical engineer, being at MIT and having lots of resources available to me, I
thought I'd try to do something about it. Now when you're talking about trying to travel long
distances on rough terrain, I immediately thought of a mountain bike, and a mountain bike's
good at doing this because it has a gear train, and you can shift to a low gear if you have to
climb a hill or go through mud or sand and you get a lot of torque but a low speed. And if you
want to go faster, say on pavement, you can shift to a high gear, and you get less torque, but
higher speeds.

The logical evolution here is to just make a wheelchair with mountain bike components,
which many people have done. But these are two products available in the U.S. that would be
difficult to transfer into developing countries because they're much, much too expensive.

The context I'm talking about is where you need to have a product that is less than 200
dollars. And this ideal product would also be able to go about five kilometers a day so you
could get to your job, get to school, and do it on many, many different types of terrain. But
when you get home or want to go indoors at your work, it’s got to be small enough and
maneuverable enough to use inside. And furthermore, if you want it to last a long time out in
rural areas, it has to be repairable using the local tools, materials and knowledge in those
contexts.

The real crux of the problem here is, how do you make a system that's a simple device but
gives you a large mechanical advantage? How do you make a mountain bike for your arms
while it doesn't have the mountain bike cost and complexity?

So as is the case with simple solutions, oftentimes the answer is right in front of your face,
and for us it was levers. We use levers all the time, in tools, doorknobs, bicycle parts. And
that moment of inspiration, that key invention moment, was when I was sitting in front of my
design notebook and I started thinking about somebody grabbing a lever, and if they grab near
the end of the lever, they can get an effectively long lever and produce a lot of torque as they
push back and forth, and effectively get a low gear.

And as they slide their hand down the lever, they can push with a smaller effective lever
length, but push through a bigger angle every stroke, which makes a faster rotational speed,
and gives you an effective high gear. So what's exciting about this system is that it's really,
really mechanically simple, and you could make it using technology that's been around for
hundreds of years.

So seeing this in practice, this is the Leveraged Freedom Chair that, after a few years of
development, we're now going into production with, and this is a full-time wheelchair user --
he's paralyzed -- in Guatemala, and you see he's able to traverse pretty rough terrain.

Again, the key innovation of this technology is that when he wants to go fast, he just grabs the
levers near the pivots and goes through a big angle every stroke, and as the going gets
tougher, he just slides his hands up the levers, creates more torque, and kind of bench-presses
his way out of trouble through the rough terrain. Now the big, important point here is that the

Selected Topics in Engineering – Grade 11 or 12 – Page 2 of 8

person is the complex machine in this system. It's the person that's sliding his hands up and
down the levers, so the mechanism itself can be very simple and composed of bicycle parts
you can get anywhere in the world.

Because those bicycle parts are so ubiquitously available, they're super-cheap. They're made
by the gazillions in China and India, and we can source them anywhere in the world, build the
chair anywhere, and most importantly repair it, even out in a village with a local bicycle
mechanic who has local tools, knowledge and parts available.

Now, when you want to use the LFC indoors, all you have to do is pull the levers out of the
drivetrain, stow them in the frame, and it converts into a normal wheelchair that you can use
just like any other normal wheelchair, and we sized it like a normal wheelchair,
so it's narrow enough to fit through a standard doorway, it's low enough to fit under a table,
and it's small and maneuverable enough to fit in a bathroom and this is important so the user
can get up close to a toilet, and be able to transfer off just like he could in a normal
wheelchair.

Now, there's three important points that I want to that I think really hit home in this project.

The first is that this product works well because we were effectively able to combine rigorous
engineering science and analysis with user-centered design focused on the social and usage
and economic factors important to wheelchair users in the developing countries.

I'm an academic at MIT, and I'm a mechanical engineer, so I can do things like look at the
type of terrain you want to travel on, and figure out how much resistance it should impose,
look at the parts we have available and mix and match them to figure out what sort of gear
trains we can use, and then look at the power and force you can get out of your upper body to
analyze how fast you should be able to go in this chair as you put your arms up and down the
levers.

So as a wet-behind-the-ears student, excited, our team made a prototype, brought that

prototype to Tanzania, Kenya and Vietnam in 2008, and found it was terrible because we
didn't get enough input from users.

Because we tested it with wheelchair users, with wheelchair manufacturers, we got that
feedback from them, not just articulating their problems, but articulating their solutions, and
worked together to go back to the drawing board and make a new design, which we brought
back to East Africa in '09 that worked a lot better than a normal wheelchair on rough terrain,
but it still didn't work well indoors because it was too big, it was heavy, it was hard to move
around. Then again with that user feedback, we went back to the drawing board, came up with
a better design, 20 pounds lighter, as narrow as a regular wheelchair, tested that in a field trial
in Guatemala, and that advanced the product to the point where we have now that it's going
into production.

Now also being engineering scientists, we were able to quantify the performance benefits of
the Leveraged Freedom Chair, so here are some shots of our trial in Guatemala where we
tested the LFC on village terrain, and tested people's biomechanical outputs, their oxygen
consumption, how fast they go, how much power they're putting out, both in their regular
wheelchairs and using the LFC, and we found that the LFC is about 80 percent faster going
on these terrains than a normal wheelchair.

It's also about 40 percent more efficient than a regular wheelchair, and because of the
mechanical advantage you get from the levers, you can produce 50 percent higher torque and
really muscle your way through the really, really rough terrain.

Selected Topics in Engineering – Grade 11 or 12 – Page 3 of 8

 Now the second lesson that we learned in this is that the constraints on this design really push
the innovation, because we had to hit such a low price point, because we had to make a device
that could travel on many, many types of terrain but still be usable indoors, and be simple
enough to repair, we ended up with a fundamentally new product, a new product that is an
innovation in a space that really hasn't changed in a hundred years. And these are all merits
that are not just good in the developing world. Why not in countries like the U.S. too? So, we
teamed up with Continuum, a local product design firm here in Boston to make the high-end
version, the developed world version, that we'll probably sell primarily in the U.S. and
Europe, but to higher-income buyers.

And the final point I want to make is that I think this project worked well because we engaged
all the stakeholders that buy into this project and are important to consider in bringing the
technology from inception of an idea through innovation, validation, commercialization and
dissemination, and that cycle has to start and end with end users. These are the people that
define the requirements of the technology, and these are the people that have to give the
thumbs-up at the end, and say, ‘Yeah, it actually works. It meets our needs.’”
-End of Transcript-

IGNITE (Time allocation: 35 minutes) Actual time allocation: _____ minutes

In the previous lessons, the four main branches and their respective sub-fields were introduced and
discussed. In this lesson, emerging fields of engineering, either from the discussed fields, or entirely
new ones, will be presented.

The 21st century ushered in an entire expansion of fields and disciplines in engineering. The research
and discovery of materials and ideas have sparked the emergence of combinations of engineering
fields with those which were previously seen as separate disciplines such as biology and chemistry.
Now, more than ever, engineers get to have a lot more options towards the service they can bring to
humanity.

Watch the clips of possibilities that emerged from the four main branches of engineering since 2009,
and check out if you’ve encountered these terms and concepts today.

Emerging Fields in Mechanical Engineering (4:22)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFGkediVfyA

Emerging Fields in Electrical Engineering (2:20)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vc1RQhJ9V_w

Emerging Fields in Chemical Engineering (2:08)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sirIyW94OZk

Selected Topics in Engineering – Grade 11 or 12 – Page 4 of 8

 Were the fields used to describe the possible emerging technologies way back in
2009 available now, 10 years later?

Can you cite at least three fields mentioned which are being used or studied in the
recent years, based on your knowledge.

The emerging fields projected in the previous videos can now somehow be accomplished using the
current technologies and research data available. It should also be noted that the various fields and
subfields of engineering seem to have re-converged to form these emerging fields. This can be
attributed to the reception and acceptance of multi-disciplinary ventures wherein fields of engineering
are now working closer with the sciences and the users/stakeholders.

Some of the emerging fields that engineers focus efforts in research and development are presented in
the following video (3:44).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAvi2GhFjAg

Nanotechnology is a field of science and engineering wherein the scale of activities is in the nano-
size, one-billionth of a meter. These activities may be in the form to create, control, move or change
materials. Other involvement of nanotechnology, as a merger of science, engineering and technology,
is on measuring, modeling, and manipulating matter. Success in these emerging fields could lead use
into working at the pico-scale, in the near future. Some of the most beneficial applications of
nanotechnology can be found in the following fields, according to bestcomputersciencedegrees.com:

A. Medicine
- It can be used in the form of protective materials such as sunscreen lotions, sensors for
identification and quantification of biological substances, and drug delivery methods
especially for the treatment of cancer cells.

B. Electronics and Electricity

- Used primarily to reduce weight and power consumption in electronic devices, the
industry can foresee a future with increased microchip densities and solar energy which
will be less costly and more efficient.

C. Consumer Products
- Some products which enjoy the benefits of nanotechnology include paint and furniture
coats which are flame-retardant due to carbon nanofibers, textile integrated with silver
nanoparticles which are odor-resistant due to bacteria-killing properties, and breweries
utilizing clay nanoparticles on plastic bottles to allow alcohol brewing despite the
cheaper cost.

D. Sporting Goods
- Golf and tennis are two sports that benefit from applications of nanotechnology. Golf
clubs which have their shafts filled with nanoparticles reduce or remove any
imperfections of manufacturing which leads to improved material uniformity and
thereby, the golfer’s swing. In tennis, racket frames are laid with nanotubes have
increased power and control. High-end balls of these sports have clay nanoparticles that
allows the bounce to be kept longer by keeping the air from escaping better.

Selected Topics in Engineering – Grade 11 or 12 – Page 5 of 8

 E. Security
- One of the best applications of nanotech regarding security has to do with shields and
vests. Existing ones can already prevent penetration of most bullets, but impact can still
injure the host. The use of nanolayers which freeze upon impact or spreads the impact
over a greater area are applications being studied right now.

Bioengineering is a field of engineering that applies the knowledge from biological researches and
mechanics into systems that are similar in nature. An example could be the study of the circulatory
and nervous systems as templates to hydraulic and neural networks, respectively. Furthermore,
bioengineering has pushed engineers and designers in creating and using materials akin to biological
ones which has led to the use of silicon for cosmetic surgeries, 3D printed alternative organs, etc.

Intelligent Systems is a field of engineering, primarily under electrical, which relies on control
mechanisms to allow machines to make decisions based on given data. This has led to the
development of artificial intelligence machines mimicking the decisive capabilities of humans. These
have been applied in robotics, green buildings, and security industries.

Sustainable Systems advocates for sustainability, which is achieved by pursuing “to create and
maintain the conditions under which humans and nature can exist in productive harmony to support
present and future generations (US Environmental Protection Agency (2020)”. Sustainable systems
allow engineers to achieve sustainability. It is a field that addresses the engineering of large, complex
systems and the integration of many subsystems that comprise the larger systems. They rely on the
knowledge learnt from the natural systems in the environment and employ these approaches to
generate solutions towards sustainable development. Some of these efforts are seen in the
development of renewable energy resources, design of green buildings and promotion of
environment-friendly systems.

NAVIGATE (Time allocation: 43 minutes) Actual time allocation: _____ minutes

To complete our lesson on the whole topic of branches of engineering and emerging fields, here is a
video of the most sought-after engineering majors all over the world.
Check if your own dream course is present in the video "
%.
$
#

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fT7LTaGzcok

The video lasts for 6 minutes and 32 seconds.

Video Summary – 21 Types of Engineers: A brief list and description

1. Aerospace Engineering – designs aircraft, spacecraft, satellites, missiles and systems for
defense.
2. Biochemical Engineering – responsible for the development of new chemical products that
can be used by a multitude of companies and individuals
3. Biomedical Engineering – analyzes and designs solutions to problems in biology, and
medicine, with the goal of improving the quality and effectiveness of patient care.
4. Chemical Engineering – influences various areas of technology by conceptualizing and
designing processes for producing, transforming and transporting materials.
5. Civil Engineering – designs and supervises large construction projects, including roads,
buildings, airports, tunnels, dams, bridges and systems for water supply and sewage treatment
6. Computer Hardware Engineering – researches, designs, develops, and tests computer
equipment such as chips, circuit boards and routers.
7. Computer Systems Engineering – combines knowledge of computer science, engineering
and mathematical analysis to develop, test and evaluate software, circuits, personal
computers, and more.

Selected Topics in Engineering – Grade 11 or 12 – Page 6 of 8

 8. Electrical Engineering – designs, and develops electrical equipment, solves problems and
tests equipment
9. Environmental Engineering – uses the principles of chemistry, engineering, soil science and
biology to develop solutions to environmental problems.
10. Flight Engineering – responsible for ensuring that all components of the plane are in proper
working condition
11. Industrial Engineering – finds ways to reduce waste by devising efficient ways to use
workers, machines, materials, information and energy.
12. Marine Engineering – designs, builds, tests, and repairs ships, boats, underwater craft,
offshore platforms, and drilling equipment.
13. Mechanical Engineering – designs, develops, builds and tests mechanical devises including
tools, engines and machines.
14. Mechatronics Engineering – equipped with electronics, instrumentation and real-time
software engineering skills while working as mechanical engineers.
15. Mining and Geological Engineering – designs mines for the safe and efficient removal of
minerals, for manufacturing facilities.
16. Nanotechnology Engineering – works around the applications of nanotubes, nanoparticles,
etc.
17. Nuclear Engineering – researches and develops processes, instruments, and systems used to
get benefits from nuclear energy and radiation.
18. Petroleum Engineering – locates reservoir of natural gas and crude oil, determines if the
effort of extracting the product will be worth the time and money invested
19. Robotics Engineering – creates robots and robotic systems that are able to perform duties
that humans are either unable or prefer not to complete themselves.
20. Software Engineering – engaged in software development, and applies engineering
principles to software creation
21. Water Engineering – deals with the provision of clean water, disposal of wastewater and
sewage, and the prevention of flood damage.

GRADED ACTIVITY (25 minutes)

Identify five engineering programs that may be relevant as you consider your professional goals and
aspirations. Briefly state in one to two sentences how each program is relevant to your professional
goals. Do not limit yourself to what is stated in the list above.

Look up information on the nature of these programs of interest, and where they are offered. You may
search the internet, ask family, friends, or even your teachers. Ask about feedback and public
perception of the program offering of each institution that you hear of.

For each program of interest, write down one or two institutions here or abroad that you may consider
attending if you do decide to pursue that program, and justify why.

Take note of your responses as this will serve as a springboard for your first major project.

GRADING RUBRIC (Highest possible score: 20 points)

2 points 1 point
Relevance of program to The relevance of the program The discussion was not aligned
professional goals (5 to the student’s professional to the student’s professional
programs) goals is clearly discussed goals.
focusing on alignment.
Justification of choice of Effort in searching for Justifications were vague or
institutions for each program information regarding available unclear.
institutions and their strengths
is evident in the discussion.

Selected Topics in Engineering – Grade 11 or 12 – Page 7 of 8

KNOT (Time allocation: 2 minute) Actual time allocation: _____ minutes

In this lesson, you were presented with ideas of engineers at the onset of the 21st century and on some
of the changes 10 years after. Four emerging fields of engineering were presented as the common
ones between the major branches, which are nanotechnology, bioengineering, intelligent systems, and
sustainable systems.

This learning guide lays down the foundations for building your professional career from an
engineering standpoint. Regardless of whether or not you decide to pursue an engineering career in
the future, a background in engineering will enable you to widen your perspective on how this world
can be made a better place through your own practice as a future professional.

REFERENCES:

Best Computer Science Degrees (n.d.). 5 Great Examples of Nanotechnology.

https://www.bestcomputersciencedegrees.com/lists/5-great-examples-of-nanotechnology/

Columbia Engineering. (2018, April 23). Mechanical Engineering at Columbia [Video]. YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAvi2GhFjAg

Columbia Engineering. (2009, December 09). Emerging Fields in Electrical Engineering [Video].
YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vc1RQhJ9V_w

Columbia Engineering. (2009, December 02). Emerging Fields in Mechanical Engineering [Video].
YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFGkediVfyA

Columbia Engineering. (2009, December 01). Emerging Fields in Chemical Engineering [Video].
YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sirIyW94OZk

Explorist. (2017, July 19). 21 Types of Engineers|Engineering Majors Explained (Engineering

Branches) [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fT7LTaGzcok

TED. (2012, November 20). Amos Winter: The cheap all-terrain wheelchair [Video]. YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6qTwqiHnAM

US Environment Protection Agency (2020, April 20). Learn About Sustainability.

https://www.epa.gov/sustainability/learn-about-sustainability#what

Prepared by: JOHN DEE A. MANGOBA Reviewed by: BOBBY U. ARGOTE II

Position: Special Science Teacher III Position: Special Science Teacher IV

Campus: PSHS-IRC Campus: PSHS-CVC

Selected Topics in Engineering – Grade 11 or 12 – Page 8 of 8