7 Types of Engineering Education Equipment by Price Point
Teaching engineering and STEM subjects can sometimes cause students to switch off. Phones come out, eyes shift away from the whiteboard, and the energy gets sucked out of a classroom. What if we found a better, more engaging way to run engineering classes than rote learning and textbook exercises? What if it was something that went beyond question and answers, instilling useful, hands-on engineering experience while being fun and playful?
Interactive educational engineering equipment is becoming more and more common nowadays, but teachers are often left confused by the potential options and costs. We’re here to help. Below, you’ll find a comprehensive list of hands-on tools for teaching STEM subjects, listed by price. No matter what your budget is or the topic you intend to cover, we break down every option available.
1. HydroStik
Imagine a thumb-size cartridge that’s capable of storing 10L of hydrogen gas. With the metal hydride technology inside Horizon’s Hydrostik, hydrogen gas can now be easily compressed and transported – even in a student's pocket. They also contain enough hydrogen to deliver 1 hour of power at 10W, and you can charge them over 100 times. This portable hydrogen gas can be used to power anything from race cars to entire professional-size fuel cells. They also provide an opportunity for teachers to demonstrate the engineering principles behind metal hydride technology. One unit costs around $ 65 USD.
2. DIY Fuel Cell Science Kit
If you’re looking to provide students with a fun and engaging way to learn about mechanical engineering while also understanding hydrogen production, storage, and use, the DIY Fuel Cell Science Kit provides a solution. This build-to-yourself car kit includes all the parts students need to construct their very own hydrogen car while allowing them to generate their own hydrogen gas needed to power it. Students are free to experiment with weight distribution, wheel-to-axel ratio and different car body designs in a quest to create the most efficient hydrogen car. This process of self-directed discovery exposes them to an array of engineering principles while also providing an introduction to organic chemistry, electrical circuits and physics. Prices, which vary depending on the size of the classroom pack purchased, begin at $ 84 USD.
3. Vertical Axis Wind Turbine Science Kit
The Vertical Axis Wind Turbine Science Kit is the most comprehensive wind energy educational product available on the market today. This classroom kit allows students to explore the engineering behind wind turbine design through 3 different blade position combinations. They’re also free to engineer their very own blades and put these through trials to test the best possible design. The pack also comes with a full curriculum and 25 hours of classroom activities for middle and high school students. One unit costs around $ 109 USD.
4. Hydrocar
The world-famous Hydrocar first hit the market over a decade ago, and it’s been a leading tool for engineering education ever since. This 3-inch-long miniature car allows students to experience a complete clean energy system, generating hydrogen gas from solar electricity before using it to power the car’s fuel cell. Students therefore learn not only about clean hydrogen production, but they understand the engineering principles behind how hydrogen is used to power cars. Currently available in over 150 countries, the Hydrocar has won numerous design awards and even comes with its own 20-hour science curriculum. It's currently available for just over $ 150 USD.
5. H-Racer 2.0
Known for being listed in Time Magazine’s "Best Inventions", the H-Racer 2.0 is a hydrogen hybrid RC car that comes with its very own hydrogen refueling station. Students’ engineering and technical skills are put to the test when they’re challenged to construct the car for themselves. The fun part? From the user's perspective all you need is some distilled water and you’re ready to power your own hydrogen car. Prices are currently set at $ 239 USD.
6. H2GP Sprint Car
The hugely popular Horizon Hydrogen Grand Prix (H2GP) program has been around for the best part of a decade now, but the creators continue to innovate and release new products. One of these is the new H2GP Sprint Car. This 1:20 scale hydrogen-fueled car not only allows students to learn how to produce hydrogen themselves before using it to power a car, but it challenges them to use engineering principles to continually improve and refine the product themselves. They’re encouraged to experiment with computer-aided design (CAD) to manufacture the most efficient car body, gear-to-weight ratio to optimize the car’s performance, and weight distribution to maximize speed and stability. This means students utilize a whole host of engineering principles beyond what would be traditionally taught in a classroom setting. If you’re interested in picking up one car kit, they’ll be on sale soon for $ 249.
7. H2GP PRO Car
The centerpiece of the Horizon Hydrogen Grand Prix (H2GP) educational program, the H2GP PRO race car provides high school students with a comprehensive understanding of clean energy technology, with students challenged to design and engineer this 1:10 scale hydrogen fuel cell car themselves. Over the six-month program students learn about the engineering behind fuel cells and hydrogen technology while getting hands-on experience with car mechanics. During a 6-hour H2GP PRO ‘endurance’ race kids run into a lot of engineering problems: fuel cells break down, tires fly off cars in crashes, steering equipment stops working. Teamwork is key to overcoming these inevitable problems, with kids working together to reengineer their cars in real-time to make sure they cars complete the race. Packages start at $ 6000 USD.
