Wang Yuanyuan

cheekywang@hotmail.com

Two students from Shenzhen Polytechnic have won first prize at the 5th National Mechanical Innovation Design Competition.

The prize-winning projects were a pair of retractable speed skates and an exercise bicycle that can accommodate two people. They were chosen among more than 3,500 projects from 510 colleges and universities such as Tsinghua University and Zhejiang University, the polytechnic said.

The portable retractable speed skates were designed and made by Zhou Xiaozhou, Chen Chao, Liu Yuan and Wang Ai’yong, all students at the polytechnic. They function as regular shoes and also skate so that the person wearing them can negotiate obstacles such as staircases conveniently.

The exercise bicycle was made by Yang Yuan, Wang Pingxing, Zhang Cen, Wei Zheng and Ye Shunlin. It is a new type of exercise bicycle which can be ridden by one or two people.

A total of 155 college students were awarded for their work. It is the most prestigious competition for students of mechanical engineering.