Students from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln used donated igubal® pillow block bearings while competing in the ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) Student Design Competition. The 2006 challenge was to design and demonstrate a reliable prototype apparatus that would enable quadriplegics to cast a fishing lure accurately, retrieve the lure and make additional casts without assistance.

The University of Nebraska team, along with the other participants, were instructed to make a “sip and puff” set of switches to enable hands-free operation of the apparatus. The Nebraska students used igubal spherical bearings on the drill motor shaft, a vital part that aided the fishing rod in functioning. The team especially enjoyed the maintenance- and lubrication-free features of the igubal bearings.

To learn more about the ASME Student Design Competition, visit www.asme.org/students. To see pictures from the event, go to www.asme.org/Events/Contests/DesignContest/Photo_Gallery.cfm