Engineering a Better Pumpkin Launcher

Just before Halloween each year, students take part in a contest that combines design ingenuity with a bit of festive fun. The annual pumpkin launch competition is organized by the University of Rochester chapter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

Five teams competed this year, designing and building the launching devices. The designs are split between two different types: an air cannon and a trebuchet.

In this competition, accuracy is paramount, and each of these designs has its trade-offs. Targets were set up at various distances, so while the ability to reach the farther targets is a factor in design, getting the pumpkin closer to the target is actually the key to scoring more points.

After all five teams finished their attempts at each of the targets, the points were tallied. For the second year in a row, the team from chemical engineering took the top prize.

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