Empowering Future Inventors: Rapid Prototyping Workshop at TMJC STEM Week 2026

As engineers, one of the most rewarding parts of what we do is passing the spark of curiosity on to the next generation. Today, as part of Tampines Meridian Junior College (TMJC) STEM Week 2026, my colleagues Jocelyn Ong (Lead Cyber Security Architect – Product), Valery Chong (Senior Project Associate), and I had the privilege of running the James Dyson Foundation (JDF) Rapid Prototyping Workshop for an enthusiastic cohort of 40 JC1 students.

Though condensed into an intensive 2.5-hour format, the session was packed with high energy, bold ideas, and hands-on engineering problem-solving.

Empowering students to think like engineers: sketch the idea, build the mock-up, test the limits.

Thinking Like Engineers: The 5W1H Framework

The core mission of the workshop is to challenge students to deconstruct everyday problems and turn concepts into working prototypes—mirroring the design thinking process used by Dyson engineers.

To help the 8 teams frame their problem statements clearly, we introduced the 5W1H Mind-Mapping Framework, using the Dyson Supersonic™ hairdryer as a real-world case study:

Using the 5W1H framework (Who, When, Where, What, Why, How) to identify pain points and engineer targeted solutions.

• WHO: Users of hairdryers
• WHEN: After a shower, or anytime hair needs rapid drying
• WHERE: At home or while traveling
• WHAT (The Problem): Hair getting drawn into and caught in traditional rear vents, leading to tangles and heat damage
• WHY (Root Cause): Strong suction pulling hair directly against exposed intake grills
• HOW (The Solution): Radically redesign the airflow architecture by placing the motor and intake in the handle rather than the head

Applying this structured approach enabled the students to quickly cut through assumptions, pinpoint the root causes of their chosen problems, and define clear design briefs.

The 2.5-Hour Rapid Prototyping Sprint

With only 2.5 hours on the clock, we guided the students through an accelerated version of the Dyson design cycle:

1. Mind-Mapping & Problem Definition (10 mins): Breaking down real-world friction points using the 5W1H method.
2. Sketching & Concept Ideation (10 mins): Translating divergent ideas into quick, annotated sketches to align team direction.
3. Cardboard & Hands-on Prototyping (60 mins): Using cardboard, art cards, masking tape, cutting mats, and penknives, teams built rapid physical prototypes to test mechanism feasibility, form factor, and ergonomics.
4. Pitch & Live Demonstration (25 mins): Each group showcased their working prototype, explaining their design trade-offs and user testing insights.

Spotlight on Student Inventions

We were blown away by the creativity and practical thinking the students demonstrated in just an hour of hands-on building. Several standout projects focused on tackling campus and sustainability challenges:

• School Canteen Smart Queue Reducer: A clever structural / system design aimed at streamlining lunch crowd bottlenecks and reducing queue waiting times during peak school break hours.
• Integrated Liquid-Solid Waste Separator & Compactor: A dual-stage canteen waste bin that filters out liquid and soup residues from solid food waste, paired with a mechanical lever-driven compactor to flatten dry packaging and food scraps, maximizing bin storage capacity while preventing messy, leaking trash bags.
• Food Waste-to-Compost Processing Unit: An integrated concept that takes pre-separated organic food scraps and channels them into aerated chambers to accelerate on-campus composting for school gardens.

Key Takeaways

• Fail Fast, Learn Faster: Building low-fidelity physical prototypes revealed flaws and mechanical constraints in minutes that would have taken hours to debate theoretically.
• Cross-Disciplinary Teamwork: Teams balanced ideation, structural fabrication, and presentation under strict time limits.
• Real-World Impact: The students proved that you don’t need complex electronics to solve real problems—smart mechanical thinking and rapid iteration are the foundation of great engineering.

Special Thanks

A huge thank you to the teachers and organizing committee at TMJC for hosting us during STEM Week and preparing the logistics, and to Jocelyn and Valery for co-facilitating a fantastic session.

To the budding inventors at TMJC: keep questioning, building, and breaking things until they work!