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LOGAN — A group of engineering students at USU have created a device that may soon help Special Forces soldiers in combat. It's a portable bridge that they designed, winning first place in a nationwide competition.
From six carefully designed pieces, a group of engineering students from Utah State University quickly assemble a mobile bridge called the BAMBI.
"We wanted something very simple and lightweight," said student Tasha Davis. "It stands for break apart mobile bridging infiltration device."
This device represents many hours of creating and crunching numbers over two semesters.
"We spent hours together, designing and coming up with different ideas for our bridge," Davis said. "And then we also spent hours together building it."
Today, it has multiple uses, from crossing streams, to climbing and even transporting the injured.
"It really was our baby," Taylor Clawson said. "We spent a lot of Saturdays working on this, and a lot of our wives got really upset at us for not coming home on time, and all that, and so we really have a lot invested in this project."
The group of seven students and two faculty competed against 18 other teams in a challenge sponsored by the Air Force. This year's challenge was to get four personnel over a 20 foot gap.
It really was our baby. We spent a lot of Saturdays working on this, and a lot of our wives got really upset at us for not coming home on time, and all that, and so we really have a lot invested in this project.
–Tasha Davis, engineering student
Last year, some of the same students created a backpack with Spiderman-like abilities and won. Their creation this time came out on top again.
"Every time we see people using it, especially the Air Force, it feels great," said student Taylor Clawson. "Especially that first time that it worked. It was that real sense of accomplishment."
On Tuesday ROTC members from USU got their first crack at it.
"Duct tape and Velcro... that's a real engineer," said ROTC member Jacob Singleton of BAMBI.
Within a few short minutes, the bridge was together, helping them across the river.
The BAMBI is made of carbon fiber and very light, weighing only 27 pounds. It can even fit in a backpack that only weighs four pounds.
Now that the BAMBI is working, they say the real exciting part will be seeing how the military decides to use it in the field.
"The calculations, the late nights and all the hard work paying off," Clawson said.
The USU engineering department is waiting to hear back, but as the winners of the competition, they will likely get a $100,000 grant to further develop and improve the BAMBI for military use.
