Eric Bruckbauer

Arvin Meritor Sponsored Sunroof Project - a. early slat-shade sunroof concept b. final design installed in vehicle c. slat-shade ideation d. exploded view of final louvered glass sunroof e. the LMV SUV vehicle which the sunroof was designed for _This 2nd semester junior year project required design students to work in groups of four along with an Arvin Meritor employee and a University of Michigan engineering student to design a modular roof system for a conceptual vehicle, the LMV SUV. I was responsible for design of the sunroof module itself. I am pleased to say that our design was picked as best in class resulting in a two-thousand dollar scholarship.

Porsche Design LED task light - a. side view of how the lamp is opened b. detail of an early pivot and tilt mechanisim c. view of the lamp in its closed position d. rear 3/4 view of the lamp in the closed closed position e. full size model (14 in) of lamp. This photo shows the head with the LEDs illuminated _This junior year project required us to design and fabricate a lamp. I chose to design a product in the style of the Porsche Design firm. This lamp would utilize LED's, rather than traditional bulbs, resulting in a slim, space saving, and attractive design. My design would be unique as it would operate on a pivot, allowing the lamp to fold up completley, making it look more like sculpture and less like an ordinary task light. The final product was built to function, with 25 small LED's under frosted glass giving the lamp a crisp white light. This design is unique in the way it illuminates as it is pulled into the open position. The actual product would be manufactured from a thick aluminum sheet with a high quality polypropelene core, giving the user the option to customize the light's color to match their decor.

Gas Cooktop project - a. Rhinoceros model of the gas cooktop b. LCD display/touch wheel menu walkthrough c. full size white board mock-up d. full size physical model _This Sophomore project required us to design and build a model of a natural gas powered cooktop. I chose to focus heavily on the interface of the product, as today's stove controls are inadequate and sometimes dangerous. By stressing human factors this cooktop is both safer and easier to clean than what is on the market today. The model is full size, cinstructed with vacuum formed plastic, acrylic and modeling foam, set in a real countertop.