Students invent bean harvesting tool

TWIST.M group presents project at the competition. Photo: CAO MINH

Vo Hoang, a student of the Faculty of Advanced Science and Technology, University of Technology, a member of the project team "A tool to support bean harvesting for farmers in Tuy Loan area", said that the team chose the topic based on a survey of the actual working conditions and health status of farmers in Tuy Loan vegetable area. Accordingly, during the time of planting and caring for beans, people often suffer from some diseases such as back pain, joint pain... due to having to sit and bend for a long time. Therefore, the team researched, designed and manufactured a bean harvesting device using traction to help increase productivity, reduce manual labor and improve feasibility in practical implementation.

During the process of manufacturing the device, the group visited Tuy Loan vegetable village many times to meet with the people to learn about their wishes as well as the limitations and difficulties in production activities. Hoang added that when designing and manufacturing the bean harvesting device using traction, the group applied two operating principles of purely mechanical parts, which are the power spring and the lever. In addition, TWIST.M reused bicycle parts such as wheels, brake cables, etc. to save costs. With this device, users can use the bean thresher in the most comfortable position, thereby limiting the problems of back pain and knee fatigue that are quite common among farmers.

In addition to caring for farmers' health, the group pays attention to environmental protection by not using fuels or batteries but using purely mechanical equipment. This helps limit emissions into the environment and increases the time for reusing old bicycle parts. It is known that the parts of the device can be quickly replaced with just an old bicycle. In the near future, the product can be improved to support farmers in harvesting other agricultural products. Ms. Nguyen Thi Tu, Hoa Phong commune, said that for a long time, bean harvesting was mainly done manually, pulling directly, the process of sitting or bending for a long time caused back pain, and the pulling time was long. After experiencing the bean pulling support device of the student group, she found the device very easy to use, the pulling operations were also easy and comfortable.

The Engineering Projects for Community Service Competition - EPICS took place in Ho Chi Minh City in mid-April 2025 with the participation of more than 20 student teams from technical universities in Ho Chi Minh City, Can Tho, Da Nang and Hanoi . The competition promotes innovation in universities, organized annually by the University of Arizona (USA) and the STEM Program of Dow Vietnam Company. EPICS is implemented according to an internationally recognized practical learning model, the project implementation period is within 3 months, student groups from many disciplines are guided to apply the engineering design process to build and deploy solutions to solve social problems, aiming at sustainable development goals.

This year, the University of Technology had 3 teams participating, with 2 teams reaching the final round and the TWIST.M team winning the first prize. According to Dr. Le Quoc Huy, Head of the Department of Advanced Technology Engineering, Faculty of Advanced Science and Technology, with the project-based teaching model, each semester, at least one subject will be assessed based on a real project. Thanks to that, students develop many skills, thinking as well as self-systemize and consolidate knowledge to solve practical problems. In addition, participating in competitions is also a playground for students to apply the knowledge they have learned and the project "A tool to support bean pulling for farmers in Tuy Loan area" is a clear demonstration of improving the quality of teaching and learning for students, bringing students closer to science and technology.

CAO MINH

Source: https://baodanang.vn/channel/5433/202505/sinh-vien-sang-che-cong-cu-thu-hoach-dau-4006281/