Higher Education
6 Jul 2026
Two innovative projects developed by Icam students
💡 Our students brilliantly represented Icam at the Grand Challenge des Écoles d’Ingénieurs, a competition organised by L’Usine Nouvelle that showcases the most innovative projects carried out by engineering students and young graduates. This year, trophies were awarded across seven categories dedicated to innovation and the industry of tomorrow: Production Engineering & Technologies; Environment & Energy; Security & Defence; Health Innovation; Eco-mobility; Promising Concept; Alumni Challenge.
Alexis Tourmente, Alexandre Villeneuve, Eloïse Lemoine and Tom Carpentier, students at Icam site de Lille, competed with two innovative projects: Neuropuck, in the Promising Concept Challenge category, and an aero-acoustic propeller project in the Eco-mobility category.
At the final, held in early June, in partnership with Henkel, they had only a few minutes to defend their projects in front of a jury made up of industry experts, recruiters and executives. The goal: to demonstrate the technical soundness of the project, its industrial feasibility, and its ability to address the major challenges of tomorrow.
A drone propeller in the service of more sustainable mobility
🏆 It was with great pride that they stood out, winning first prize in the Eco-mobility category with their project to optimise an aero-acoustic rotor for urban drones.
“Our goal was to design a propeller that consumes as little energy as possible and is as quiet as possible, while ensuring a constant-thrust evaluation that can be adjusted depending on the drone in question — all in the service of more sustainable mobility,” explains Tom Carpentier. Their drone propeller was thus designed to reach 4N of thrust for testing purposes, while minimising both energy consumption and noise pollution, by working on its geometry (twist, chord, airfoil profiles). To achieve this, the students developed their own MATLAB code, working iteratively, generating and testing no fewer than 25,000 virtual geometries. The optimal models were then brought to life through 3D printing and tested on a test bench, allowing them to continually refine theory through practice.
Putting ideas to the test against industry realities and expectations
For participants in this Grand Challenge, the event was also an opportunity to discover more about innovation, with round tables, demonstrations and discussions on the programme…
“A highlight that allows future engineers to put their ideas to the test against real-world conditions and industry expectations,” notes L’Usine Nouvelle.
“It was a wonderful opportunity to present our work to industry professionals, as well as a rich experience filled with encounters and learning!” says Tom.
“As this great Challenge shows, the mechatronics and research projects developed by our students can also fly Icam’s flag high in national competitions,” concludes Bilel Hafsi, teacher-researcher at Icam Lille, who supported the students both in designing their projects and throughout this wonderful adventure.
👏 Congratulations to Alexandre, Eloïse, Alexis and Tom, supported during the final by Bilel Hafsi, and thank you to L’Usine Nouvelle!
