University of Dayton students designed “supermarkets of the future” as part of the E-Week Innovation Challenge sponsored by HVAC manufacturer Emerson during the university’s Engineers Week in March. 

The contest encouraged participants as teams or individuals to develop ideas that demonstrate new approaches to today’s supermarket challenges. Judges reviewed submissions from 45 students and chose three winning entries.

Engineering student Nicolas Carducci won first prize for his design concept called the “All in One,” which is a fully integrated food management app.  In addition to tracking personal nutrition, it also tracks your inventory of food at home and helps you plan meals with online recipes. 

As part of the university’s Engineers Week events, Emerson partnered with the Kern Entrepreneurship Education Network and the EMpwr Student Club to sponsor the Supermarket of the Future challenge.

Participants created posters and presented their ideas for judging during an event at Emerson’s Helix Innovation Center. Judging criteria included technical and financial feasibility by 2050.