LuxMol, by MolySym, is an educational tool for chemistry. It consists of atoms and bonds, like traditional molecular modeling kits, but these atoms and bonds interact with MolySym's software to deepen the educational experience. As a molecule is created in hand, the software creates a 3D representation simultaneously. This representation is then manipulated via the physical model. As the user rotates bonds within the molecule, the software representation updates the configuration and can then display energy functions and other calculated values based on the current state. In this way, the student can use the physical model much like a joystick for molecular modeling in an intuitive and easily understandable manner. LuxMol has been proven to improve students' understanding of chemical concepts much more quickly than standard modeling kits.
My role in this project was to design the atoms and bonds in accordance with the chemistry, in a robust and user-friendly manner, and in tandem with the electronics. I am one of the founding members, involved since the conception of the company in 2003, which was a finalist in MIT's 50k Business Plan Competition for that year. Starting with product concept models and FDM parts and continuing through several generations to injection molding-ready part five years later, I led development and testing of the system.