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Students invent quieter leaf blower

Patent-pending design by Hopkins undergrads could be available in stores within two years

They hoped to improve an electric or battery-powered leaf blower, which is already much quieter than the notorious gas-powered ones, where the sound can carry over an average suburban block. The design wowed Stanley Black & Decker officials, who can't wait to start manufacturing and selling the new tools. "It's not just some cool theoretical thing that will sit on a shelf and never be heard from again—this is ready to be mass manufactured," said Nate Greene, senior product manager at Stanley Black & Decker, who graduated from Johns Hopkins in 2017 with an engineering degree.

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