Fall 2007 Projects, IDEA 298
ESW House Electrification
For the past 2 years, the NU chapter of ESW has been working with the small ranching community of Santo Domingo in the Panamanian rainforest of 'Chagres.' ESW implemented a solar panel system in the school and church, along with a lighting system, to provide a place for people in the community to recharge the car batteries they use for their electric fences. The club is now investigating adding solar panel systems in individual homes, so the residents can power a few (3-4) lights, and possibly a small television. A successful design will incorporate as many of the solar technologies that the community is already familiar with, while allowing for each system to be upgraded and modified depending on individual household desires. Ease of use, cost, ease of maintenance, and longevity of the system are all important factors.
Interactive Oceanarium –Submersible
The personnel at the Shedd Aquarium are looking to create opportunities for visitors of the aquarium to experience marine mammals other than by observing them during and between choreographed performances. A previous IDEA 298-398 team developed an initial concept of a radio controlled boat that would pull toys to encourage the animals to chase it. It also included a small camera that would allow viewers to see the animals more closely as they followed the boat. Building on the idea of the boat, the current team investigate the possibility of a submersible that can take full advantage of the depth of the oceanarium and the large underwater viewing area available to visitors. The submersible should have a range of dynamic capabilities to provide multiple options for entertaining and stimulating the animals.
PACE Global Vehicle – Braking System
The purpose of this project is to prepare approximately 200 students (and 25 faculty) per year from 20 PACE institutions, located in 10 countries, on 5 continents, speaking 7 different languages, for “involvement in” and “leadership of” a real-world global design/engineering and collaboration experience. In 2006-200, students from 20 PACE institutions spent 10 months designing, analyzing and producing a first iteration of a PACE sponsored Formula-1 style race car and develop a 400-500 horsepower test stand engine. This year’s teams will use the GM product review (critique) of last year’s design to drive significant redesign and improvements into a second iteration of the F-1 style racecar. The NU team is responsible for the modeling, analysis, purchase/manufacturing/modification, testing and assembly of a brake system for this year’s F-1 car. More about PACE
SafeCar
First responders need to enter areas in which the air has been contaminated by a chemical spill, terrorist attack, or some other means. To address this, a previous IDEA 298-398 team initiated a retrofit to a Chevy Suburban which uses a Honeywell product called a CatOx which can purify air within the vehicle if it is driven into an area which has been contaminated. The major technical issues are heating and cooling of air passing through the CatOx unit. In addition to designing the air handling and heating/cooling components, there is a need for an electronic control system to regulate the temperatures in the presence of varying environmental conditions and flows.
