Mr. Williams has tasked us with our least specific project yet this year. Still, it is oddly the one most related to our STEM program. He told us, essentially, to "solve a world problem." Obviously, this is a very generic task description, and I was confused at first. Some teams thought about things like the energy crisis, or worldwide war. Others brainstormed on a much smaller scale, with ideas like split ends and earbud tangling. Ben Franks, Elise Chassman and I thought of something somewhere in between.
We began by brainstorming several different ideas of problems to solve, ranging from split ends to AR reading. After several minutes of careful deliberation, we decided on the problem of IEDs (improvised explosive devices). Essentially, homemade bombs. We then researched the problem. It turns out that they caused over one third of all American casualties in the War in Afghanistan, and more than that in the Iraq War. Worse still, IEDs don't usually hit their targets; they often kill unaware civilians scavenging for resources. In addition to that, we learned that there are two parts to an IED explosion: (1) the fragments, or sharp metal pieces blown from the bomb at ludicrously high velocity, and (2) the shock wave, which penetrates traditional body armor and causes internal organ rupturing. We also learned that there actually are methods of blocking IEDs. They include the EOD (explosive ordnance disposal) specialists, the ZEUS-HLONS (a Humvee-mounted anti-mine laser cannon), and numerous types of drones used to disarm the bombs. However, these are very costly options. A single EOD suit of the most basic, standard variety costs nearly $30,000. The cost of anti-IED training, equipment, and intelligence is upwards of ten billion dollars. So we set out to design a machine that would stop IEDs and save lives while on a tight budget.
So we brainstormed for a while. We thought of different kinds of metal detectors to sense IEDs before they were disarmed, and several counter-explosives to blast the IED apart before it could explode. However, these proved to be expensive and ineffective, so we ended up on a design we now call the Praetorian Dome, named after the Roman emperor's guard. It consists of a large steel dome that absorbs the brunt of the explosion, and a carbon-fiber mesh on edge that circles the dome and stops any remaining fragments from escaping the dome. We estimated cost around $600-$700. I then created a prototype on my laptop using 123D Design, a 3D design program that was very fun and useful to operate. Look it up. It's pretty cool. Anyways, we then created a slideshow presentation to communicate to our class.
Concepts
In this project, we did not learn many new physics concepts, since each team had a completely different project and therefore needed a different approach. However, each of the teams, including us, used one thing in common: The Engineering Design Cycle.
The Engineering Design Cycle:
1. Identify the need
2. Research the Problem
3. Develop possible solutions
4. Select the most promising solution
5. Construct a prototype
6. Test and evaluate the prototype
7. Communicate the design
8. Redesign
9. Repeat
These steps are used by engineers everywhere as a way to create innovative solutions to difficult problems. We followed the process as best we could. We began identifying the need when we brainstormed ideas of problems in the world. We researched the problem by looking up statistics and information about IEDs and the damage that they cause to soldiers and civilians. We developed several possible solutions, including the metal detector, the counter-explosives, and finally the Praetorian Dome. We decided on the dome, since the other designs were almost as expensive as the incumbent devices. We constructed a prototype using 123D Design. However, we could not actually carry out a testing on the design, as we could not get our hands on an IED; the STEM program would have frowned upon it.
Reflection
This project went very well. One of our many Peaks was time management. We managed our time very well, and actually had a couple days just to relax and practice our presentation while other groups were scrambling preparing their prototypes. Another one of our Peaks was how well we interacted with each other. In all of the other projects I usually had a difference of vision with one of the other members, but this project ran perfectly smoothly.
We did have areas to improve, however. One of our Pits was lack of organization and communication. Even though we managed our time very well, sometimes I looked over at one of my teammate's computers and they were taking notes on exactly the same thing I was. We could have organized better and learned to communicate so we could have ended up with an even better final product. Another one of our Pits was that our machine wouldn't actually work. The weight of the steel in the dome would not be enough to hold down the unrelenting force of an IED's explosion. So our next reasonable step after we presented it to the class would have been, had we been granted more time, to do a fairly extensive redesign.
So we brainstormed for a while. We thought of different kinds of metal detectors to sense IEDs before they were disarmed, and several counter-explosives to blast the IED apart before it could explode. However, these proved to be expensive and ineffective, so we ended up on a design we now call the Praetorian Dome, named after the Roman emperor's guard. It consists of a large steel dome that absorbs the brunt of the explosion, and a carbon-fiber mesh on edge that circles the dome and stops any remaining fragments from escaping the dome. We estimated cost around $600-$700. I then created a prototype on my laptop using 123D Design, a 3D design program that was very fun and useful to operate. Look it up. It's pretty cool. Anyways, we then created a slideshow presentation to communicate to our class.
Concepts
In this project, we did not learn many new physics concepts, since each team had a completely different project and therefore needed a different approach. However, each of the teams, including us, used one thing in common: The Engineering Design Cycle.
The Engineering Design Cycle:
1. Identify the need
2. Research the Problem
3. Develop possible solutions
4. Select the most promising solution
5. Construct a prototype
6. Test and evaluate the prototype
7. Communicate the design
8. Redesign
9. Repeat
These steps are used by engineers everywhere as a way to create innovative solutions to difficult problems. We followed the process as best we could. We began identifying the need when we brainstormed ideas of problems in the world. We researched the problem by looking up statistics and information about IEDs and the damage that they cause to soldiers and civilians. We developed several possible solutions, including the metal detector, the counter-explosives, and finally the Praetorian Dome. We decided on the dome, since the other designs were almost as expensive as the incumbent devices. We constructed a prototype using 123D Design. However, we could not actually carry out a testing on the design, as we could not get our hands on an IED; the STEM program would have frowned upon it.
Reflection
This project went very well. One of our many Peaks was time management. We managed our time very well, and actually had a couple days just to relax and practice our presentation while other groups were scrambling preparing their prototypes. Another one of our Peaks was how well we interacted with each other. In all of the other projects I usually had a difference of vision with one of the other members, but this project ran perfectly smoothly.
We did have areas to improve, however. One of our Pits was lack of organization and communication. Even though we managed our time very well, sometimes I looked over at one of my teammate's computers and they were taking notes on exactly the same thing I was. We could have organized better and learned to communicate so we could have ended up with an even better final product. Another one of our Pits was that our machine wouldn't actually work. The weight of the steel in the dome would not be enough to hold down the unrelenting force of an IED's explosion. So our next reasonable step after we presented it to the class would have been, had we been granted more time, to do a fairly extensive redesign.