Engineering students focus on water cleanup
The Quality H2O team’s pond-skimming device was inspired by jet skis.
The Tuscora Park pond was the setting for a demonstration of student ingenuity and resourcefulness on May 10. Engineering technology students from David Schlosser’s class at Kent State Tuscarawas unveiled pond skimmers designed to collect debris and litter from bodies of water.
The demonstration was the culmination of the capstone project students must complete in order to graduate. Each year mechanical and electrical engineering students are brought together and given a challenge they have to complete in one semester. This year the task was to design and build a device for collecting debris and litter in bodies of water without endangering human life.
A secondary use for the pond skimmer would be as a remote-controlled lifeguard device with the ability to tow a life preserver to a swimmer in distress.
The problem
In the project proposal, Schlosser cited a number of safety issues people face when attempting to clean ponds.
“For years municipalities and landowners have been tasked with the burden of removing litter and debris by means of long poles, boats and people wading into the depths. Bodies of water have several inherent issues such as currents, unknown depths, uneven bottoms and trip/snag hazards that can pose safety hazards for those tasked with pond cleaning activities,” Schlosser said.
The solutions
The 13 students in the class were divided into two teams. Each team had to develop its own pond-skimming device. In addition to being able to collect litter, debris or algae from the surface of a pond or lake, the device had to meet certain specifications such as being able to move at speeds up to 10 mph and operate for up to one hour on a charge using a 12-volt operating system.
“The purpose of the project is to give students an idea of what it’s like to work as a multi-disciplinary team in the real world,” Schlosser said. “They collaborated in teams and used integrated, analytical and synthesis skills to address problems such as buoyancy, propulsion, controls and programming.”
Paul Dykshoorn, director of engineering technology at Kent State Tuscarawas, said the project requires students to work together with one another’s strengths and weaknesses.
“They’re given a task that they have to somehow solve, and then they have to build it. And that is the hard part,” Dykshoorn said.
Quality H2O
The first team to demonstrate its work was the Quality H2O team, which said they got their inspiration from jet skis. They developed a device that can be remote-controlled by a single person on the shore as it moves around the pond collecting debris.
The design is powered by two 4-cell lithium polymer batteries and features a camera to provide feedback to the operator on shore and lights for visibility.
Making up the Quality H2O team were Hayden Dixon, Evan Shoup, Kevin Mace, Braeden Harris, Brennan Kerns, Carson Paden and Ethen McPeek.
GOAT Boat
The second team designed and built what they named a Gatherer of Aquatic Trash Boat that rides atop pontoon-type floats and uses a conveyor belt to pull trash into a bin and carry it to shore. As with the other team’s solution, the GOAT Boat is battery-operated, remote-controlled, and features LED lighting and a camera system.
Members of the GOAT Boat team were Erik Doran, John Chaney, Brody Alford, Bryce Hoffman, Jacinto Itzep Santiago and Kylie Miklovic.
Schlosser said the capstone projects would not be possible without support from local companies. Those providing monetary support or materials this year were Dino Piergallini & Sons Equipment, FoxFury Lighting, H.B. Fuller, ST Engineering — Kidron Body, Tusco Manufacturing and Buckeye Career Center.