Unfortunately, this project had to be terminated before completion due to the Covid 19 Pandemic closing down schools in March for 14 days and later for the rest of the school year. I feel the students were on track to complete a functional prototype in a normal school year. I would like to thank all the students and community members, sponsors and mentors who helped with this project.
Friday, May 15, 2020
Monday, March 9, 2020
Workday 3.9.2020
Date: 3.9.20
Location: Logan High School
Time: 12:00-2:00 PM
Goals: AMP chip circuit design, continue working on the
sensor/circuit board housing design.
Students: Tommy, Abie, Clara, Rebecca, Sam, Ella
We continued working on the housing for the sensors and
circuit boards today with plans to 3D print the design. Abie and Rebecca are
looking at a design where the circuit board slides into the housing. Hose and
wires will be routed out on opposite sides of the enclosure.
Clara, Ella and Tommy
began working on the circuit and design for the AMP Chip (LMV 321). The
purpose of this circuitry is to boost the signal so the software can better
define its resolution. This process included soldering 5 small wires together
onto the chip. It was a very long and tedious task because everything is very
small. We decided to order a bread board to hold the chip in place that will
make the surface mount process easier. We will order a surface mount board for
next week to speed this up. It is taking too long to solder the surface mount
chips.
On the software side of things, Sam started working on
getting an output to an app which he was successful in doing on a small scale.
Now he needs it to be displayed in a graphically pleasing form on the App.
Next week we will work on getting some readings with the
sensors in a pack and getting some pressure on them. We will also try out the
3d printed housings.
| Tommy working on Multisim for the AMP circuit design. |
| Abie and Rebecca working on designing the circuitry housing. |
| Clara learning to solder surface mount. |
| Some fine soldering work. |
Tuesday, March 3, 2020
Workday 3.3.2020
Date: 3.3.20
Location: Logan High School
Time: 10:00-12:00
Goals: Work more on designing sensor housing, connect the software up to the sensors on the bladder
Students: Tommy, Abie, Sam, Will, Ella
During this meeting we worked more on designing housing for the sensors and electronics as well as connecting the software up to the sensors. Once the software was connected, we once again put different amounts of water into the Camelbak and this time, we got the data through our software.
We also worked on finding an equation for the amplifier circuit that we will need to build. This may be neccessary to amplify and clean up the inputs that the Arduino receives. If so, it will have to be designed into the existing circuit board.
It was a fun day today and we got donuts!
| Students conneting the pressure sensors to the software. |
| Sam demonstrating that the software is interfacing with the hardware sensors. |
| Mr. Foye and Ella working out the math equation for the amplifier circuit. |
Tuesday, February 25, 2020
Worknight 2.25.2020
InvenTeam Worknight
Date: 2.25.20
Location: Logan High
School
Time: 4:30-6:30
Goals: Continue testing
the sensors, determine baselines for the software, and begin working on ideas
for protecting the sensors and electronics
Students: Tommy, Abie,
Clara, Sam, Rebecca, Will, Ella
Today we continued our
work on the sensor circuit boards and tested the second board for
functionality. We attached the two sensors to the top and bottom of the
Camelbak and took pressure readings with different amounts of water, in different
positions, and with different amounts of pressure on the bladder. We also
discussed ideas for securing and protecting the sensors and electronics. We
thought about questions like how will the sensor be mounted on the Camelbak?
Where will it be mounted?
We determined the
baseline readings needed for the software. Our first priority readings were:
empty bladder (0% full), half full (50% full), full (100% full). Our second
priority readings were bladder compressions, which we can get from repeating tests
we have done previously. Another question that came up was how will this
monitoring system be powered?
We discussed multiple
possibilities like batteries and batteries that can be solar powered.
Because our team
shirts came in last week, we ended the work night with a team photo!
Notes from Abie and Rebecca: Circuit Board and Plumbing
Packaging
Problem: We need to design an enclosure that protects two
circuit boards and a battery pack.
- Enclosure
- Snap-together
plastic enclosure/box sealed with o-rings
- Use
inventor to design box, purchase o-rings and other parts
- 2
Different boxes vs one big box
- House
both boards in one box, use tubing to connect top and bottom to meet with
one big box
- Tubing
- Where
would we put the sensor connections for the tubes?
- Having
the tube on the twist opening would make things difficult when opening
the bladder
- Run
two tubes through one fitting, allowing for one central location for the
box
- Where
would we disconnect the tube to attach to the box?
- Use
one connection with one long piece of tubing permanently connected to
the box
- Use
two connections, a tube to connect to the bag and a tube to connect to
the input on the box
- Location
of box(s)
- Run
tubes into a more accessible location in backpack
- Makes
the battery pack accessible and isolated from water
- Where
do we attach the box?
- Cut
out a section of the backpack to place it
- Make
the enclosure have the ability to be removed from the backpack/bladder
- Use
velcro to remove
- Use
some sort of clip
- How
do you make the box compatible for different backpacks or bladders?
- Make
the design limited to only one backpage and bladder size
- Concept
A
- Mount
the box permanently in the backpack, in the same compartment as the
bladder
- Pros:
The tubes are in the same same compartment as the bladder
- Cons:
The circuit could get wet because it is close to the bladder
- Concept
B
- Mount
the box in an isolated compartment as the bladder
- Pros:
It would prevent the circuit from getting wet
- Cons:
You would need to cut through the backpack to connect the sensor tubing
to the box
Dimensions of circuit board
Length - 8.5cm
Width - 3.2
Height - 2.2
9 Volt Battery
Tube size 3mm or ⅛ In
| Sam and Will working on programming parameters. |
| Tommy and Clara and Mr. Foye bench testing the two sensors before doing a water volume test. |
| Rebecca and Abie working with Mr. Butterworth on a housing for the electronics. |
| Our first water volume test with both sensors implemented. |
| In one part of the test we used a book as a weight to see if compression effected the pressure readings. |
| The 2019-20 Logan InvenTeam |
Tuesday, February 18, 2020
Worknight 2.18.2020
InvenTeam Worknight
Date: 2.18.2020
Location: Logan HS
Team members: Rebecca, Tommy, Sam, Will and Clara.
Goal: Go over alternate mechanical design and work on circuit boards and programming
We handed out the new t-shirts tonight and everyone seemed to like them.
Mr. Butterworth (Mechanical Engineer) offered an alternate solution to the pressure sensors we are working on now which included the use of a manometer. We will continue to work on the pressure sensor idea and test it and then determine if we need an to move in this direction. Rebecca worked with Mr. Butterworth on refining that concept.
Mr. Foye worked with Clara on how to use a DC power supply and tested out the circuit boards that we hastily soldered together today in order to test them tonight. We has some problems with the actual circuit board and soldered components connecting to it. It seemed we had to heat up those solder joints quite a while.
Bench testing went well with the circuit boards. We went slowly from 0 -7 V to test the regulator. It output a steady 5 V which is what we need. Then we applied a voltage to the transducer and it output the 2.5 V specified. We then blew into a piece of surgical tubing to test the sensor and it output a varied voltage which is what we want. One board is completed and tested and we went right to work on the other one which had a resistor problem.
The progress was very good on the circuit boards tonight. There was a concern if we could get them completed, but we only have one or two more solder connections on the second board to finish.
Tommy worked on a testing regiment for the sensors and found some interesting data. The sensor registered no difference when the vent was close or open on the top of the bag. When we get the other sensor up and running next week we should start to see a pressure difference.
| Team members working with local engineering consultants on different parts of the project. |
| Mr. Foye and Clara working on bench testing the circuit boards. |
| Will and Tommy working on testing the lower sensor. |
Tuesday, February 11, 2020
Worknight 2.11.2020
Date:
2.11.20
Location:
Logan High School
Time:
4:30-6:30 PM
Goals:
Continue working on circuit boards, begin planning an experiment
Students:
Tommy, Abie, Clara, Sam, Will, Ella
Fun news
from today’s meeting: our t-shirts should be here next week!
We talked
about the pressure within the bladder as the water level decreases. In order to
figure out what will go on inside of the bladder as the water levels change, we
need to conduct a detailed experiment. The bladder is flexible and can change
shape as it gets filled or emptied. We need to find a way to measure that. We
also need to determine what we are going to consider as “full.” How much water
are we putting into the bladder? This measurement should be consistent when
experimenting. Our goal for the experiment is to find a function that will tell
us the volume of water. Our team broke up into three groups; one group worked
on the circuit boards, the second worked on the programming needed for later
on, and the third worked on preparing the experiment.
Circuit
board work came along slowly. We had a few desolders and questions on schematics.
We hoped to be done with this tonight and we were not. Software is moving
forward with a successful test of Bluetooth communication link between phone
and microcontroller and then with a potentiometer test where we saw an output
registered on the phone. This is nice progress on the coding end.
| Tommy and Clara working on soldering the circuits boards. |
| Will and Sam working on code to interpret sensors. |
| Mr. Butterworth (retired Mechanical Engineer) looking over the CamelBak for sensor hose locations. |
Video of the microcontroller outputing a signal to a phone.
Tuesday, February 4, 2020
Worknight 2.4.2020
Date: 2.4.2020
Location: Logan High School
Time: 4:30-6:30 PM
Goal: See list below
Students: Tommy, Abie, Clara, Sam, Rebecca, Ella
Worknight Goals:
1. Parts/components order update
2. T-shirt update
3. Hosebarbs inserted in hydration bladder overview
4. Use force plate to measure mass of hydration bladders
5. Sensor/circuit board design/fabrication -Mr. Foye
6. Manometer spreadsheet explanation -Mr. Foye
7. Wrap up and order any needed components
Today we took a deeper look into a few different pressure sensors by discussing the pros and cons of each sensor and how each could work with our project. After careful consideration, we decided on one of the sensors to begin working with. We also talked about soldering the sensor to a breadboard instead of soldering the wires directly onto the sensor. This will result in more stability and at this time, we are not as concerned about our monitor being small as much as we are concerned with it working well. Along with the sensor we want to solder the regulator onto the breadboard. We began soldering the sensor to the breadboard and constructing our experimental model. An LED is going to be added so that we know when it is working.
Location: Logan High School
Time: 4:30-6:30 PM
Goal: See list below
Students: Tommy, Abie, Clara, Sam, Rebecca, Ella
Worknight Goals:
1. Parts/components order update
2. T-shirt update
3. Hosebarbs inserted in hydration bladder overview
4. Use force plate to measure mass of hydration bladders
5. Sensor/circuit board design/fabrication -Mr. Foye
6. Manometer spreadsheet explanation -Mr. Foye
7. Wrap up and order any needed components
Today we took a deeper look into a few different pressure sensors by discussing the pros and cons of each sensor and how each could work with our project. After careful consideration, we decided on one of the sensors to begin working with. We also talked about soldering the sensor to a breadboard instead of soldering the wires directly onto the sensor. This will result in more stability and at this time, we are not as concerned about our monitor being small as much as we are concerned with it working well. Along with the sensor we want to solder the regulator onto the breadboard. We began soldering the sensor to the breadboard and constructing our experimental model. An LED is going to be added so that we know when it is working.
| A home made manometer to double check our sensor readings. |
| Students working on soldering the sensor circuit. |
| Rebecca working on breadboarding a wireless module. |
| Sam working on the Arduino interface. |
| More time soldering the sensor circuit. Some problems with our prototype boards. |
| Sensor circuit diagram complete with a ballast resistor. |
Tuesday, January 28, 2020
Worknight 1.28.2020
Logan InvenTeam Worknight
Date: 1.28.2020
Location: Logan HS
Students: Sam, Abie, Clara and Tommy
Goal(s)
1. Decide on t-shirts (name) Hydration Bladder Monitoring System
2. Software- work on new Bluetooth modules
3. Hardware- Hydration bladder water volume and measurements - Measurement strategy and manometer introduction.
4. Create a list for ordering any new parts/components we need for the next meeting.
5. Wrap up
Discussion topics on future direction:
System Theory- Use basic physics principles, experimental data, and software/logic AI to make a reasonably intelligent, and reasonably reliable system. Need logic capability and non-volatile memory
Functional-Sam/Software/ Processor Hardware
• Startup and software development system
• A/D operation
• Wireless communication/Bluetooth
• Wire communication/display
• At his point don't be concerned with power conservation
• Water volume calibration routine and software operating logic
• Intermittent data and results
• Calculation of water volume remaining
Team Functional and Hardware Work
• Hydration bladder water volume and measurements
• Measurement strategy
• Sensor operation and calibration (pressure measurement- manometer)
• Explore differential bladder measurement, vertical position only
Outline software operation logic
• Perform careful calibration to develop form of data for software interpretation
• Refine software logic
• Team- develop AI algorithm for software interpretation.
• Implement and demonstrate.
Date: 1.28.2020
Location: Logan HS
Students: Sam, Abie, Clara and Tommy
Goal(s)
1. Decide on t-shirts (name) Hydration Bladder Monitoring System
2. Software- work on new Bluetooth modules
3. Hardware- Hydration bladder water volume and measurements - Measurement strategy and manometer introduction.
4. Create a list for ordering any new parts/components we need for the next meeting.
5. Wrap up
Discussion topics on future direction:
System Theory- Use basic physics principles, experimental data, and software/logic AI to make a reasonably intelligent, and reasonably reliable system. Need logic capability and non-volatile memory
Functional-Sam/Software/ Processor Hardware
• Startup and software development system
• A/D operation
• Wireless communication/Bluetooth
• Wire communication/display
• At his point don't be concerned with power conservation
• Water volume calibration routine and software operating logic
• Intermittent data and results
• Calculation of water volume remaining
Team Functional and Hardware Work
• Hydration bladder water volume and measurements
• Measurement strategy
• Sensor operation and calibration (pressure measurement- manometer)
• Explore differential bladder measurement, vertical position only
Outline software operation logic
• Perform careful calibration to develop form of data for software interpretation
• Refine software logic
• Team- develop AI algorithm for software interpretation.
• Implement and demonstrate.
| Tommy, Abie and Clara unwrapping the new CamelBaks we are using for testing purposes. |
| Getting more volume calculations with the new CamelBaks |
![]() |
| Volume Data and flow rate collected on 1.21.2020 |
Tuesday, January 21, 2020
Work Night 1.21.2020
Date: 1.21.20
Location: Logan High School
TIme: 4:30-6:30 PM
Goal: Decide parts to order, collect data on hydration bladder flow rate.
Students: Tommy, Abie, Clara, Sam, Rebecca, Ella
Today we talked about what parts we need to order and looked at a couple of sensors that have been purchased already.
We decided to focus on one size of hydration bladder, a 3 liter one. This helped us figure out what hydration bladders to purchase. We are going to get two 3 Liter Camelbaks, one male edition and one female, and then one smaller bladder. A spreadsheet was made to record data from the experiments we started tonight. Using a hydration bladder we already have, we started experimenting with different water measurements. These measurements will help guide next week’s work night. We also looked at possible t-shirt designs.
Summary:
Collected data
Pressure changes on volume of water in the hydration bladder
May need to look at the data more to interpret it better, establish connections
Working on software component, bluetooth connection
Made a rough decision on t-shirt designs
Location: Logan High School
TIme: 4:30-6:30 PM
Goal: Decide parts to order, collect data on hydration bladder flow rate.
Students: Tommy, Abie, Clara, Sam, Rebecca, Ella
Today we talked about what parts we need to order and looked at a couple of sensors that have been purchased already.
We decided to focus on one size of hydration bladder, a 3 liter one. This helped us figure out what hydration bladders to purchase. We are going to get two 3 Liter Camelbaks, one male edition and one female, and then one smaller bladder. A spreadsheet was made to record data from the experiments we started tonight. Using a hydration bladder we already have, we started experimenting with different water measurements. These measurements will help guide next week’s work night. We also looked at possible t-shirt designs.
Summary:
Collected data
Pressure changes on volume of water in the hydration bladder
May need to look at the data more to interpret it better, establish connections
Working on software component, bluetooth connection
Made a rough decision on t-shirt designs
| Engineering consultant Dave Foye going over sensor information with the team. |
| Sam working on programming an Arduino to receive potentiometer input. |
| Testing and recording data for water volume and flow rate with a hydration bladder. |
Tuesday, December 17, 2019
Work Night 12.17.19
Work Night
Date: 12.17.19Location: Logan HS
Time: 4:30-6:30 PM
Students: Clara, Abie, Tommy, Sam and Ella
Goal: a) Facilitate discussion on solutions to the hydration bladder monitor problem.
b) Begin to create an organizational diagram to assign jobs responsibilities for the project.
Tonight we discussed possible job responsibilities and who might want to do what on the InvenTeam. We began to define some of them below:
Sustainability Lead (dual role)
Software Team -Sam B.
Hardware Team
Engineering Design (Inventor)
Project Manager (Dual Role)
Public Relations/Finance- Ella L.
We also discussed the t-shirt design and possible project name. We decided we needed more time to work on these so for now the name stays as hydration bladder monitoring system. Mr Foye then facilitated a discussion on the experimental platform and will work on possible sensors that we can use. We spent the last 45 min. getting a equipment ready for a bench test using an Arduino Uno. Students tested potentiometers to see if they can vary voltage levels to simulate sensor input on the Arduino.
Design
consideration
-
Volume
-
Weight
Measured
with sensor
Pressure is
candidate to measure
Optical
height
Measure
strain on hydration bladder
Strain gage measuring system
Measure
water volume, temp, water quality, flow
Be
consistent with voltages
Need a
paragraph to describe how data outputs will function.
Contact
Austin Sather about code from last year
Cell phone
app/watch
Pros:
-
App
could be more user friendly
Cons:
-
More
work/time to do watch and app and is it convenient to check your cell phone when hiking and running.
-
Does there
need to be user input? On/off switch and do we need a beginning
volume measurement?
Which
measuring system? Relative or absolute or incremental
-
Weight
or containment volume – most accurate
Current
tasks:
Clara: Write
user scenario paragraphs
Sam: List of
software functions and display functions
Abie, Clara,
Tommy started working on the breadboard
Tommy: Flow
sensor application and mounting location
Future
tasks:
-
Selecting
sensors
-
Mounting
locations and containers for electronics
General task
-
Volume
measurement strategy
Group Task:
name ideas, visuals, t shirts, slogan/marketing line
| Team members working on getting potentiometers ready for breadboard. |
| Clara soldering a wire on a potentiometer. |
| Notes from our discussion. |
| Students testing the potentiometers to see if they can vary voltage levels. |
Friday, December 13, 2019
Work Night 12.10.19
Work Night
Date: 12.10.19
Location: Logan HS
Time: 4:30-6:30 PM
Goal: Define the parameters of the hydration bladder monitor and set goals.
Students: Tommy, Abie, Ella, Clara, Rebecca and Sam.
Guest speaker - Bill Beres-Patent Attorney
| Abie, Tommy and Sam finalizing goals for project. |
| Team discussion to determine final project goals. |
Today we answered questions to get a clearer idea about the goals we have for this project.
Bill Beres talked to the students about patents in the scientific/engineering field. He had a mechanical engineer background then became an attorney and worked 23 years at Trane. Went to law school. “Engineering legal work” need a science undergraduate to be a patent attorney protect product from competitors from doing things too similar. Helps us patent our project. Defining what you want to do can be the hardest part.
The team then worked on researching and discussing the questions you see below to define the parameters of the project and set goals.
The main project goals we determined were:
a) Measure volume level
- User Hydration level (time permitting)
- Design/develop a timer system, reminder to drink
b) User has overview of water consumption
Invention Description:
The Logan InvenTeam will design and develop a hydration bladder monitoring device which will measure the volume level in the hydration bladder and transmit that information to the user so they can monitor their water consumption. This device can be utilized by people who use hydration bladders (like a CamelBak) for different activities like running, backpacking, hiking, etc… An App will be created for the management system to display live data on a cellphone or wrist display. The team will also research the possibility of incorporating auxiliary systems that would allow the user to monitor their own level of hydration and remind them when to consume water during activity.
Research Questions:
1. What is the range of volumes we are interested in? List 6 major manufacturers with some variation in size (example: Camelbak 1-3 liter).
Hydration bladder sizes are from 1 to 3 liters
Camelbak 2-3 L
Gregory 2-6 L
HydraPak 1.5-3 L
Mazama Designs 2-3 L
Osprey 1.5-3 L
Platypus 1-3 L
Osprey – 1.5-3 liters
Platypus – 1-3 liters
Gregory – 2-3 liters
HydraPak – 1.5- 3 liters
(3.7 recommended daily for men 2.7 for women). Unigear Tactical Hydration Pack 2.5 L.
Good information:
https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/hydration-system.html
OlarHike 2L
Vibrelli 2L
Rupumpack 2-2.5L
Water Buffalo 2L
Benkii 2L
Camelbak 1-3L
2. How is the "hydration bladder" used? (We want to describe how a person will use the hydration bladder everyday use, running, hiking, military, places where water is scarce, etc...)
High performance sports where water control is very important
A person uses it to keep hydrated in various activities like running, backpacking, etc.. They eliminate the need for disposable water containers.
It is used to easily access water by storing it on the back of the wearer. It would be used primarily for extensive outdoor recreation that requires two hands and/or no distractions such as biking and running.
People who use hydration bladders carry them on their back; a tube is over their shoulder to make it easy to drink out of it. People use this in many situations but mainly in an active situations. There is a strap on most to help the pack not move as much.
Typical uses seem to be biking and hiking, but snow sports and running are other common uses. Generally speaking, the hydration bladder's main purpose is to provide hands-free convenience for drinking and to carry water to places without clean drinking water. The same backpack that houses the water typically also serves as a backpack for carrying other stuff.
3. How do we want to communicate the output to the user? (Be creative here…cellphone app, monitored on the hydration bladder with a flow meter, etc...)
Cellphone app would be the most convenient for people who have smartwatches because they could check the amount of water left on their wrist
A cell phone is sometimes tucked in your pack. How about the monitor display being mounted on your wrist or on the hydration bladder tube where you can see it easily. We should also consider use in winter when a person wears long sleeves. Could it be mounted on the pack on the chest strap?
With a digital display that is mounted to the wearers wrist or to the bike (if using a bike)
Depending on our key consumers this may very. If we are looking at an average American we can hook it up to an app or a smart watch. If we are looking at the lower class it would work best to attach a device directly to the tube so no other devices are needed.
gauge, connect to smart watch
Output on hose end:
-Would let you see level with same system that you need access to to drink
-Mechanical or electrical
--7-segment–type display?
--Mechanical spinning wheel design?
-Less potential for variety
Smart Watch:
-Kind of people who use hydration bladders are more likely to be the kind of person who owns a smart watch.
-Would be hands-free and accessible
-Would need to have a watch
-Need wireless connection
Phone app:
-Would have to get out phone, which may defeat purpose (what is purpose? see below)
-Would be easy to incorporate other stats like water quality/temp/etc
-Has large potential for variety
-Need wireless connection
Bike-mounted display:
-Would be conveniently located
-Hands-free
-Would need to start mostly from scratch
Hybrid:
-Can have one of above options for quick look, others for more detailed analysis
-Would need to figure out multiple outputs
-Best of multiple designs
-Longer design time probably
4. Do we need to monitor water quality? (Water quality/safety. We need to define this and what to measure or if this means incorporating a filter.)
Probably not
Not a high priority but it would be nice to include. Most water is filtered before it is placed in a hydration bladder.
This is an interesting idea, however, I do not know if it is relevant to the target consume.
depends on target consumer, location using. yes many people like to filter whatever water using even if already clean.
It would be a nifty feature. I think we first need to know how difficult this would be and decide if it's something we can feasibly pursue in addition to other objectives. Alternatively, we could define this as our primary objective and focus on this first.
5. Do we need to monitor water volume? (What is useful to the user?)
Yes, definitely, but it could be calibrated from the volume of the pack and subtracted the amount the flow meter/device for monitoring how much water is being drunk would measure
Yes, the monitoring is a key here. I think it is essential we invent something that would tell the user in terms of how many liters are left. We could do a percentage but 50% of 3 liters is much more than 50% of 1 liter. More exact information for the user.
Yes, the user needs to know how much water is left.
depth gauge? is air>floating lever thing like car gas level monitor, no.
I could see it being useful to maybe a biker, but it's pretty easy to tell how much water is left based on the weight. It was our stated objective at first, but that doesn't mean a whole lot.
6. Should we include monitoring user hydration levels to see if they are hydrated?
That would be nice but I don't think it's a necessity for the project
This would be nice but not necessary a requirement. Might be neat to go down this road for a while, if we see it is a rabbit hole, we can back out.
Yes, it is important to know the hydration levels, especially when running or jogging in an environment without access to water.
Again, I think we need to weigh feasibility and time required to do it versus importance to the project. I think it's worth considering. More research would probably be needed. It would take the amount left in the pack and take it a step further to apply it to solve an (arguably) more useful problem.
7. Is temperature of the water important? (What is the impact on the user in terms of preferences and health?)
It would only be important for the measuring device so it could actually measure the amount of water.
Not so important unless it is really cold water which is hard to drink if you are really hot.
It can be important. The user might prefer to have cold water, and when wearing the hydration bladder for an extended period of time, the water will begin to warm.
depends on target consumer, yes cold water generally preferred, insulation. freezing weather activities, snow shoeing, >cross country ski?
Again, this seems like a pretty easy thing to just test empirically, so it might not be an important. However, it might be a nice touch if we have leftover time at the end.
8. What are some good candidates for software and hardware to help us solve this problem? (Battery powered? How often to read sensors? Is operation only on demand possible?)
The "Hydrate Mate" seems like a good example of the concept.
Arduino NANO (3.3 v operating) -Python, need a display that will interface with it.
Use a battery to power the device.
Possibly monitor pressure, then calculate the volume using the pressure.
Monitor the data with a digital screen (maybe touch screen?)
Idea 1 - Mechanical:
-No battery needed
-Spinning number dials
-Would need gears, mechanical spinning thing, housing
Idea 2 - Digital on Hose:
-Battery
-7-segment or something
-No wireless
Idea 3 - Phone:
-Battery
-Make app
-Need wireless thing
-Something that can turn measuring level into signal
Idea 4 - Bike Mounted Display
-2 Batteries
-Something that transmits wireless signal
-Details really depend on how crazy we want to get
--7-segment display?
-Something to mount it
Really depends a lot on how we approach the problem. If we measure out flow, for example, it might be different than pressure at the bottom or some other way of measuring water level.
Tuesday, December 3, 2019
Work Night 12.3.19
Work Night
Date: 12.3.19
Location:
Logan HS
Time:
4:30-6:00 PM
Students:
Abie, Thomas, Clara, Sam and Jacob
Goal: Research both project ideas and
decide on one to take to the prototype stage.
Students
researched both topics and had a discussion on the merits as well as which
project would give us the greatest likelihood of success. Our engineering
consultant (Mr. Foye) suggested that the hydration bladder project might be a
better one to do because the charging system would take a great deal of time to
test and even then we may not have success.
After the
decision was made to go with the hydration bladder monitoring system, students
were asked to define exactly what the goals/outcomes for this project would be.
Questions were form and placed in a Google doc for the next time we meet. We
want to answer those questions to define the parameters of our project.
Questions:
1. What is
the range of volumes we are interested in? List 6 major manufacturers with some
variation in size (example: Camelbak 1-3 liter).
2. How is
the "hydration bladder" used?
(We want to describe how a person will use the hydration bladder
everyday use, running, hiking, military, places where water is scarce, etc...)
3. How do we
want to communicate the output to the user? (Be creative here…cellphone app,
monitored on the hydration bladder with a flow meter, etc...)
4. Do we
need to monitor water quality? (Water quality/safety. We need to define this
and what to measure or if this means incorporating a filter.)
5. Do we
need to monitor water volume? (What is useful to the user?)
6. Should we
include monitoring user hydration levels to see if they are hydrated?
7. Is temperature of the water important? (What
is the impact on the user in terms of preferences and health?)
8. What are
some good candidates for software and hardware to help us solve this problem?
(Battery powered? How often to read sensors? Is operation only on demand
possible?)
| Clara and Rebecca researching the problem. |
Wednesday, November 20, 2019
Work Night 11.20.19
Work Night
Date: 11.20.19
Location: Logan HS
Time: 4:30-6:00 PM
Students: Clara, Rebecca, Abie, Sam and Tommy
Goal: Introduce students to the Water bladder user monitoring system and Game Controller Charging System problems. Research topics to gather background.
Tonight was the introductory meeting so the team could become familiar with the problems and begin researching background information. The students broke into two groups, one for the hydration bladder and the other for the game controller and looked a prior art (patents) and other online search methods to investigate the problems.
We could consider selecting two water bladder design projects based on the student interests. We could shape up two distinct and challenging related projects.
For example:
Water bladder user monitoring system
Water bladder water purifying monitoring system
If the projects are going to concentrate on some mechanical components it will offer good balance with the electrical.
We did not go until 7:00 tonight because the team spent a good 1.5 hours of focused research and did a good job of it. The team was given an online documentation form to submit their research findings.
| Sam discussing the problem with Mr. Foye. |
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