Project 1: Vending Machine Redesign
Project 3: Automated Video Dolly
Project 4: Hydroponic Heating System
Description:
U-Turn Vending has been building and selling candy vending machines since 1988. They currently have four machines: the U-Turn, the Eliminator, the Terminator, and the Goliath. Currently their best selling machine is the Terminator. It offers eight options on a turntable for optimal storage and compact style. The machine consists of two chassis with four small candy canisters and four large ones. The design is currently getting old making the used models a good cheaper option over the new ones. The team was given the task of modifying U-Turn's current Terminator, and developing a complete redesign of the vending machine.
For the redesign of the terminator, it was decided to maintain the same overall dimensions of the machine while adding aesthetic interest. After exploring various shapes, an octagon was selected for the shape of the new machine. The octagon shape gave the machine a more rounded look and caused the machine to be more symmetrical. Other benefits of such a shape include making more options visible from most angles, and there appears to be more candy in the machine. Lights were added by wrapping LEDs around the center rod. This illuminated the edges of the canisters to draw more attention to the machine. An insert was added to divide the candy into two sections. The back section was dispensed from first and then the front would dispense. This gave the appearance that the canister was completely full of candy even though it is not.
Description:
William Little, a professor in the BYU-Idaho Geology department, previously approached the capstone class for a new stream table. The stream table would allow faculty and students to mimic the formation of a river and river delta to observe how sediment is moved by natural hydraulic processes. The project was not finished in one semester; the main body of the table was constructed and functional, but many of the features that the department desired could not be implemented. The spring semester team finished the table and added several features that made it comparable and in some ways superior to commercially available tables for a fraction of the cost of a typical table on the market. This custom table incorporated an adjustable grade for the river's path, a basin of adjustable depth for ocean simulation, a sediment hopper to add sand into the flow from "upriver," a wave maker, six secondary inlets to simulate tributaries and "run-off," and an adjustable camera mount.
Description:
BYU-Idaho A/V Production Services needed their camera dolly to be modified so that it could be controlled remotely. The dolly was used to film important events in the I-Center, Hart building, and outside. The dolly required that one operator sit and hold a camera while being pushed along a track by another operator. Having two operators obstructs the view of those viewing the production and causes added stress on the dolly grip.
Dynamic Dolly Solutions' objective was to develop a camera dolly that could be operated by one person and perform all functions of the current dolly system with equal or improved efficiency. The team met with the sponsor to acquire all the needs for building a video dolly. The most important needs were the ability to have a single operator, quiet operation, smooth starts and stops, and convenient, intuitive controls.
The finished product accomplishes the goal of having a single operator. The operator can drive the dolly with foot pedals so that their hands can remain free for operation of the camera. With the foot pedal system, the operator can drive the dolly at variable speeds.
Description:
D.L. Beck Incorporated is a general contractor based in Rexburg, Idaho. They specialize in concrete placement in every season of the year. Cold temperatures in the winter necessitate a heating system for the concrete to prevent it from freezing. The biomass gasification hydronic heating unit is a cold weather, portable climate control system. This system allows concrete to cure in outside temperatures below freezing while maintaining a minimal core temperature of 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Current systems require an electrical source and run on kerosene or diesel fuel. Current systems are expensive to buy and to operate, so an alternative design that uses a cheap fuel source is desired. Gasification is a process that converts biomass into a usable form of gas. This gas is then used to run both a generator and to heat the glycol that will be used to heat the concrete.
Description:
In some cities in Alaska there has been a need to develop a device for training problematic bears. These bears have a tendency to wander into neighborhoods and other areas inside the city limits. In order to deal with these problematic bears, a timed feeding system was desired to train bears to be in specific areas at specific times of the day to be captured. To comply with local laws, the system was required to keep the food contained in the container and not on the ground. A universal kit that can be used on a variety of containers to serve as a bear feeding systems was desired. The Bear Box has a two-channel timer that can be programmed to open and close as many times as desired. It is also very compact so that it will fit on any size container.
