Courtesy of Lee CordovaIt’s been said that there’s something a little quirky about every Wash. U. student. Some of us love to salsa dance. Others prefer to don medieval attire and battle on the swamp. A select number of students-to put it simply-build cool things.
In recent years, the most publicized example of Wash. U. students’ engineering handiwork has probably been the computer-controlled light display dance floor used for Vertigo, EnCouncil’s annual dance party. The floor debuted at EnCouncil’s 2005 function, but since then its technology has proven to be a bit clanky and cumbersome. A group of engineering students have taken on the project of Vertigo Dance Floor 2.0 in hopes of updating the floor’s technology.
Senior Greg Galloway, president of Wash. U.’s chapter of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, noted that there have been several difficulties in getting the project rolling, such as a lack of know-how and the limited free time of project participants. Still, after preliminary testing and the choice of new materials, the project should soon be on its way. New ideas include a high-density plastic that will be strong, clear and possibly waterproof to the point that it could be put under a pool. Also, fresher sensor technology will allow for such activities as human pong, human Tetris and a floor that lights up as people walk on it.
Once it is finished, the Vertigo Dance Floor 2.0 will hopefully go on to be used at Vertigo, Dance Marathon and other community events. Galloway proposed that working on the Vertigo Dance Floor is an experience that could benefit any engineering student, regardless of specialty.
“It melds different schools of thought,” said Galloway. “Mechanical, electrical, computer engineering-there’s a lot of things involved. So it helps you learn a lot about not only your specific major but [also] how it relates to the other majors in the engineering school.”
Working with EnCouncil is certainly a great way for students to get involved in unique endeavors. Junior Lee Cordova, biomedical engineering major, has done several projects with EnCouncil in the past. Although the 8-foot duct tape beaver that he worked on for EnWeek 2006 was a tough act to follow, he considers his current project-life-sized “Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em” robots-to be one of the greatest tasks he’s taken on while at Wash. U.
Cordova is working with fellow juniors Sam Wight and Matt Watkins to recreate a sturdier version of the oversized toys they created for the Thurtene carnival last year. After excessive rocking and socking, it turned out that the rope and PVC plastic that comprised the innards of the robots were just not cutting it.
“The whole carnival was very stressful for the three of us because we were constantly [the robots] and taking them apart,” said Cordova. “We had to tell the kids [our booth] was shut down for a couple hours because we had to cut another groove for the head joint or replace some of the rope.”
The robots’ mechanics can be broken down and understood even by those of us who didn’t get into this prestigious University for our knowledge of physics. In fact, after a stint at 2008’s Thurtene carnival, the new robots will be used in a children’s engineering exhibit at the St. Louis Science Center. The basic idea behind the machines is that you move a bar back and forth in order to control the pulley systems. In turn, these systems control the robotic arms. When you pull back on the cords, the robots’ arms extend to punch. In true Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em fashion, the head is spring-loaded when the chest plates are hit.
While the three talented engineers spent around 30 to 50 hours on the original project, it is estimated that the repairs (which include using metal cable, copper tubing for joints and structuring more accurate dimensions) should only take around 15 to 20 hours. Cordova explained that his Wash. U. education nicely complements the intense mechanical thought that went into creating the robots. Wight and Watkins were both used to working with forces and torques as a result of their fields of study, but Cordova especially had some luck in the time of his classes and his creation.
“It is interesting because at the time I was taking the sophomore biomechanics class,” said Cordova. “I was learning about how forces act with arms and here I was, basically building an artificial arm.”
Senior Eric Jensen has found a similar synergy between his schoolwork and his extracurricular endeavors. As president of the Formula SAE Racing Team, Jensen leads a team of Wash. U. students in constructing and racing custom-built cars-cars that are so well-crafted they can go faster than a Corvette. He cites his Wash. U. education as an important resource for his work.
“As you progress [through] your years of schooling here, you find that it’s easier and easier to apply the things you learn in the classroom to practical, tactile knowledge,” said Jensen. “I’ll start designing something on the computer and then I can use the things I’ve learned math- and science-wise to analyze that part on the computer and then do everything by hand.”
Junior Matt Schweiker, the team’s suspension design specialist, agrees that merging his classroom studies with his outside interests has been a great experience.
“[It’s] one of the most attractive aspects of the Formula Race Team,” said Schweiker.
The FSAE team is currently working on revamping the cars they used in last year’s competitions so that they can be used for new member training or hybrid competitions. Jensen and Schweiker work with a group of highly talented students. The team’s main contributors include experts in alternative fuel research, engines and pedals, among others. With more than twenty members rounding out the team, FSAE participants hope to soon turn out a car every year rather than every two years like it has been in the past.
FSAE team members participate in competitions in May and August, but work on the cars spans a much wider time frame. Despite time management issues and learning curve effects for the underclassmen, the team has experienced constant improvement. Schweiker noted that for many team members it seems that there is a sort of natural affinity for this kind of project.
“I think all of us have background experience with cars, or Legos, or some kind of erector set,” said Schweiker. “It all just kind of carried over into something a little more technical and high-powered.”