Lemelson-MIT InvenTeams

Well this month has been a very successful month for us. First of all, we were able to have our first video conference with Ellen and our whole class was present.  We were especially excited because we have a PATENT PENDING on PAL and we are now able to share our designs, plans and prototype with anyone.  We presented to her what we had done so far on our first prototype and shared with her our success in getting a patent attorney to drive four hours to our school so we could have a meeting with him.

The last two weeks were especially busy for us because we had an opportunity to go a mine rescue training in Colorado.  On Thursday night we stayed up until three in the morning so that we could finish our prototype. In the morning we took it out to St. Jude Mine on the Colorado Plateau. While there, we were able to test PAL and to show the miners how it works. They were very excited about the idea of having a Power Assisted Litter in the mines and gave us some valuable feedback.   The miners were being trained for mine rescue certification.  It was valuable to see firsthand what this rigorous process was like. The whole thing was very long and complicated and would be made much simpler by PAL.  After the rescuers were finished with their rescue they were exhausted from carrying a person all the way out of the mine. We believe that PAL could solve these problems and make rescue efforts much easier and therefore more effective.  The big take-away from the experience besides everyone’s excitement, was that we would have to re-engineer many of our components to be explosion proof.  This will take a lot of work.  We will put this off until next year and try to get PAL approved by MSHA.

Now we are in the process of researching quick disconnect systems and we are also beginning work on our second prototype-a gas powered model.

We are developing an ultra-sonic cane device, that will help the visually-impaired to better maneuver their already clouded world.  Our team has already found the materials we will be using for our device, ranging from small vibratory motors, to small ultra-sonic sensors, and pvc pipe for our prototype.  We are currently working on the assembly our electronics.  Our main focus at the moment is the amplifiers for the sensors and we are waiting for a shipment of parts.  Afterward, we should be done with our prototype and then move onto fixing any bugs or design flaws.  Thanks for listening.  And expect next month’s update… next month. :]

Wow!  April has gone by very quickly for us, and June is coming even closer.  We have made a lot of progress, but there is still some work to be done.  Our marketing team has been working hard to finish post-fundraiser accounting and thank-yous, as well as working on the videos for the video contest along with our school’s A.V. (audio visual) department. 

Our mechanical team has been very busy designing and building.  Designing has consisted of mounting the theta axis motor on the main pole and determining where and how to mount the lift on the catwalk. They divided the actual building of the lift into three parts.  The bottom and middle sections are done.  They are also working on drawings of what has been completed, and what is going to be completed. 

The electrical team has been busy with part designs and building.  They have specifically been working with circuit boards.  They have also been soldering and testing them, and reviewing part designs and proposals.  They have also been working a fair amount with troubleshooting as well.  In troubleshooting, they have been looking over the circuit board that was not functioning properly to make sure all the connections were there.  Overall, progress is very rapid, and it is exciting for everyone to see the project start to come together.

Stay tuned for more updates from the Garfield-Palouse High School InvenTeam!

March was an extremely busy month for us in Wisconsin, and the beginning of April has proven just as busy.

In March we completed our alpha prototype.  The prototype did its job in that it kept the refrigerator cool without using the compressor.  However our pump had issues pumping propylene glycol.  The pump issue has been looked at and a new pump is on its way for the beta prototype.  Other changes for the beta prototype include more advanced and efficient electronics.  We have ordered our own DAQ unit specifically for use on the unit.  The team has also been finalizing the rest of the electrical design and continues moving forward.

On April 28th, the team will have a table at the Wisconsin State Capitol from which we can disseminate information.  This week the team will also be finishing presentation materials for that, as well as continuing work on the skeleton of our presentation for Eureka Fest.  The team is starting to feel the time crunch but has prepared well and is ready for “go time”!