Taken from: http://www.westlakes.org/projects/environment/media/Plankton_Sampling.jpg
To overcome this problem the NOAA lab has asked the Marine Academy of Science and Technology Systems Engineering II students to design and construct a solution: a miniature hovercraft (resembling the ones in Figure 3). The miniature hovercraft, with its ability to float over the water level, will leave the ecosystem of the marshes undisturbed. The hovercraft will also need a system that can deploy and retrieve a plankton net (Figure 1). This system will allow for the researchers to take accurate water samples.
Two students will work together to design and construct the hovercraft. The processes that will turn an idea into a reality will be divided into two parts. One student will take on the role of a mechanical engineer and the other student will take on the role of a civil engineer. For this project VR will be the “structural engineer” and AC will be the “mechanical engineer”.
The job of the civil engineer is to design the structure of the hull and net system. The hull will need to be stable, small enough to maneuver through foliage but big enough that it can hold the mechanisms that will make it float. The job of the mechanical engineer is to design the propulsion and steering systems. These are both essential to the hovercraft so that it can be controlled and “hover”, which is the purpose of the project.
This project will be continued throughout the students’ senior year at the Marine Academy. They will labor diligently in their Systems Engineering II class to finish their work and project on time. They will work in collaboration with their two mentors and instructors to produce a functional model by the end of the school year.
Figure 1: Plankton Net (Taken from: www.rickly.com/as/BenthicAqSa.htm)
Figure 2: Salt Marsh (Taken from: http://www.capturethisphotography.com/labels/Jersey%20Shore.html)
Figure 3: Mini-Hovercrafts
