Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Final Prototype

My particular prototype for mixing hazardous liquids with an absorbent is effectively a blender.  A weighted ring holds the bag liner in place to prevent damage to the bag.  A lid is lowered into place which has a single rotating blender head.  The mixture gets stirred by the blender, then the ring is left inside of the bag during transport and treatment.


Concept drawing.

For my own test run, I used a cup with a blender head place through a screw-on head.  Unfortunately, I was unable to find any appropriate absorbent at retail, and so the closest approximation to Walmart's absorbent powder was a number of paper towels cut into confetti-like bits.

The various items used in the experiment.

There was a distinctive increase in the rate at which the water was absorbed while using the blender head versus not using it.  However, the paper towel pieces simply "squished" into the water.  This behavior was virtually nothing like the absorbent powder used by Walmart.  Kitty litter didn't fare much better.  It was difficult to mix in and lacked overall absorbency.

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Preliminary Final Vision

My own thoughts toward improving the efficiency of cleaning hazardous spills and/or leaking containers builds upon existing practices of employing a neutral absorbent mixed as a substrate for jellifying hazardous liquids while increasing the speed at which the absorption can take place.

The primary problem with existing systems for the jellification of such liquids lies within the method by which materials are mixed.Normally, the liquid is placed within a bucket liner and the absorbent powder is sprinkled on top gradually until all liquid is absorbed.  With time, the absorbent takes in the liquid and jellifies.  This works well with small amounts of liquids, but is unfortunately not well suited to handling large amounts of fluids.  When working with large amounts of liquid, the jellified mixture tends to be less dense than the liquid, resulting in a layer of jelly on top with liquid remaining underneath.  Because of potential hazards with such chemicals, handling the bag or stirring the mixture is discouraged; stirring or shaking can result in harmful splashes.

Additionally, the labeling process for these containers is necessary, but can also be confusing for those who do not often have to clean chemical spills.

The keys to fixing these problems are:
A: Increase the surface area of the absorbent powder.
B: Introduce liquid gradually.
C: Agitate the mixture within a container which is sealed (besides a system for venting fumes).
D: The device should be clear so that the operator can directly observe the progress of the absorbent.
E: Provide a computerized method for identifying the product, identifying which color bucket should be used (different colors represent different hazards) and automatically print these materials for labeling purposes.

By creating a system which meets these criteria, proper handling of large volumes of liquid can be reduced from a thirty to forty-five minute task, to a five to ten minute task.  This can all be done while reducing the possibility of chemical exposure to employees.

Some possible pitfalls of this project are:
A: Training of employees in device operation.
B: Proper cleaning of reusable pieces to ensure dangerous chemical mixing does not occur (i.e. bleach and ammonia).
C: Ensuring regular inspection and maintenance of related materials.


Should the system malfunction or break down, employees must also be trained in more conventional hazardous material cleanup procedures.

An item worth noting regarding my group is that we have each come up with our own solutions to this problem.  By comparing our ideas and extracting the best approaches, we can hopefully combine the best of our ideas to construct the best solution.





Wednesday, April 8, 2015

Logo Project


Logo based on a historic figure:


Sir Isaac Newton changed the world.  His discovery of the mechanics of gravity allowed a move from mathematics as a means to measure static objects into mathematics which could predict objects in motion.  He applied these principles to explaining the motions of the heavens and ushered in the age of enlightenment.  He also worked with light, proving that white light contained all of the colors of the rainbow.

The apple represents the famous story of his supposed inspiration for the nature of gravity.  A planet is shown in orbit around the apple, representing planetary motion.  Finally, a ray of light is refracted through the apple, representing his discoveries about light.

Additionally, here are some choices for good and bad logos






Puzzle Project










Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Sketch #5

Augmented Reality in the Classroom

I personally had many ideas for enhancing the classroom which I did not present during my Design midterm presentation.  The recent reveal of Microsoft HoloLens has expanded the possible uses of technology in schools.  For example, students could explore buildings, historic events, and even molecules right from the classroom.  The final example given is shown in this sketch.

  

Sketch (Sort of) #4

The Ginkgo


First and foremost, these drawings are primarily for the Understanding Architecture class which I am taking.  The are for my midterm, but as I have spent a copious amount of time on them I figure using them to fill in one of these sketching assignments should be fair so long as I am honest about the matter.  Hopefully.

First level - floorplan

The objective of the project is to design a museum.  This particular museum is intended as an art museum.  The central circle is an atrium with a glass dome overhead.  An item to note is that the building has a curved roof, not only for aesthetic appear, but also to ensure that the atrium receives sunlight throughout the year.  The various rooms of the first floor are labeled in the image below.  The other drawings are the second floor (which holds most spaces for employees), the roof, and an orthographic side view of the facility. 

First level - labeled

Second level - unfinished

Rooftop

Side view

Sketch #3

Character design is an important aspect to anyone who wants to tell a story.  When that story is visual, making keen decisions as to how you want that character to appear is equally important.

Chuck

On that note, I present to you Chuck.  A couple years ago I decided to work on a small comic project with a hapless silent protagonist who is working on making a comic about a hapless silent protagonist who is working on making a comic about a hapless silent protagonist etc. etc.  Chuck's design is heavily caricatured, but based upon largely realistic bone structure and musculature.  Unfortunately, my project never really got very far, but at least now I have chuck