PhanTAM Cast: a convenient way to measure river crossing parameters
PhanTAM Cast: a convenient way to measure river crossing parameters
Embedded Files
Course or Client
III Armored Corps via Aggies Invent competition
Completion Date
June 2023
Skills
Defining customer needs and requirements, prototyping, presentation
Challenge: Design a product to evaluate vehicle water crossing parameters with limited personnel exposure
Challenge: Design a product to evaluate vehicle water crossing parameters with limited personnel exposure
The PhanTAM Cast team with our third iteration prototype. From right to left: Michael Owens, Alfredo Mejia-Hess, SaLeena Garrett, Donovan Canaday, and me.
Context
Context
This project was for a design competition called Aggies Invent addressing problems submitted by the III Armored Corps. I worked alongside four soldiers in the III Armored Corps over the course of 36 hours to further define the problem and stakeholders, research existing solutions, brainstorm ideas, and manufacture and test prototypes. This competition concluded with a presentation to a panel of industry leaders who would rank the projects.
Stakeholders
Stakeholders
Army
Search and rescue/Disaster response
Fire department
Current Solutions from Stakeholder Interviews
Current Solutions from Stakeholder Interviews
Army- Have personnel get in the water to measure depth
Army- Throw a stick in the water and eyeball the velocity
Fire Department - Measure depth on specific roads from preinstalled flood gauges
Defined requirements
Defined requirements
Measure depth at least between 1 ft and 10 ft
Measure velocity of the water within
Determine the bottom material of river (i.e. sandy, rocky, muddy)
Take sufficient measurements in less than 5 minutes
Operable by 1 person
Concept Selection
Concept Selection
With these requirements in mind, we came up with several ideas for methods to sense river parameters, such as RC flying drones, RC boats, and rod-mounted sensors. Ultimately we chose a ranged, manually deployed rod system to align with the customer's desire for minimal required maintenance and training.
Final Proposed Operation
Final Proposed Operation
Final prototype
Top view of operation
Operation steps:
Cast bobber perpindicular to river flow
Length counter measures distance of cast
Timer started once bobber lands in water
Timer stopped when line reaches 45 degrees on protractor
Reel in bobber
distance/time gives speed of water
Screen shows measured bottom material and max depth measured by bobber
Repeat as needed
Refined Proposed Design
Refined Proposed Design
Bottom mounted reel
Collapsible rod for compact, portable design
More visible protractor
Sensor results display in one interface
Integrated timer
Integrated velocity calculation
Purpose built sonar tuned for shallow depths
Measure distance with rotary encoder attached to reel
Calibrated line slack compensation
Conclusions and learnings
Conclusions and learnings
Our project presentation resulted in us winning 3rd place.
Being in a team with 4 soldiers who understood the culture of the army and what realistically works and doesn't helped keep this projects scope realistic and solution simple. This taught me that understanding a problem and the culture it will be used in often equals and exceeds the importance of technical experience in creating an impactful product.
Through the frequent presentations my presentation skills improved. Additionally, working with soldiers taught me to better convey complex ideas in simpler terms.
My team with our award being presented by judge Bryton Praslicka (CEO of Fluxworks)
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