Date of Award

2019

Degree Type

Capstone Project

First Advisor

Bahram Nassersharif

Abstract

The B.I.O. Blaster team set out to use the two-semester course of Senior Design Capstone to create a new concept that combined the draw of recreational play with incentives to help remove waste from chores, all while being environmentally sustainable and responsible. Specifically, the B.I.O. Blaster is a toy blaster that uses leaves, grass, and snow as ammunition. These three materials are common by-products from chores during all seasons of the year, which makes this product constantly relevant. This blaster will utilize a dual-belt conveyor launching mechanism to propel the ammunition out of the blaster. Unlike the competition, no extra ammunition will need to be purchased by the end consumer which adds value to the product. A trigger mechanism will allow the user to modulate the firing mode depending on how long they hold their finger on the trigger. The first semester focused on the research needed to develop the idea, and to make sure that certain aspects of the B.I.O. Blaster will be able to be patented. The main objective of this semester was to create a physical proof of concept model, and the team succeeded in creating this model and showed that five design specifications were met. The second semester focused on building, testing, and redesigning the product to meet our specifications. The main aspect of this blaster, the dual-belt conveyor launching mechanism, was intensely studies and iterated upon, as this is the component that will be submitted for patent review. Through the design process, the team successfully conducted research on other patents in the area of toy guns and blasters, as well as literature searches to learn more about the subject. Then, the team used management skills to develop fluid teamwork to ensure all objectives were met and that all assignments were completed on time. Design specifications were also created to act as a guide for the project, and expressed numerical targets that the team had to reach in order for the project to move forward. Through the conceptual design phase, each team member (3) created 30 design concepts (90) for a certain design aspect of the B.I.O. Blaster. The best concept solution of each design aspect was chosen and put together to create the final full concept. A competitive analysis of the concept was then conducted against the major products in competition with this project. The final concept was then built and testes, and then redesigned. Engineering and financial analyses were conducted to figure out the design and monetary details of the project, respectively. The engineering criteria, design specifications, and customer requirements were then all taken into account when creating the product. Hopefully, a new Capstone team will take on this project in the next semester to further work on and develop the dual- belt system, more forms of ammunition to test, along with fine-tuning the operation, and trying to integrate ammunition production into the B.I.O. Blaster.

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Sponsor: Bahram Nassersharif

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