Question My Senior Design Project

[DHDixon]

Good Afternoon all,

I am a senior in mechanical engineering and starting up my senior design project where I and a small group will take on the role of a start-up. The goal is to create a “highly engineered” product that is novel is some way. As one of my hobbies is diving, I figured I could try and make something to aid the underwater world but wanted to get the opinion of others to see if something is clearly missing from your toolbox.

So, if you think there is something, whether it’s for rec diving, tec diving, or even day-to-day operations, that a team of engineering seniors can make, let me know!

Thanks for your time,
Dylan Dixon

 

[Johnoly]

The goal is to create a “highly engineered” product that is novel is some way.

I'm not an Mechanical engineer, but tanks fall over on boats ALL-THE-TIME when divers don't secure them. My suggestion would be to design an automatic tank "bungie' system that secures the tank when you are not actively touching your tank with your body. If any portion of your body is not actively putting 'holding" pressure on your tank to hold it secure, then it needs an automatic hands free securing mechanism. I don't know how to do this, I just know that falling tanks is a frequent "mechanical" problem in scuba diving on boats. Best of luck on your project !!

 

[Lorenzoid]

I'll have to think about this.

Also, we should keep in mind there is a difference between "novel in some way" and expecting to truly invent something (like, patentable), which would be a high bar to set for even a grad student let alone an undergrad. I'm guessing "novel in some way" means don't just copy an existing design but rather at least incorporate some improvement of your own.

 

[Still Kicking]

I'm not an Mechanical engineer, but tanks fall over on boats ALL-THE-TIME when divers don't secure them. My suggestion would be to design an automatic tank "bungie' system that secures the tank when you are not actively touching your tank with your body. If any portion of your body is not actively putting 'holding" pressure on your tank to hold it secure, then it needs an automatic hands free securing mechanism. I don't know how to do this, I just know that falling tanks is a frequent "mechanical" problem in scuba diving on boats. Best of luck on your project !!

Like an electromagnetic tank rack? Of course, it would only work for steel tanks. And watch out for flying dive knives, cutlery, eyeglasses etc. LOL

 

[Johnoly]

Like an electromagnetic tank rack?

I'm an old dog diving for 30years and I'll admit you can't teach an old dog new tricks. But seniors in school who have zero pre-concieved ideas can come up with the WILDEST solutions. That's how we came up with exploding airbags in cars for people who forgot to buckle themselves in. Let's see what their mechanical project turns out to be........

 

[lowwall]

Electric assist hand cart that can handle a rocky trail and sand carrying 150 kilos (maybe 100 kilos when moving and 200 when locked in place). At least one side must fold down so diver can sit on it to gear up.

Or do a cheaper version that maxes out at 60 kilos and isn't for sitting on.

If that's too easy make it autonomous so it can return to your vehicle and secure itself (maybe to a tow hitch?) during the dive. It would need a pressure and water proof remote for the diver to recall it at the end of the dive.

This is what I mean by hand cart. But it would need better wheels/tires, probably a suspension, and the electric assist. It should be doable.

There are motorized material handling carts like this: JRMC-11-ELT Lift Top Powered Cart but the price and weight are too high and they won't work on rough or soft terrain.

 

[CycleCat]

I'd like book screws with nylock inserts, a narrow-jaw adjustable wrench that won't rust, a tiny save-a-dive kit that opens like a tackle box.

 

[rx7diver]

A couple of ideas:

1. Design a modern (so, DIN-compatible), solid-bar, chromed brass, two-outlet manifold for double scuba cylinders. Standard cylinder spacing. Design two versions: one with an isolator valve, and one without. Design them to be economical to mass-produce.

2. Design a modern (so, DIN-compatible), solid-bar, chromed brass, Benjamin-type manifold (see Benjamin manifold?, for example) for double cylinders, that allows DH regulator users to wear a backup 1st stage. Even better if a modern J-valve mechanism is included. Standard cylinder spacing. Design it to be economical to mass-produce.

3. Design a modern (so, DIN-compatible), chromed brass Y-valve, that has independent air paths (two snorkels) and a modern J-valve mechanism (similar to a no-longer-produced Y-valve that @Angelo Farina has described several times). Design it to be economical to mass-produce.

4. Design a modern scuba cylinder that is approx 25"-26" tall, has O.D. approx 6.5", is slightly positively buoyant (with valve) in freshwater when "empty", and holds approx 100 cu ft of "free" air--so, a cylinder that is about as tall as, and a bit narrower than, an old-school PST 72. Design it to be extremely rust/corrosion-resistant. I suspect that this "design" is really about choosing the "right" steel- or titanium alloy.

rx7diver

 

[grantmac]

Are you mostly interested in electronic or mechanical engineering?

 

[Angelo Farina]

Good Afternoon all,

I am a senior in mechanical engineering and starting up my senior design project where I and a small group will take on the role of a start-up. The goal is to create a “highly engineered” product that is novel is some way. As one of my hobbies is diving, I figured I could try and make something to aid the underwater world but wanted to get the opinion of others to see if something is clearly missing from your toolbox.

So, if you think there is something, whether it’s for rec diving, tec diving, or even day-to-day operations, that a team of engineering seniors can make, let me know!

Thanks for your time,
Dylan Dixon

I have a couple of purely mechanical, highly innovative ideas regarding tanks which keep constant buoyancy while emptying, or can even adjust buoyancy for compensating suit compression, making a BCD entirely superfluous.
Being patentable ideas, I cannot discuss them publicly.
If you are interested, write me an Email to farina@unipr.it .
But be prepared to sign an NDA, because I am a professor at the Mech. Engineering dept.(DISTI) of the University of Parma, so I must operate respecting the Italian law (which was updated just 4 months ago, with new strict rules about IP).