Sharps Container

The goal for this project was to design and build a sharps container for discarded cutting blades. The container will hold blades used in L024 and can be thrown away with the garbage. 

Kalyani and her partners from the initial class worked to develop the design concept for the sharps container. The container consists of two pieces: a styrofoam box with a top and a sheet of cardboard. She and her group opened a small slit in the top of the container, where the sharps could fall through to the bottom. They then wanted to solve the problem of how you keep the sharps from coming back out of the container through the small slit. They used a piece of cardboard, and bending it in half into a triangular shape, made a sharps guard. (See Diagram below) On either side of the guard there are small slits that allow for the sharps to slide through to the bottom. The guard makes it difficult for the sharps to come back up and out. The top of the triangular piece was also set into the box so that it was perpendicular with the slit through which the sharps were deposited. This helped to limit the possibility that the sharps would then fall back out the slit. The exterior decoration is red and orange. We wanted an exterior that would imply but not out rightly state that there were sharp objects within the container. We used triangular shapes to denote the presence of sharp objects within the container. We used arrows to denote where one should deposit the sharp objects. 

The Water Backpack

Initially, I really loved the design of the water pack. It worked to correct some of the larger issues that we pointed out in the hipporoller. However, like in all things, there are both positive and negative aspects to the Water Back Pack.

(+)

-It is looks to be more comfortable than carrying the water in hard buckets on your head.
-By carrying the pack on your back you are relieving much of the pressure that was previously placed on your neck. It seems to balance the weight more evenly.
-You can compact the pack and carry it easily when it is not being used.
-You could clean it relatively easily. (Easier to clean than a hipporoller)
-You know that no harsh chemicals have been used in it previously.
-It has a spout that you can use to pour water from, and the spout has a protective cap over it.
-Easier on rough terrain - you don't need to pull it, and you can balance yourself more easily.

(-) 

-The waterpack forces you to hunch over slightly, perhaps causing other kinds of back problems.
-Durability:

• Material: It looks like a material similar to that used on the IKEA shopping bags. Although that material is reasonable durable it could tear easily. I wonder too if with time weight of the water will eventually rip the material from the straps. 
• The Spout: The spout is used a lot. It can be pushed in and stored. (A quality similar to that of a inflatable object blow hole.) Perhaps because of continual use/movement it might tear from the material- I am not really sure how it function- let alone how it is attached to the bag in the first place.

-The materials are also not made locally, therefore causing a problem if you need pieces of it fixed or replaced.
-The pack is lined with plastic, which is not breathable. If you are carrying that on your back for miles at a time, the pack may actually contribute to you overheating.
-How do you fill it with water? Some people are getting water from waterholes where you need to physically dip and lift the container from the water. The waterpack looked really awkward to fill. It did not provide enough structure for people to hold and pull the pack up- perhaps the addition of handles along the top rim would work to solve this problem.

The Water Challenge:

Thursday September 19th marks the start of the one week water challenge. What is a "water challenge" you may ask? For this exercise, we have been asked to collect all water from outside the building we live in for one week. This means, that if I wish to shower, use the toilet, wash my hands, or drink water in my dorm during the next week, it must all come from outside. I must bring into my dorm a bucket of water to use for bucket baths or toilet flushing. The other option is to walk to, and use the facilities elsewhere, a.k.a, if I want to shower, I would walk over to the athletic center, and do so there. If I need to use the bathroom, I would do so before returning to my dorm. In the coming week, I need to 'plan accordingly.' 

The Plan: 
Because 1.) I do not know where to get a bucket and 2.) even find a place on campus to fill it, I am going to go for the 'plan accordingly' option. Instead of showering in my dorm, I will shower in the sports center (Hopefully I will make it over there every day!) Instead of drinking water in the tower dining hall, I will fill my water bottle up in Pendleton Hall on my way to class. Instead of using the bathroom in my dorm, which, unfortunately for the sake of this exercise, is just across the hall from my room, I will use the bathroom in the library before I leave at night. If I need to use the bathroom while I am in my dorm I will use one in severance hall. Severance, although connected during the daytime through the dining halls, is not actually connected to tower in the evening hours, and will require me to walk out and around to use the facilities there.  

The Results: 
So, it's been almost a week, and despite a few slip ups, I have made it. For the last week, with the exception of Saturday and Monday mornings, when I sleepily stepped into the shower, I have been using the showers in the sports center. The most difficult part of this experience has been finding the time; Incorporating into my day the time to walk over to the sport center, take a shower, and head on to the next activity. Some days I did not feel like walking over or did not have the time to walk over to the sport center for my shower, and simply decided to go one day without it. For many, the exercise of getting out and walking miles to the nearest source of water, is part of their every day. Not doing so could, in some situations, put you at great risk. For many, the act of getting water is a part of their everyday schedule. One of the things I noticed during the exercise was the lack of normalcy in my schedule. I could not always count on being at a certain place at a certain time, say making it out of one class in time to make it to pool open hours etc. The normalization of ones schedule would help enormously. Overall, I had a great time. Although I did not take it to the extreme, the exercise reminded me just how nice it is to have water so close at hand. It is a resource that here in the US we can count on. 

Gravity Light

What is a gravity light? A gravity is a light that is simply powered by gravity. It does not need electricity, solar power, or even a battery to store the energy. In order to power the light, one must attach a weight, which is in turn connected via a plastic strip. The weight attached to the strip is a form of potential energy. This form of potential energy is then converted into Kinetic Energy when the cog is turned by the downward force of the weight. This kinetic energy is then used to power the bulb. The attached mass can power the bulb for up to 30 minutes. However, how much weight is required to power the bulb? How many bulbs would the gravity light require? If it uses, let's say three, how much weight will be needed to power those bulbs. Below, I walked through just how the gravity light works, determining the weight needed to power the light, and whether or not the product seems viable. Ultimately, I concluded that the gravity light would probably not be the most viable option. In order to make it bright enough, one would probably need about 3 bulbs, and it would require about 35 kg to power those three bulbs. To put it in perspective, the average 11 year old weighs about 35 kg or (77lbs) The thought of picking up an 11 year old, 3 feet, every 30 minutes, seems like a pretty daunting task. 

UTEC - Potable Water Generator

I found this over the summer and thought it would be a really interesting project to share with the rest of the class

A billboard in Lima, Peru that generates water using atmospheric humidity.

Part of the BSA exhibition on urban renewal

UN Human Development Report

Living in the developed world, we often take for granted the ease with which we can access water. We can fill our water bottles from any sink or water fountain, or use the bathroom a few feet away from us. However, 1 billion people do not have access to drinking water, and 2.6 billion people live without sanitation. Issues of water and sanitation are just the most basic problems in the developing world; Extreme poverty and hunger, lack of access to primary education, gender equality, high child mortality, low maternal health, prevalence of disease: HIV/AIDS, Malaria, and ect, are all among the many other issues the people face in the developing world. Many of these issues are closely linked to poor water and sanitation access. Access is one of the greatest issues of the developing world. 1.3 billion people need access to sanitation. 900 million people need access to water. Humans need a bare minimum of 20 litres of water per day. The lack of such access not only affects one's health, but also affects school attendance, and ability to work. Dirty water has a cyclical effect. For many, they must walk a long distance to access water, at which point they are bringing back unclean water. They inevitably get sick, and are unable to attend school or work, which in turn harms their education, or inhibits their ability to work. Diarrhea is one of the most common side-effects of drinking dirty water. Diarrhea not only leads to further dehydration, but also eventually leads to death. Reducing diarrhea would result in the gain of 272 million school days, and 3.2 billion workdays. Reaching U.N. water and sanitation targets would cut the amount spent on treatment for waterborne illness by 1.7 billion US dollars. (Millenium Development Goals, 7) I was not only amazed to learn just how significant lack of access was, but also, just how easy it could be to drastically improve access to clean drinking water sanitation. Access could be drastically improved with 10 billion US dollars a year, and although that sounds like a lot, the US spends 10 billions US dollars on military hardware every 8 days. When put in this perspective, 10 billion dollars looks like nothing. However for many, military protection is far more important. In the developed world, security against an exterior threat is far more important. Terrorism can, and has directly affected life in the developed world. However, issues in the developing world are indirect problems; issues that many of us could not even fathom. The UN's plans and goals for 2015 are rather extensive, where do they stand today? How are they hoping to achieve these goals in the coming years?

Response: People's Experience of Energy

For class we read chapters 1-2 of People's Experience with Energy, an extensive report on energy usage around the world. The report provided statistical information such as percentage of the world without access to electricity (22%). Energy usage can mean a variety of things, from electricity and lighting, to heating and cooling. In the developed world, we rarely need to think about these things, we merely flip a switch and it works. One of the ideas that came up was that of heating food. The stove I use at home provides me with a relatively clean means of cooking the food that I eat. When I cook I am not actively (at least I hope not) releasing harmful material/particles into the air in my home. In the developing world, many cook using biomass (burning wood). However, the burning of biomass within a closed space, and prolonged exposure to the smoke can have significant effects on the health of individuals. In fact, among those with lower respiratory infections, smoke from solid fuels is the cause of approximately 21% of deaths. Another piece that came up too was the idea of how much energy is needed to cook the food one eats. For some, in order to cook some of the more nutritious foods, you need to use more fuel. Therefore, in an attempt to lower fuel costs many turn to the less nutritious, yet faster cooking option. The idea of food preservation, through cool was also an interesting concept that came up. Cooling of fruits and vegetables, especially in warm climates can help to preserve them for extended periods of time. However, in many developing countries, the technology needed to keep food cold is simply not available. The Zeer pots of Sudan are a simple solution to keeping food cool. For a Zeer pot, one uses earthenware pots, one within another with a layer of wet sand in between. Using natural materials, one is able to create a kind of natural "refrigerator,"helping people preserve their food for weeks longer. These basic ideas and questions around energy usage, and the statistics provided with in the article, should be extremely helpful for future projects.

Lantern Project: Built Lantern

Here is the final product. As planned, the bottom portion of the container holds the electrical materials. The light bulb is attached to the top of the bottom container, just below the water. The top portion is filled with water, and as seen in the image, works to diffuse the light beautifully. While constructing my lantern I ran into multiple issues. The first issue I had was creating the circuit. I wanted to extend it from the basic three pieces (the bulb, resistor, and battery). However, choosing the correct wire conductor to connect these pieces to was difficult. The first ‘wire’ I used, ended up burning my fingers, most likely because it was not made of the appropriate metal. The second, was too thick to manipulate, and being made of aluminum, and another undetermined material, it did not conduct the electricity well. Paper clips worked very well. I used the paper clips to make a simple circuit and switch. 

The switch is just a simple ‘L’ shaped piece of paper clip wire, which swivels over and hooks into a little notch. The second issue I ran into was being able to fit the circuit materials in the small compartment. It was difficult to maneuver the small space, however, with patience I did so successfully. I faced the third issue while constructing the water containing portion of the lantern. because on of the plexiglas walls was cracked, water was seeping out rapidly, and I needed to seal the leak quickly. I also needed to make sure that the top was tightly sealed over the water. Despite many challenges, I was able to produce to produce a functioning lantern. We will see how long it lasts! 

Lantern Project: Calculating for the Resistor

We know that the resistor needs to process through 5.8V. In order to determine the level of the resistor in ohms we made these simple calculations. Ultimately we deter-mined we need a resistor of about 290 ohms. We used a resistor of 270 Ohms. 

Lantern Project: Lighting the Light Bulb

To light the bulb one must create a closed circuit using a battery, resistor, and bulb. For this project, we used a 9V battery, a 3.2 V LED bulb, and we needed to calculate the appropriate level of resistor. The resistor we needed for the projected needed to be able to process through 5.8V.

Lantern Project: Plan Sketch

At the top of the image is a rough sketch of the plexiglass container I used to make the lantern. I rotated the container, which was originally used for pencils, onto its side. The container is relatively light. It is made of 1/4” thick plexiglass. The container has two compartments. The two compartments are separated by a larger piece of plexiglass, at the end of which is a cutout handle. The bottom compartment contains the electrical components of the lanterns. The top compartment contains the water. When determining which compartment should contain the water, and which should contain the electrical materials, I thought of a pool scenario. The lights in a pool diffuse/reflect light best when they are 

under the water. 

Lantern Project: Sketches of ideas

I was toying around with the idea of using various different materials: glass, plastic, tin, cardboard. Glass provided a good amount of light, however it was heavy. Plastic bottles were light, and provided the clarity of glass bottles, but the variability their form was limited especially with the size of the bulb provided. Tin cans were another promising material, they were light, and their interior surface was reflective; however, they were difficult to cut and rather sharp. Cardboard was light enough, but seemed to dim the light. Ultimately, I stumbled upon a simple plexiglass form container. 

Designing for difference

Hello! 
I'm Isabella. I am junior here at Wellesley. As an architecture major I have always sought solutions to different design problems from a more artistic perspective. I am interested in learning about the more technical side of design, and the various questions that one must ask when looking at design from an engineering perspective. I look forward to exploring and thinking about energy, health, and transportation challenges both locally and in the developing world. I am particularly interested in creating and developing design solutions that are sustainable- not just environmentally so, but also physically. Will the design solution last over time? I am also interested in issues of transportation. Having grown up in a city where I always made use of trains and buses, I am fascinated by public transportation, and its ability to connect people in so many different ways. In terms of design, public transportation, particularly trains (Streetcars), has evolved very little since its development in the early 19th century. With cities becoming increasingly more populated, how will transportation be able to support the masses? Public transportation, particularly in Boston, lacks efficiency; How can we think about making transportation more efficient? What are the current problems that we need to fix? I am excited for the different questions this course will raise, and the various different angles at which we will be looking at these various different challenges.