Tech Directions - May 2008 - (Page 23)

Honorable Mention: Seth Smith-Dryden, grade 11, and Emma Waltz, grade 11, Westlake (OH) High School. Teacher: Scott Kutz Oceanic Temperature Sensor by Seth Smith-Dryden Ping-Pong balls contain properties for a variety of applications. One property is that they can float, and using this trait combined with the help of TRIZ you can make a device that uses Ping-Pong balls to measure the temperature in different parts of an ocean. Such a device could scale down in weight, size, and cost buoys to do the same job. These small, cheap devices are made of light plastic and use the simplest of components. These devices could help predict problems that might develop from global warming by detecting alarming changes in the temperatures in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The currents supply areas like Europe with moderate temperatures. Without currents bringing in warm air, Europe would become so cold that it couldn’t produce agricultural crops. A warning system might not be able to stop this, but it could give us more time to react and prepare for such an event. The Ping-Pong ball temperature sensors could be disposable and easily replaceable if the designs of its electronic components are cost effective. Having disposable devices would allow for deploying a multitude of them at the same time. To keep the sensors from polluting the environment, the plastic in the balls could be biodegradable. In short, these economical, environmentally friendly devices could help deal with global warming. GPS Tracker by Emma Waltz monitor waterways and sewers. With this method, you don’t have to pay people to be out in the field so you will save on workers’ pay. My trackers will monitor water routes, which are very important to keeping a modern and clean society. Judge’s comments: Seth and Emma submitted separate ideas so similar that it was appropriate to make a dual award here. Both propose using Ping-Pong balls as the housing for miniature sensors to monitor the environment. I think we could see versions of these ideas being used by climate and environmental scientists in the future! My design tracks water flowing through sewer systems and natural waterways. It can track where the sewer water runs, which is important to keeping a clean and working civilization. Sewer systems sometimes back up, flood, or rupture and we have to know where the resulting dirty water ends up. With my invention, we can track this without putting people into disease-filled water because my Ping-Pong ball trackers are monitored through GPS systems rather than through human means. The Ping-Pong ball trackers are manufactured with a GPS sealed inside. They have a small counterweight for two reasons. One is to keep the ball from spinning and flipping, which might cause a disturbance in the readings taken by the tracker. The second is to keep the tracker in the center of the ball. If a small amount of water leaked in through the bottom of the ball, it would take it longer to get to the GPS tracker and short it out. My GPS Ping-Pong ball trackers will pay for themselves. With other methods, you have to pay workers to Congratulations! Congratulations to all 2007-2008 competition winners! And congratulations, as well, to all the other students who entered this year’s competition! We had a large number of entries this year—many of them, from the points of view of both the official judge and the Tech Directions staff, of very high quality. Look for the 2008-2009 challenge in our August issue—and we’ll look forward to seeing your students’ solutions! www.techdirections.com TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION 23 http://www.techdirections.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Tech Directions - May 2008

Tech Directions - May 2008 Contents Technically Speaking Direct from Washington The News Report Mastering Computers Technology's Past Technology Today Road to Success - Service Learning Enhances Tech Ed Experience Balsa Tower Walls Brave 'Big Buster' These Kids Are Really on the Ball - Inventors Competition Winners School Web Site of the Month Animator Career Exploration Tools Guide Index to Volume 67 More than Fun

Tech Directions - May 2008

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