Our project, Cylindero, is a radio controlled vehicle with lights, and is capable of driving at fairly high speeds. Now completed, the interior electronic components of Cylindero are no longer visible. Cylindero is constructed of 3d printed plastic components, most of which were designed in the early stages by us. Our concept has changed since the beginning, for practicality and structural reasons, but it is very close to what we originally planned, and for that we are proud. We did, however, face design challengs which we were forced to overcome. For one, a base problem of Cylindero is its main design. For it to work, the motors must be the centerpiece, not the arduino or battery. The whole construct would have to be suspended from the motors, meaning both the cylinder wheels and the outer cylinder would need to be able to take a lot of strain from continous running. To solve this problem we chose sturdy motors, but in addition we replaced the motor axle with a sturdier mount (or hub) to connect to the cylinder wheels. Another problem we faced was spinning of the interior. If not properly secured, the interior of Cylindero would spin instead of the exterior (the same reason why a flying machine with one blade would not work). The motors needed leverage, something to push against. To solve this problem we suspended all the weight below the motors, however it does still remain a technical difficulty that is a product of its desgin. We will now demonstrate this vehicle's power in action...

One of the most important pieces of clothing that we have is our shoes. Shoes protect our feet from dangerous surfaces, keep feet safe from the elements, and look fashionable. However, since human feet vary so vastly in size and shape, making shoes that can conform to the feet of multiple people is a difficult challenge. The shoe industry's solution to this problem is to have thousands of plastic molds, known as lasts, for different sizes of feet. This is very expensive and takes up a lot of space. However, small shoe manufacturers are unable to acquire so many lasts. We solved this problem by creating a last that automatically adjusts to one's foot. 

Our automatically adjusting last is made up of 4  3D printed pieces - 2 moving side pieces, a moving front piece, and a stationary center piece. To individually move the sections of the last we used 3 stepper motors, with metal screws and nuts to allow the turning of the motors to move each piece forward and back. Since the stepper motors require both a microcontroller board and their own drivers, all electronics, with the exception of the motors, are housed neatly in a box outside of the Last. The whole thing is powered by a combination of USB computer power and a wall adapter. 

For controlling the last we used a Rhino plugin called Grasshopper which is a block-based programming software which can manipulate Rhinoceros 3dm files. This, used in conjunction with Firefly which allows Grasshopper to communicate directly with Arduino microcontrollers, allowed us to make a program that analyzes a 3d scan of somebody's foot, and used data collected from that scan to move the model to match the user's foot.  

This product will not only allow small shoe manufacturors to have one versatile last instead of thousands of staid lasts, but it will also allow people with irregular feet to have shoes custom made to order.

Hypothermia is a serious danger to high altitude climbers. When a patient suffering from hypothermia is brought to a hospital for medical assistance, a doctor typically begins treating the patient by setting him or her up with a heated IV. Injecting warm saline solution into the body raises the patient’s core body temperature as well as hydrates and provides the patient with nutrients. This ultimately relieves hypothermia. A large problem is that often times those suffering from hypothermia do not have immediate access to medical assistance. We wanted to create a portable heated IV for extreme climate situations and/or high altitude climbers suffering from hypothermia or dehydration. This product is not supposed to heal a person completely, it is intended to be used as a temporary aid to prolong the user’s life until they can receive medical assistance.

The device purifies the water using a cap with built in UV lights. This "purifier" screws into a separate compartment containing ceramic resistors that heat the IV drip reservoir. After being purified and heated, the water flows through the IV tubing until it reaches the needle. The needle is intended to be clipped into the specialized cuff created. The cuff is an 3D printed semi-circle placed on a person's forearm. The cuff is designed to simplify and secure the injection of the IV needle into the person's vein. The other compartments of the cannister hold other necessary components including the salt tablet/packet, a vein finder (Infrared light device), etc.

The importance of the product is clear--it could be the defying factor of a high altitude climber's survival. Without the Portable Warm IV, a person could possibly die of hypothermia on the mountain but with the IV, the chance of his or her core body temperature warming enough to prolong the survival long enough to receive medical assistance is likely. There are no existing products that are capable of helping high altitude mountaineers let alone in extreme conditions return their body to a normal temperature. Since hypothermia is such a serious threat to the lives of mountaineers, it is crucial to have a device that would keep them alive at high altitudes and dangerously cold temperatures. The portable warm IV would bring the user fundamental and pragmatic medical attention immediately, making it a life-changing product... Literally.

During the Innovation Camp, participants will engage in a 3-day Mini-Studio experience (a shorter version of NuVu’s typical 2-week Studio Module) and will go through the design process of brainstorming, developing, and building a project. With the support of NuVu Coaches (visiting innovators and experts in their field), participants will advance their ideas through a critical, iterative design process.

The Robotics Mini-Studio Track will focus on a topic that involves a challenging real-world robotics problem. Sample projects are provided below that showcase the type of work that will be done in this Mini-Studio.