#SpaceHack Day 2: Prototype. Fail. Repeat.
With day one of #SpaceHack completed, it was now time for teams to choose their winning idea and start to produce their prototypes. However before the start of #SpaceHack Day 2, Gui gave a fantastic morning presentation to all of SUTD on his experiences in designing for extreme environments.
Staff, students and the #SpaceHack teams were very attentive as they listened to a one-hour story about facing the unknown in design (and pushing its boundaries). From his early space habitat work for NASA in the early 70’s, right up to his work on the new Biosuit design today, the story arc of his amazing career could be summed up by a quote he gave in his presentation:
” I am constantly attracted to remote places. I love to sail new waters, land on unknown coasts, and dream to touch far away planets.”
Overall the presentation gave the teams a strong appreciation for the complexity involved in designing for extreme environments, especially since NASA and other space organisations are not entirely sure themselves on how to solve some of the design challenges involved in space habitats. One thing that is consistent between student learning at SUTD and organisations designing for space, is the need to prototype in order to get a better understanding of what designs could work.
Therefore it was quite fitting to start #SpaceHack Day 2 with an introduction into digital prototyping methods. For the first half an hour, PhD student Blake Perez gave a fantastic presentation on the need to prototype, the value of sketching in the initial ideation phase and a summary of the latest 3D printing techniques. Students were also advised on the capabilities of the Stratasys J750 3D printer available to them, thanks to the efforts of DManD lab technician, Kenneth Teo.
Along with additive manufacturing technology provided by DManD, teams have access to other prototyping tools such as clay, foam, fabrics and wood boards for CNC cutting. In addition, people such as Mech-D’s Cyrus Wang and MIT’s Sayjel Patel assisted teams in using CAD software to prepare models for 3D printing and CNC cutting.
Where Are They Now?
The presentations for #SpaceHack Day 3 tomorrow are set to be very exciting. Five teams have worked all day (and continue to work through the night) in producing prototypes for their presentations to the #SpaceHack panel tomorrow. The concepts the teams are set the present are as follows:
Space Bullet: Full system layout concept of the living quarters in a space habitat.
Space Bar: A virtual reality exerciser concept. This exerciser can simulate gravity on the user and integrates virtual reality to enhance the user’s experience.
Space Teriyaki: The concept of mixing various forms of human waste with a synthetic resin to create space structures for a habitat.
Convolution Space Domes: A greenhouse module concept that uses human waste as a fertilizer.
Sumo: A full space habitat layout that uses inflatable and expandable structures.
Needless to say, tomorrow is set to be an exciting finish to the first iteration of the #SpaceHack Design Challenge!
Stay tuned…