Conclusion

The final product of the hovercraft did not turn out as the team had pleased.  It was able to hold the weight of a person momentarily, but it would tilt and lose its balance.   However, the team was able to discuss what we would have fixed had we created a second model.  The first improvement we would make on the final model would be to use a cordless leaf blower so it would be able to function without the restriction of being near a power outlet.  We would also use a different material for the bag other than the shower curtain.  We believe that the shower curtain we picked had too rough of a surface which created unnecessary friction.  We would also make the volume of the airbag smaller, creating less space for the air to stay inside of the hovercraft and forcing the air out of all the holes faster, maximizing the power of the leaf blower.  I believe this was our biggest issue and the main reason that the hovercraft would tilt and lose balance when a person would put their weight on it.  We also think that using a piece of cardboard rather than a wooden plank at the bottom of the base would have helped make the hovercraft slightly lighter and would have worked just as well.  Another idea we would have liked to test was using a circular base for the hovercraft with the leaf blower placed directly in the center to create a more even airflow.  The biggest issue with this would be finding room for the rider to sit on top of the hovercraft, but it may be fixed by adding a chair that would sit over top of the leaf blower.  This would create more weight, but it may be fixed if the other ideas discussed above were successful in limiting friction and maximizing the force of the air released.  While the project did not turn out as we had pleased, it was not a complete failure.  It exposed the team to designing, building, and testing processes and introduced us to challenges that we needed to solve.  We believe that after completing the capstone project on our own, we are much better suited to conquer a new project in the future with the knowledge that we gained.

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