As we began brainstorming for our Capstone we crossed several potential ideas until we came across the hovercraft. I will include the YouTube link of the video that sparked our inspiration and that we tried to re-create. After viewing and breaking down the video we created a “shopping” list of materials that we needed which included: leaf blower, plywood, tarps, and PVC piping. In our first meetings we had to make decisions such as plastic or wood, or how high of power leaf blower we needed. A lot of these decisions ended up being the most cost effective due to us trying to stick to a strict budget while still creating a functioning vehicle. The next step was to begin to design our vehicle in SolidWorks and get a better understand of certain dimensions and overall shape. After we purchased the materials we were able to physically measure the dimensions of the wood plywood and determine where to cut the tarp. Once we put together the tarp and wood, we will be able to hook the blower up to the vehicle and begin to determine lift force and if the weight of the wood proved to be to much. Testing will need to take place by adjusting the power of the leaf blower and the amount/size of holes we place in the tarp to allow the air to leak out. These results will be explained in Update Post #1.

For our Capstone project, we wish to create an affordable, compact hovercraft like vehicle that could potentially hold the weight of the average human. Myself, Alex Borla, and Nathan Cathell are all mechanical engineer majors working on this feat. We will use our knowledge of friction, air resistance, and forces to create the vehicle. Our budget is approximately $150 for the whole project, which will force us to limit our materials and make cost effective decisions. We chose this topic because it will force us to design, plan, and test various ideas while also using resources such as the wood working shop at OSU. We believe we will be able to easily reach the 40 hour mark due to the extent of the build and testing that will need to take place. Our breakdown of how this idea can be turned into reality will be explained in the planning post.