After we purchased the materials, the building phase commenced. We used the OSU work shop lab as a resource to assist us in cutting, screwing and putting together our first model. With the help of supervisors at the lab, we used a CNC machine to turn our rectangular plywood into an oval shape. It was great experience for us to watch how a CNC actually works and how taking measurements are key when entering them into the system. We also had to cut a perfect circle with the diameter of our PVC pipe into our wood to allow air flow from the blower.
Our next goal was to cut the shower curtain, which will act as our air chamber, in such a way that it fits comfortably and even around the wood. Once we positioned the wood on the curtain, we folded the edges and began stapling, cutting, and taping down the edges. We decided to puncture a few test holes into the tarp about the width of a pencil and fill the chamber with air. To no surprise, the tarp blew off and the staples and tape came un-done. We didn’t have nearly as much holes as we thought we would need. On
ce we added more holes we were able to fill the chamber with the blower and have it “hover” on its own. It could not carry the weight of a person yet and we will look into creating more holes or patching ones that allow too much air out when pressure is added. These updates will be available in Update Post #2.