A new Innovation in Swimming Gear
I'm Connor Evangelisto, and my S.T.E.A.M Academy project is all about creating a new design for swim equipment.
How It Works
Below is a video that gives the basic details of my project.
What Makes This Design Different?
What Inspired this Project:
My inspiration for this project is my swimming experience throughout the past four years of Highschool. My fellow teammates and I always had gripes with the equipment that we used on a daily basis. I always wondered, "What could I change to make this equipment more comfortable to use?". I finally have the answer.
The 3D model to the right is the general shape of a swim buoy. It is evident that there is no way to properly secure the buoy between your legs.
A size comparison between a standard buoy (Left) and a Current Gear Buoy (Right):
The Current Gear Buoy is larger then a normal buoy, and is wider at the bottom. In addition to the straps, these two changes aid in keeping the buoy between your legs.
Problems This Project Solves:
With a standard swim buoy, it doesn't take much for you to lose it between your legs. Swimmers commonly lose their buoy while doing a flip turn. With my design, the buoy is comfortably secured between the swimmers' legs, and they are less likely to lose it while swimming.
With a standard kickboard, swimmers can suffer from Head, Neck, and Shoulder injuries. Even with special products like the "Ray-Board" that lower your shoulder position, your head and neck still suffer from pain because the very concept of a kickboard teachers swimmers poor streamline discipline. With my design, swimmers are able to comfortably put their head in the water, while also having a lowered shoulder position. These modifications eliminate the discomfort that swimmers commonly feel while using a kickboard.
Conceptual design made in Photoshop (Left):
Second conceptual design made in Onshape (Middle):
Prototype compared to a standard Kickboard (Right):
Steps Taken To Make This Project a Reality:
To make this project possible, I had to conduct research on swimming equipment, what type of positions cause head, neck, and shoulder pain. I also posted a survey for my swim team to fill out in order to find data on what the typical Highschool swimmer finds annoying about swim equipment. I experimented with 3D models, as well as conceptual designs in photoshop in order to refine my equipment design.
What Materials Are Used?
1.5 Inch Thick foam X2 -$49.44
Nylon Straps (150ft) -$21.60
Buckles x2 -$1.96
Contact Cement -$13.98
Zip Ties, 20 pack -$3.00
Estimated Cost and Market Price:
Kickboard cost:
One sheet of foam -$24.72
4 hours manual labor- $44 dollars (NJ minimum wage)
Total: $68.72
In production on a larger scale, the price of the kickboard would be brought down significantly since advanced machines would reduce the manual labor time needed. That would ideally make the production cost around 30 dollars.
I would sell it for a market price of 35 dollars for a 17% profit on each board.
Buoy Cost:
1/2 sheet of foam -$12.36
Nylon Straps (Only 4 feet) -$0.58
Buckles x2: $1.96
Zip Ties (4 out of 20) -$0.60
4 hours manual labor -$44 dollars (NJ minimum wage)
Total: $59.50
The materials to make this buoy are very cheap, and I didn't even include the contact cement in the total because one container could make dozens of buoys. It's the manual labor again that increases the cost. In production on a larger scale, advanced machines would reduce the manual labor time needed to shape the foam into the form of a buoy by a large margin. I would want to reduce the production cost to around 20 dollars.
I would sell the buoy for a market price of 25 dollars, for a 25% profit on each buoy.
Statistics and Polls
Listed below are facts about how Kickboards can have negative effects on your body, as well as data collected from a Google Form I made.
"What is your least favorite thing about using a Buoy?"
"It is hard to keep in between your legs, and it becomes a nuisance to use when it isn’t secure in between your legs." -Nathan Piccolo
"I can’t do flip turns with them." -Ryan Kilpatrick
"falls out of my legs when I flip turn" -Haleigh Long
"What is your least favorite thing about using a Kickboard?"
"The only negative is when I am holding on for a while it make my shoulders sore."
-Ella Vanderslice
"... my arms get sore and tired being in the same position while holding the board." -Lauren Kilpatrick
How Aspects Of S.T.E.A.M Are Implemented:
Science
Technology
For this project, I had to consider the human anatomy, and what position would be most comfortable for someone while they are swimming with a kickboard. I had to take into account things like buoyancy, and what materials would work well when submerged in water.
I used photoshop to make designs of Kickboards in order to asses what makes them uncomfortable to use. Also, I used the video editing software, Adobe Premiere Pro, in order to make a video showcasing my design, as well as Wix.com in order to make the website you are currently viewing.
Engineering
While designing project, I turned to OnShape to make some 3D models of Buoy's. and Kickboards. I applied concepts and skills I learned in my engineering classes over the past 3 years to building the physical buoy and kickboard.
Art
I drew rough drafts of my design, as well as currently existing designs for comparison. I considered the ergonomics of my equipment when making it, and I designed a creative logo for my project!
Math
I collected Statistics and polls to find valuable data in order to determine what problems swimmers have with the standard Kickboard and Buoy. I also determined what the cost would be to make each product.
