
Docking solution for Cstrider
- Post by: Tobias Larsson
- 22nd October 2024
- No Comment
Magnetic docking solution
Programme: Mechanical Engineering / Industrial Economy
Course: MT2569 – Design Thinking
Corporate partner: CSTRIDER
Challenge: Use needfinding to find needs of users for Cstrider and create a solution for Cstrider that benefits both users and the company
Solution: Our solution was a magnetic docking solution that uses an electromagnet to secure the boat in the dock. Our solution uses only land based power and therefore not drain the power source on the boat which was a big factor.
Impact: The Cstrider can dock safely and fully automatic with this solution, it will reduce the energy usage from the boat to zero when docked and being in standby mode. It will be safe to use in both side wind and wavy conditions. There is no risk to damaging our docking solution when entering the dock because of the springs retracting the magnet when its turned off.
Our solution allows the Cstrider to spend less time charging and more time on the sea transporting people.
Prototypes: We made a prototype where we created both the dock and the docking solution, we created one real magnetic prototype and the other 3 out of 4 was dummies in cardboard. The one that was the working prototype was made out of 3D printed parts, rubber bands to act as springs and ardurino with a connected electromagnet to show the docking part. We learnt that the electromagnet was weak in this scale and didn’t really work the way we wanted, it was supposed to be strong enough to get attached to the boat by being close but this magnet had to touch the boat to be strong enough. We also learnt that the prototype might lack an important feature of how it should be triggered, our plan was to have a sensor that gave information about when the Cstrider has entered but we didn’t have that.
Quotes from sponsor/partner: The feedback we got was that the hull was made out of plastic and therefore not magnetic but our solution was built upon mounting a steel-plate on the boat. The weight was not a problem at all according to Cstrider as long as it is placed low it will improve the stability, our will be placed just under the windows which would therefore improve the stability. We also got questions about the height, and this prototype was not in scale because we didn’t have the full dimensions of the Cstrider boat. Our prototype was primarily to showcase the concept of a magnetic docking with 2 moveable axis to reduce strain created from waves.
Project team:
- Axel Thuresson MSC in Mechanical engineering class of 2021
- Ismail Arwand, MSC in Industrial Economy, class of 2020
- Emma Olsson, MSC in Mechanical engineering class of 2021
Presentation
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