Engineering Commons^™

Fresh Bytes - Connected Hydroponics For Small-Scale Growing, Jack Bowen

Liberal Arts and Engineering Studies

Many users are now transitioning to small-scale hydroponics and aquaponics at home. There can be a barrier to entry with these systems as there is a delicate balance of chemicals, pH, etc. that must be maintained. There are sensors for these various components but they are either aimed at commercial production or are un-automated. Fresh Bytes is a microcomputer with sensors to detect all of these unseen components in a hydroponic system. A prototype of this microcomputer is produced along with CAD plans for more professional versions of it. The sensors are verified and future development is contemplated.

Aquaponics Art, Alexander Horton

Liberal Arts and Engineering Studies

Aquaponics has enormous potential to change the way we farm. I wanted to connect more people to Cal Poly's first aquaponics club by creating a functioning aquaponics art installation that allows people to plant their own plants. This paper is catalog of the design process as a reflection of what this project hopes to accomplish.

Fully Accessible Raised Garden Beds, Ethan Lockwood

Liberal Arts and Engineering Studies

The Ranch, a local nonprofit that is a community gathering location for recreation and education, providing outdoor employment opportunities for area residents with developmental disabilities and a unique experience for volunteers and visitors., was lacking a farming and gardening environment that was fully accessible for all people including those in wheelchairs. This project provided substantial background research for the mission of The Ranch, demonstrated sustainable design, secured material donations, CAD modeled raised beds, and provided meaningful employment during the construction of the raised beds. The project resulted in three different raised bed designs that are all in use by The …

Waste Heat Reclamation For Commercial Use, Andrew Webber

Liberal Arts and Engineering Studies

The purpose of this project was to capture waste heat to raise the temperature of groundwater for commercial applications.

The Trackpacer, Alexandra Kline

Liberal Arts and Engineering Studies

Competitive and recreational runners struggle to maintain a target pace during workouts and currently have no easy-to-see visual feedback on their pace. Lack of real-time, easy-to-see pace feedback makes it difficult for athletes to maintain a target pace and thereby makes their workouts less effective. Some GPS watches provide pacing feedback, but they are impossible to read while running hard.

Pacing is a basic yet essential component of track and field, no matter what type of running event is taking place. During practice, certain paces are prescribed to evoke certain physiological responses from athletes. For example, a coach might ask …