Chen Yue & Matthew – Field Trip

In order to better develop the design for the pedal boat, we went to Sports Hub for a field trip to experience the ride.

Below is the image of the boat that we took, which allowed 2 people to pedal at the same time.  The shelter was very simple and it was still very bright and hot when in the boat.

^ Close-up photos of the pedal as well as a simple 3-way control of the direction. (L-left, straightforward, R-right)

v Two propellers at the bottom of the boat to move the boat forward. We were told not to pedal in reverse as it would harm the mechanism. 

There was a simple mechanism that allowed the user to move the seat forward and backward to find a comfortable distance.

We also tested on how the boat can make a U-turn and here is a video on it:

The boat wouldn’t be stuck but could turn even at a very close distance to the floating ball as long as we pedaled.

We also looked at the different platform on land and floating and considered what possible solutions could be used for our design.

Overall, what we concluded from this field trips are:

The boat moves at a very slow speed and it was quite exhausting to move around in the lake in sports hub and thus we felt that the size of nanyang lake is just nice for a casual and relaxing ride.

The boat could get stuck when moved near plants in the water therefore causing unnecessary trouble. This issue would be resolved if  the boats are tied to a pulley system on a fixed route.

The shelter needs to be more further developed so that it works better to shed the sunlight. The material needs to be more durable as well to withstand the weather. 

The pedal seat didn’t allow adjustment to the inclination of the seat and it could have provided better back rest.

Besides, we also measured some dimensions of both the exterior and interior of the boats, which could be used in the following process when we go into detailing of our design.

We will develop our design based on observations made from the field trip and also implement an interactive feature into the boat system.

 

 

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Lin Chenyue

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2 thoughts on “Chen Yue & Matthew – Field Trip”

  1. Hi Profs,

    After our field trip, we decided that having a pulley system is important to our installation. The boat gets stuck easily along rocks and over uneven seabed. Over at the Sports Hub, they have a team that monitors us and will come to our aid when in trouble. However, having a team stationed at the Nanyang Lake might not be possible. Steering the boat is not very easy and getting it to move straight requires constant adjusting of the rudder. After experiencing the ride, sometimes it is more relaxing to let someone control it to enjoy the scenery.

    Our rationale of having 2 boats joined on a pulley system is so that students between boats have to communicate – be it to embark, disembark or move. Portraying the essence of our installation, the “Nantah Spirit“, at a very important location where it all started.

    Looking forward to your thoughts!

  2. Ok, I see you had fun with your research.

    for now I will not comment the pulley motivations but your next step is to proceed with the design.

    analyze and define the boat features, 2d and 3d drawings, renderings

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