Engineering a Water Bottle Holder for Student Desks
A final design is shown of a water bottle holder that was created from an oatmeal canister wrapped in duct tape before it is attached to a desk leg using two zip ties.Copyright 2022 Jan Elisabeth Merritt, University of Florida MRET
Students solve a real-world problem: How to design a water bottle holder to keep desktops clean and dry? Condensation is a phenomenon encountered in everyday life. In school, we frequently experience this phenomenon as a messy wet area under our water bottles that makes our papers soggy! Students use the engineering design process to work together to brainstorm, sketch, and build a prototype water bottle holder that can attach to the leg of the desk or chair. Students test their designs for usability, durability, and cost-effectiveness, then redesign to make improvements to their product.
Engineers follow a process when developing solutions to real-world problems. Engineers brainstorm possible solutions, creating schematics that allow them to build a prototype. Once a prototype is built, engineers test their design and evaluate how well it solved the problem. The engineering design process may include much iteration of prototypes to make adjustments that improve the final product. Mechanical engineers are responsible for designing and manufacturing products and machines. As with all engineering fields, mechanical engineering requires problem-solving abilities to create items used in everyday life. Mechanical engineers rely on their creativity and analytical skills to bring a product from just an idea to reality.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Explain the phenomenon of condensation.
- Understand and apply the steps of the engineering design process.
- Design a schematic and build a prototype to solve the problem.
- Test prototype and iterate designs to improve design, taking constraints into account.
- Communicate effectively with peers to improve design and share results.