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Can you design a rapidly deployed inflatable scaffold system?
Challenge Type: engineering
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$1,600
top 50%
50
submissions
DONE
93 months

Scaffolding, the temporary structure used by construction crews during the process of building or repairing a structure, is a necessary part of modern engineering. However, traditional scaffolding is heavy and time-intensive to set up. We believe that inflatable scaffolding is a real possibility in the near future, and that it can be cheaper, quicker, and safer than the current industry standard.

Solutions will be awarded points for each of the following criteria that are addressed.

  • Must fit through a 2’ x 3’ opening
  • Working platform height of 15 feet
  • Construction should be modularized in order to create different/custom shapes.
  • A deflated module should be able to be connected to the existing inflatable scaffold and become inflated
  • An inflated module should be able to be removed from the assembly without impacting the rest of the scaffold
  • Must be able to support a working load of 1000 lbs.
  • Can be assembled, inflated, deflated, and disassembled and moved to each work location by 2 people.
  • Can have sharp/heavy construction tools and materials dropped on it without puncture
  • In the event of a rupture, the scaffolds ability to safely hold the load shall not be compromised.
  • A rupture in one module should not cause deflation in the other modules
  • Working Platform should be open, with nothing obstructing moving around the surface




    • Deliverables

    Submit the following:

    1. A narrative describing your idea and how it solves the problem.

    2. Design drawings, sketches, 3D models, etc., to illustrate the design and how it works. (Optional, but strongly recommended)
      Submissions will be graded on the following criteria:
    • Meets Deliverables
    • Creativity
    • Clarity
    Reward Tiers
    Top 10%
    will share $1,000
    Next 15%
    will share $400
    Next 25%
    will share $200
    Actual individual rewards will be based on the total number of eligible solutions.
    Leaderboard
    $200.00 Joy Zhang Georgia Institute of Technology
    $200.00 Jacob Hogenkamp Georgia Institute of Technology
    $200.00 Ansh Tayal National Institute of Technology Trichy
    $200.00 A Vidyesh Rao
    $200.00 Pedro M University of Providence
    $50.00 Erod Keaton Baybay Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
    $50.00 Sinjin Jones University of Cincinnati
    $50.00 Eric Lee Washington University in St. Louis
    $50.00 Dumna Joshi University of Miami
    $50.00 Archit Nandi University of Florida
    $50.00 Isaac Daffron University of Cincinnati
    $50.00 Daniel Oxendine College of Charleston
    $50.00 Jonathan Hundman Iowa State University of Science and Technology
    $16.70 Adarsh TR National Institute of Technology Calicut
    $16.70 Taponitya Samantaray University of Hyderabad
    $16.70 Tarun Jha University of Florida
    $16.70 Olivia Nguyen University of California at Davis
    $16.70 Siddhanth S Nair College of Engineering-Trivandrum
    $16.70 Marwan Ahmed German University in Cairo
    $16.70 Merrily McCarthy fresnostate
    $16.70 Palak Shah
    $16.70 Oscar Wong University of Illinois
    $16.70 Hardik Bhaavani Christ College, Rajkot
    $16.70 Junyi Chen McGill University
    $16.70 Isabella Kelly University of California at San Diego
    Submission questions


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