Difference between revisions of "Team:GreatBay China/Applied Design"

Having noticed it was the difficulty in capturing cats that largely impeded the executive of TNR, we realized that the feline-attracting characteristic of nepetalactone could be of great help. (For more details on why nepetalactone appeals felines, see project background) Compared to cage traps and usual food lure, the pleasant scent of nepetalactone in catnip would appear to cats less of a pitfall, therefore more easily let down the guard of stray cats. With this need clearly identified, we devised a brand new product which can attract and seize stray cats when needed, providing cats with comfortable and secure shelter, and contains an auto feeder to reduce the workload of the volunteered caregivers. With a beautiful wish that this device would be the promised land for the roaming cats, we named it “Kitty Wonderland.”

Product Design

Our Kitty Wonderland is made of wooden boards and some extra components like the camera and electric fan which enhance the functionality of the Kitty Wonderland. We select wooden boards instead of plastics or steels because wood is more nature and intimate to cat and it also has outstanding properties like relatively light and heat-insulated.

Most of the features and their corresponding functions of the Kitty Wonderland are identified in the 3D Modeling Figure below, which demonstrates the final version of our design, and the raw materials are also shown in picture. (The two sealed sides of The Roof are removed in this 3D Modeling Figure for clear demonstration of the top of The House. The completed 3D Modeling Figure is shown at the end of the introduction) The functions and adaptations of every component will be discussed and explained comprehensively later in the introduction. During the construction of the Kitty Wonderland, we simply nail all the components and wooden boards together.

Before we came up with the idea of the design of this final version, loads of evaluations and modifications have been done to compare our design with the existing solutions and to improve the possible performance of our design.

Animal lovers in various communities have installed many simple shelters with food and water supplies under their apartments. These shelters are not waterproof and therefore could only be placed under the roof where only a confined space is available. Since these shelters only serve to provide stray cats with foods, no cat will be captured and therefore no sterilization could be done. In order to solve the stray cats problem thoroughly, certain number of cats needs to be sterilized to inhibit the surge of stray cats population before further measures are undertaken.

Many rescue parties of cats and dogs have already adopted modified cages which serve purely to trap stray cats and dogs. However, this method presents issues and concerns due to the fact that those cages don’t actually offer any benefits to cats and dogs but trap anything enters the cage immediately. Therefore, cats and dogs are becoming increasingly indifferent to those steel cages, which not only fail to demonstrate their functions but also pose threats to the animal. Besides, the sharp and harsh appearance of those steel cages doesn’t appeal to cat and dog at all. Pedestrian and residence will also find those cages very abrupt and unattractive, thus having negative attitudes towards the actions of the rescue team. None of these is helpful in taking care of cats and dogs and rescuing them effectively, not to mention the aim of emphasizing the problem of stray cats and dogs to the public and encouraging every citizen to get involve in the rescue.

However, these current solutions have advantages that we could adopt into our design. The cost of construction needs to be keep low and automation has to be employed to capture the cats while ensuring their safety and comfort. Consequently, we devise our fascinating design, the Kitty Wonderland, which combines the merits of current solutions towards stray cats problem and contains extra features for improvements, to address the problem.

The design of Kitty Wonderland is quiet complex, so the whole structure is broken down into three individual parts which are further explained. We name these three parts The Base, The House and The Roof respectively.

The 3D Modeling Figure of The Base is shown below. The Base is consists of a wooden box with a lid, a 3D printed pedestal and a PVC tube of 90 cm long. In consideration of the protection and safety of battery and other appliance, we make the wooden box and cover the bottom of it with plastic, so the box is made waterproof and can protect the electric appliance inside the box. This wooden box could also provide a foundation and elevation for the main house which is placed on top of it, so our design could be placed on the streets where no shelter against rain is present and the House will not be submerged by heavy rain or flood. The plastic pedestal in nailed at the bottom of the Base and it is designed for the consolidation of the PVC tube, which runs all the way to the top of The House. The PVC pipe has two functions: To immobilized the house and to protect the wiring. Electrical appliance like the camera and the electric fan are installed on the top of the House. In order to connect the wires between the battery and the appliance without imposing potential danger on the cats and damaging the appearance of Kitty Wonderland, we apply this PVC tube into our design to allow wires go through it. Since the PVC tube runs through The Base and The House (The lid of The Base and the bottom of The House both have a hole with the diameter of the PVC tube in the middle), it connects and stabilizes the whole structure.

Right on top of The Base is The House, which is shown in the 3D Modeling Figure below. The House is the place where cats enjoy their lives. Two sliding electric doors are installed on opposite sides of the House, and each door is controlled by a motor. After a cat enters the House, what happens is the sensor inside the House detects the cat and the sensor sends signal to the central controller in the Base, which then activates the motors and closes the door. The door could also be adjusted to remain open, so the Kitty Wonderland becomes a habitat of cats and will not capture the cats if necessary. An inverted camera is also installed at one top corner of The House to monitor the conditions inside the House for recording and safety purposes. The chemical of our final production, the nepetalactol, and the foods inside the auto-feeder are used to further attract and entertain the cats. The nepetalactol is placed inside the Petri dish which is situated on the top of The House. The wooden board of the top is processed so that a total of 49 ventilation holes with diameter of 2 cm are created. These holes allow gas exchange to occur. Therefore, the fragrance of our essence oil could easily diffuse down into The House where its enthusiastic consumers live and play. The foods and water inside the House also allow cats to stay for a long period of time. All together, these treats will make our design a paradise for cats.

The final section of our design is The Roof, as shown in the 3D Modeling Figure below. The demonstration on the left is the bottom view of The Roof. An inverted electric fan is fixed on the roof. It’s function is to strengthen the air flow though our design and facilitate the diffusion of nepetalactol inside the petri dish, so distant stray cats are also guided by the fragrance of the oil to our Kitty Wonderland. Both lateral sides of the roof are sealed in consideration of the safety of cats. Thirteen ventilation pores are made on two sealed sides to allow air flow through our design. The roof is fixed on the top of The House by bolts and nuts, which allow us to remove The Roof and add nepetalactol quiet easily.

All sections are combined to produce the whole structure of our design, which is shown in the 3D modeling figure below. In practise, the Base Lid will be placed on top of The Base under The House to provide an extra shielding for the electric appliance.

After recognizing the functions of each component of our design, a brief description of the scenario of implementing our Kitty Wonderland is written below for your complete understanding.

Our design will be placed on flat ground. Direct exposure to intense sunshine or heavy rain should be avoided as much as possible in consideration of the conditions of battery and other electrical appliance in the Base, in spite of the heat insulation and waterproof properties of the wooden Base. The electric fan under the roof will spread the fragrance of the essence oil, which would fascinate the cats and guide them to our design. Foods and water will be placed inside the House in advance to treat and ease the cats. After a cat enters the House, the motion of the cat will be detected immediately by the sensor which then sends a signal to the electric door. If necessary, the electric door will shut down so that the cat is remained in our design and awaits the arrival of professionals. The whole process will be recorded by the camera inside the house for future reference and safety consideration.