Materials Purchased and Building Underway

This week the team made tangible progress on our flotation device and measuring sticks. We considered our design ideas carefully and altered some of the materials in the interest of cost effectiveness and resilience in the field. Instead of using a Nalgene bottle, we decided to try building our own floating, waterproof phone container using PVC pipe. PVC pipe (when cut to approximately the same size as a 32-oz bottle) is less expensive than Nalgene bottles, can be water sealed, and comes in various inner diameters that more easily clear the phone. We also decided to make the measuring sticks out of PVC board because of its durability and low-maintenance qualities. Unlike wood, the PVC will not deteriorate in water and does not need to be treated.

We went to Home Depot and purchased PVC board, PVC pipe and caps, sealant, and spray paint, and also ordered a submersible dry bag to further protect the phone. We built early versions of the devices, and so far the devices look promising – when Manny’s phone was placed in the pipe, the GPS still worked through the PVC, and the capsule floats! Next week we plan to run some tests with the devices, including experiments with MyTracks on a phone in the capsule placed in water outdoors, and photographing of various measuring stick designs to determine color schemes and measurement increments that yield the highest-quality readings of water level.