Team Members
- Jonathan Sullo
- Maxim Karasev
- Alhour Hasan
- Grace Brown
Mentor
Christopher Muir, Chris Pratt, Jim Alkins, Alex Prideaux, and Sebastian Gomez
Project Description
This project aimed to design and build a small, electric hovercraft that can glide over flat surfaces using air instead of wheels. Traditional vehicles contribute to pollution and rely on roads, but hovercrafts can travel over land, water, or ice without producing emissions. Our team created a lightweight, battery-powered hovercraft using everyday materials like foam, plywood, and leaf blowers. The design focuses on being environmentally friendly, affordable, and easy to build. It could one day be useful for transportation in areas with poor infrastructure or during emergencies when roads are blocked.
Requirements & Specifications
Requirements:
- At least two drivers per team.
- Vehicle evaluated for safety by instructional staff.
- Propulsion mechanism is same for both teams (different number of leaf blowers allowed).
- Vehicle must be able to maneuver the course.
- Payload for each team will be equalized.
Specifications:
- Hovercraft should be able to travel in a straight line within a 5 ft boundary.
- Hovercraft cannot be faster than 15 mph.
- 5 lbf tolerance between payload of both teams.
- Vehicle braking distance cannot exceed 15 ft from top speed.
- Hovercraft must be able to ascend 5% grade.
Final Design Report
Team Presentation Slides
Team Presentation Video
Photo Gallery
