Solving Problems
UA student teams earn top honors in national design contest
June 29, 2006Contact Information:
Dr. Tom Costello, Associate Professor of Biological and Agricultural Engineering
479-575-2351 / tac@uark.edu.
Fred Miller, Agricultural Communication Services
479-575-5647 / fmiller@uark.edu
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Football helmets that monitor body temperature and a mobile tube-feeding system for children, which were designed by students in the department of biological and agricultural engineering at the University of Arkansas, were two of the top three entries in a national design contest sponsored by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineering (ASABE).
Faculty sponsor Tom Costello said the student teams will present their projects at the annual ASABE convention in Portland, Ore., July 10. A team from Ohio State University was also in the top three with a farm-scale biodiesel processor for soybeans.
Costello said football coaches and trainers could use the “Non-Invasive Body Heat Monitor” to prevent heat stroke or severe heat stress during practice and games. It could be adapted for use by firefighters and others subject to heat stress, he said.
The design team members were Matt Graham of Pinopolis, S.C.; John Leach of Little Rock; and James McCarty of Little Rock.
“The students placed a miniature wireless temperature sensor and all the needed electronics inside a helmet. The sensor is imbedded in padding and presses on the skin to measure temperature of the temporal artery, which is indicative of core body temperature,” Costello said.
The system can display multiple temperatures and sound an alarm if any player exceeds a preset threshold, he said.
The “Children’s Feeding Tube Mobility Device” includes a food bag, pump and battery on a vest that a child can wear. It was designed by Chase Darr of Alexander, Andy Riester of Greenwood and Sterling Powers of El Dorado.
“The project was inspired by an inquiry from a parent whose 3-year-old son was frustrated by being tethered to an IV pole,” Costello said.
Currently, children who require tube feeding are attached to a tube from a bag and pump that hangs from a pole, Costello said. It is designed for bedside or stationary feeding.
The system designed by the student team features a miniature peristalic pump and rechargeable batteries along with food bag and tube. It will operate in any orientation and will not fail if the child tumbles during normal play, Costello said.
The students hope to work with a clinical research team who could make a prototype for testing with selected patients.