The Recyclone

Inspiration

When thinking of 'what would be the best solution to picking up trash,' we realized that the ideal way would be to motivate others to pick up trash themselves. Not a machine, but human beings learning that recycling has many positive outcomes.

What it does

The Recyclone is a mold compressor that collects recyclable materials and then compacts and melts the plastics into a biodegradable eco-friendly beach board. The door of the machine will allow beach visitors to leave their recycled materials inside the machine. The glass at the top of the machine will act as the heater will the mold and mechanical arms inside the machine will compress the mold.

How we built it

Using Autodesk Fusion 360, we were able to model and render and concept idea of what it would look like. The real-life compactor would be made of stainless steel so that the machine doesn't rust or erode as a result of the weather. The inside would also have a battery that would be recharged using solar power. The battery would supply the mechanical arms that would melt and compress the plastic into the mold.

Challenges we ran into

How would this machine function in real life is what we struggled with the most. Because this machine would be left on a beach and there would be no nearby outlets or energy to supply it, we had to think of innovative ways, such as glass to heat up the inside of the machine and the solar panels, that would allow the machine to work in a real-life setting.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

This was the first time we had ever used Autodesk Fusion 360. We were worried that we would struggle while using the program and adjusting to the interface. This however, did not happen, we were able to combine our knowledge of AutoCAD, Revit, and Inventor and utilize these skills in Fusion 360 very easily. The program was very useful and we were proud of being able to use the new software.

What we learned

We learned a lot about the impact recycling has on our beaches and how ocean pollution is one of the most growing problems facing our generation in the past decade. While many people have been able to stop its effects, the most important impact we can have on younger generations is the initiative of wanting to recycle and keep our beaches clean.