Description
For our senior design capstone project, we are working in collaboration with the Kapawi Ecolodge, an eco-tourist enterprise in the Amazon Rainforest of Ecuador that run by the Achuar Indigenous community. This community operates on river transportation only and currently uses gas motors, which is very damaging to the environment surrounding them. In order to make their river transportation more sustainable, we are designing a fully functional electric boat system complete with a boat hull and a solar-powered charging station. Our main requirements for our boat subsystem are that it must seat 8-10 people, have a high level of stability, and provide high visibility of the rainforest as it is a tourism boat. The main requirements for the motor system are that it must have a quiet electric motor, have a replicable charging station that could be used in neighboring communities, and use solar energy.
Kapawi Electric Boat System
For our senior design capstone project, we are working in collaboration with the Kapawi Ecolodge, an eco-tourist enterprise in the Amazon Rainforest of Ecuador that run by the Achuar Indigenous community. This community operates on river transportation only and currently uses gas motors, which is very damaging to the environment surrounding them. In order to make their river transportation more sustainable, we are designing a fully functional electric boat system complete with a boat hull and a solar-powered charging station. Our main requirements for our boat subsystem are that it must seat 8-10 people, have a high level of stability, and provide high visibility of the rainforest as it is a tourism boat. The main requirements for the motor system are that it must have a quiet electric motor, have a replicable charging station that could be used in neighboring communities, and use solar energy.
Comments
Faculty Mentors: Marissa Forbes; Odesma Dalrymple