These kids are supposed to smart right ?
So why didn't they use some kind water sealant around the hole or just use some of that water proof glue they used on the camera pods ?
the tampons would only catch the water not stop it coming in..
ok so they might need to open the box som some sealants would be too sticky but i'm sure they could've thought of something else.
You realize this is a true story right?
I like how you pseudo smarties can come in with your captain hindsight brilliance after the fact. When meanwhile in reality this is what they did, and it worked.
---Listen, ..do you smell something?---
erm yes i did..
yes it worked...
but as i said...these are smart guys surely instead of dealing with the problem they actually should've fixed it to prevent the problem recurring.
electronics and water don't mix well, even a small amount of water could have destroyed the system..
1: not actually but having the appearance of; pretended; false or spurious; sham.
2: almost, approaching, or trying to be.
Origin of pseudo
so you can gtfo smartass mcdouchebag.
Their solution worked for the application. Your solution is merely an opinion. Big difference.
---Listen, ..do you smell something?---
lol
shareRigging something that is guaranteed to fail is not a "solution" and not a sign of a good engineer. It is a sign of those who have no business in engineering.
shareexactly what i was getting at :P
shareAn engineer just has to come up with a solution that works.
The tampons worked, and that's all there is. If that's not fancy enough for you, that's your Problem, but someone linke you would schicken out oft a contest just because you know how mich oft a failure you are.
I guess that's why boats have a bilge pump, because the engineers have no business engineering, and structures never fail.
The thing with the tampon is that is was in effect a bilge failsafe. Not knowing if fixing the box itself would work the failsafe of a bilge pump/tampon was a needed option. If they "fixed" the box they would really have no idea if it was truly fixed due to their situation of time, place, and equipment restrictions. It is quite a clever solution in my opinion.
---Listen, ..do you smell something?---
Wait I thought boats used giant Tampons?
There is nothing "clever" about the solution at all. Real engineers make sure their submersible robots don't leak in the first place.
They were high schol students with a limited budget.
And they scored 3rd in the underwater competition competition.
Their solution worked. many of the other subermersibles weren't waterproof enough.
You don't like their solution? Guiess what? A NASA specialist liked it according to the book.
A solution dosn't have to be fancy, just good enough. And the simpler the better. The robot didn't fail due to water intrusion, so it was ok.
"I have the higher ground"
"what's that supposed to mean?"
You can use a coconut as a helmet too, it may "work" but it does not make it a brilliant engineering solution.
NASA has more than 18,000 employees and over 40,000 contractors thus making the opinion of one person rather irrelevant. I do not know why people think that throwing around the word "NASA" means anything.
Who says it's brillian?
It's a solution to a problem, that helped win the competition.
That person was chosen as a judge for the competition. It wasn't irrelevant when it came to judging the competition.
Your opinion is irrelevant since it won't change the face, that the hayden Team won the competition. No matter how you try to spin it.
"I have the higher ground"
"what's that supposed to mean?"
Their so-called "solution" did not help them win the underwater challenge - they placed third. Nothing will ever change that irrefutable fact.
shareBasically, the amount of water in the housing seemed to be greatly exaggerated in the dramatic film:
"When they brought Stinky back onto the pool deck, there were a few drops of water in the waterproof briefcase that housed the control system. The case must have warped on the trip from Arizona in the back of Ledge’s truck. If the water had touched any of the controls, the system would have shorted out and simply stopped working."
From here: http://www.wired.com/2014/12/4-mexican-immigrant-kids-cheap-robot-beat-mit/
thanks
shareThe second I saw that scene I thought of glueing up the hole. It wasn't exactly rocket science. I can't believe the tampon part is real. It's too stupid a solution.
shareThey weren't going into mass production. They just needed a solution that lasted for ten minutes.
Besides I laughed hard at the 'tampon-explanation' scene in front of the committee. The shopping scene was funny as well.
I didn't find it funny but a sign of someone who should never go into engineering and guess what none of them did.
shareExactly, that is because they were not that smart. When I heard this I could not believe they were hyping such an idiotic idea as a "brilliant" engineering solution. It just shows how bad they were at engineering.
shareYou do realize that they found the defect the day before the competition right? They had to find a solution that would work and that they could afford. And what if they did patch the hole and that failed, their whole rig would be screwed. The tampons worked and that's all that matters, that's what engineers do you know, they solve problems with whatever they can come up with.
share