Week 1
We formed our team for starting off with the project. Forming our team was not difficult as we knew each other since the winter quarter of our freshman year. After team formation, the next big step was focusing on choosing which project to work on. There were six possible projects that Professor Allon Guez showed us in his presentation. After carefully reviewing the requirements and deliverable of each project, we decided to work on the second project: Pneumatic & Magnetic Control for Colonoscopy.
Week 2
We completed our design proposal this week and started to look at what materials we need to buy, what objects we need to 3D print, and how much money we would need to spend on our project. After looking at several websites to buy the required magnets, we found that McMaster-Carr Supply Company (https://www.mcmaster.com) had the magnets with the right dimensions. We were looking for a spherical magnet that would fit inside the capsule, and a cubic magnet strong enough to operate the magnetic capsule inside the tube.
Week 3
Week 4
We brainstormed different capsule designs. Using CAD software, we discussed elongating the end of the capsule or keeping a traditional spherical end for the capsule. We also researched the parts needed for the capsule and the equations needed to evaluate the magnetic field between the two objects.
Week 4
We ordered the necessary parts for the prototype capsule. The capsule requires magnets in order to be transported throughout the human intestine. We ordered four magnets of different shapes. While all four magnets were composed of Neodymium, a highly magnetic metal, two of the magnets ordered were spherical, while the other two were cubic.
Week 5
This week as we were waiting on the parts to come in for the prototype capsule we continued to improve our design in CAD software, just waiting to finalize the plans when the exact measurements of the magnets can be taken once they arrive. Based on data researched we continued to work on the specifics of what we want our capsule to do. We also brainstormed frequently asked questions that could come up as a result of our proposed design and researched what we believed would be the best answers to justify them.
Week 6
We have got all the required parts that we were waiting for: the spherical magnets, the PVC pipe, and the glue required to bind the two-part capsule shell we are designing on CAD software. This week we are continuing with the design now that we have the exact measurements of the magnets we need to use.
The length of the PVC pipe is 24 inches and it's diameter is 3 inches.
This 3 inches of diameter is a perfect representation of the width of an actual large intestine of an adult human.
The diameter of the spherical magnets are: 1/4 inches which is equivalent to 0.635 cm. This was the ideal diameter we were looking for. One magnet is going to be placed inside the capsule. The other is going to be placed at the tip of a 3D-printed pen specially designed to hold the spherical magnet so that the user can hold the pen at a certain distance outside of the PVC pipe to maneuver the capsule inside the pipe.
Week 7
After our first attempt to 3D print our capsule design we ran into difficulty, as the dimentions of the capsule were too small for the printer to print. This week consisted of trying to fix that issue and either make a larger scale model, which may not work with the magnets that were purchased, or to go to a smaller scale printer which would be extremely expensive.
Week 8
Since 3D printing the capsule shell was not possible at the dimensions we wanted it to be, we decided to make a prototype with larger dimensions using clay. The dimensions are as follows:
Length: 2.8cm
Diameter: 1.5 cm
The length is almost close to the actual model we created in CREO Parametric 3D. The outer diameter is larger by 0.4 cm than the actual model. We have also started recording the distance between the magnetic spheres. This is so that we know the operating distance when the capsule is inside the colon. This is important because this will determine how far we offset the exterior magnet from the magnet inside the patient. In order to get the most accurate results, we used the slow motion option for the iPhone in order to have as many data points as possible. Each data point constitutes a distance along with a period of time. We made five videos in slow motion so that we can determine the uncertainty of our data points along with the average results.
Week 5
This week as we were waiting on the parts to come in for the prototype capsule we continued to improve our design in CAD software, just waiting to finalize the plans when the exact measurements of the magnets can be taken once they arrive. Based on data researched we continued to work on the specifics of what we want our capsule to do. We also brainstormed frequently asked questions that could come up as a result of our proposed design and researched what we believed would be the best answers to justify them.
Week 6
We have got all the required parts that we were waiting for: the spherical magnets, the PVC pipe, and the glue required to bind the two-part capsule shell we are designing on CAD software. This week we are continuing with the design now that we have the exact measurements of the magnets we need to use.
This 3 inches of diameter is a perfect representation of the width of an actual large intestine of an adult human.
Week 7
After our first attempt to 3D print our capsule design we ran into difficulty, as the dimentions of the capsule were too small for the printer to print. This week consisted of trying to fix that issue and either make a larger scale model, which may not work with the magnets that were purchased, or to go to a smaller scale printer which would be extremely expensive.
Week 8
Since 3D printing the capsule shell was not possible at the dimensions we wanted it to be, we decided to make a prototype with larger dimensions using clay. The dimensions are as follows:
Length: 2.8cm
Diameter: 1.5 cm
The length is almost close to the actual model we created in CREO Parametric 3D. The outer diameter is larger by 0.4 cm than the actual model. We have also started recording the distance between the magnetic spheres. This is so that we know the operating distance when the capsule is inside the colon. This is important because this will determine how far we offset the exterior magnet from the magnet inside the patient. In order to get the most accurate results, we used the slow motion option for the iPhone in order to have as many data points as possible. Each data point constitutes a distance along with a period of time. We made five videos in slow motion so that we can determine the uncertainty of our data points along with the average results.
Figure: Clay Capsule Shell
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