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Image by Ramón Salinero

Year 8 STEAM

Mini cup task

PROBLEM SCENARIO

 

All country trains in Victoria have drinking fountains on them, since passengers get thirsty on long journeys.

Since the advent of COVID, the train company has been asked to provide disposable cups for passengers. This is seen as a safer way to drink from the fountain.

The train company is looking for a cup that fits the following criteria:

The cup must....

1.  Be able to be stored in a folded state. This will minimise the amount of storage room required for the cups. 

2.  Be made of a material that is able to be crushed easily by passengers. 

 

3.  Be made from a recyclable material.

 

4.  Be made from an inexpensive material.

 

5.  Be able to stand up when placed on a tray-table in the seating area.

 

6.  Be able to hold liquid for at least 3 minutes without leaking.​

Where to start?

 

The video below contains a tutorial on how to make a simple foldable cup from paper. However, it doesn't look like it would stand up on a flat surface very well!

Perhaps this design could be adapted to make it stand up?

Or maybe an additional object needs to be developed to help the cup stand up. For instance... an attachment, or an alteration to the tray tables.

 

There are lots of different options! 

THE ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS (EDP)
EngineeringDesignProcessNew.png
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